EACH year, the Worcestershire Education Awards gets bigger and better with more nominations and more public interest.

At the official launch of this year's awards at the University Arena on January 17, many of last year's winners attended and shared their stories of what the prize meant to them.

They talked about how the education industry is one where criticism is easily given but praise rarely offered, so an award which recognises the hard work and skill of all kinds of staff is hugely appreciated.

At that launch, I gave a speech (pictured left) about the amazing dedication of education professionals and explained how I came from a family of teachers – my father was an art teacher, my mother is a university lecturer, my sister-in-law is a teaching assistant, and I taught English in Tokyo for 12 months – and so had seen the passion and long hours that go into preparing and carrying out lessons and all of the support and administration work.

It is this passion and dedication that inspired the Worcester News to establish the Worcestershire Education Awards in partnership with the University of Worcester in 2017, and the desire to keep championing those qualities in the county has ensured that the awards have become a fixture on the calendar every year.

For us, there is such satisfaction in sharing the positive stories of teachers, support staff, schools, colleges and other education establishments.

Whether someone wins an award or is just nominated, being profiled in the newspaper and on our website means so much to them because it shows them how valued they are.

That's why I urge all of our readers to nominate an education professional who deserves recognition. We all know someone who makes a difference to students' lives, so let's praise them.

Nominate someone for an award here