On Tuesday 13 June at a special celebration at Canolfan S4C yr Egin, the winners of the annual Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol Awards were announced.
Some of the highlights of the evening was revealing Yvon-Sebastien Landais as the winner of the William Salesbury Further Education and Apprenticeship Award. The award recognises his enthusiasm in learning Welsh and supporting his fellow learners at Coleg Pembrokeshire to learn the language. Seb, 21, who has learnt Welsh in a short time is proud of the Welsh language and culture and was presented with the award by his hero, Dafydd Iwan.
Seb said,
"I'm delighted to receive this award, and to receive it from none other than Dafydd Iwan! The award is important to me because it shows that my Welsh is improving from month to month and is a huge boost to continue on my journey to learn Welsh. The award is definitely going to raise my confidence and strengthen the feeling of Welshness in me. I look forward to using Welsh in the workplace when I start working for a construction company in the near future."
Osian James from Coleg Ceredigion was announced the winner of a new award in memory of former Coleg Cymraeg chairman Gareth Pierce who passed away suddenly in summer 2021. The award recognises an apprentice who has demonstrated exceptional talent in the workplace. According to Osian's tutor, his work is with the best the department within the college has ever seen. Osian's interest in carpentry began during lockdown, when he fell in love with carpentry and created a cupboard for his mother, learning from YouTube. Since then Osian has gone from strength to strength.
He said,
"I am very grateful to receive this new award in the name of Gareth Pierce who contributed so much to the further education and apprenticeship sector. I love carpentry. I look forward to developing my skills and fulfilling my apprenticeship to continue working and serving my community bilingually."
In addition, Sara Gwyn, Niamh Goodwin-Thomas and Branwen Jones were announced as the winners of the William Salesbury Medicine Award which recognises the innovation of a research project delivered through the medium of Welsh, and/or contribution to current extra-curricular activities through the medium of Welsh within the field of Medicine. Sara, Niamh and Branwen were rewarded for their key contribution in establishing Swansea University's Welsh Medical Society which has given medical students special opportunities to socialise, and also to develop clinical skills through the medium of Welsh.
Sara said,
"I am delighted to receive this award and I’m grateful for the recognition for wanting to use Welsh in practice in the medical field. I look forward to progressing my studies and hope to become a doctor to provide Welsh-medium care to patients in the future."
The winner of the Outstanding Contribution to Welsh-medium Education Award was Dr Hywel Griffiths, a lecturer in the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences at Aberystwyth University.
He said,
"I'm very grateful for this award. The Coleg Cymraeg has been a big part of my career since I started my doctorate in 2015, so this award means a lot to me. I work with a team of people who make outstanding contributions to Welsh-medium higher education and I am very grateful for their support and for the collaboration."
The evening was presented by well-known S4C presenter and friend of the Coleg Cymraeg, Melanie Owen. To close the ceremony Dafydd Iwan gave a live performance of Yma o Hyd in recognition of the special effort of the learners at the further education colleges, supported by the Coleg Cymraeg, who learnt the words, and creates videos of their performances for the World Cup last year.
Dr Ioan Matthews, Chief Executive of Coleg Cymraeg, said:
"Tonight's winners deserve every commendation and recognition for their highest quality work and contribution towards post-compulsory Welsh and bilingual education. Their influence raises the profile of Welsh in their organisations enormously, and we wish them well into the future."
The ceremony was on from 19:00 to 20:30 at Canolfan yr Egin, S4C, and the event can be watched back on the Coleg’s YouTube channel.
Full list of winners:
Further Education Awards
- William Salesbury Further Education and Apprenticeship Award
Recognises the contribution of a learner or apprentice to the Welsh life and culture within a further education college or apprenticeship provider. The winner of this award this year is Yvon-Sebastien Landais from Pembrokeshire College
- New Talent Award in memory of Gareth Pierce
Recognises the contribution of an Apprentice who has shown exceptional talent in the workplace. The winner of the award is Osian James from Coleg Ceredigion.
- Innovative Educator Award
Recognises the contribution of a tutor, practitioner or assessor who provides Welsh language education in innovative ways. The winner of this year's award is Lowri Bugg from Coleg Sir Gâr for her outstanding work in encouraging learners to develop their Welsh language skills.
- Award for Special Contribution
This award is given to a member of the management team who influences the development of Welsh language provision within their organisation. The winner of this year's award is Carys Swain from Bridgend College.
- Award for enriching the learner/apprentice experience.
Recognises the contribution of a member of staff in the sector for increasing the use of Welsh among learners/apprentices in various less formal situations. The winner of this year's award is Sian Chandler from Cardiff and Vale College.
Higher Education Awards
- William Salesbury Medicine Award
Recognises the innovation of a research project or contribution to current extra-curricular activities through the medium of Welsh within the field of Medicine. This year's award winners are students Sara Gwyn, Branwen Jones, and Niamh Goodwin-Thomas from Swansea University
- Mered Award
Recognising a student's contribution to Welsh life and culture, within a wider university. This year's winner is Deio Owen from Cardiff University
- Outstanding Welsh Medium Resource Award
For creating an excellent and high quality Welsh-medium resource that supports the students in their studies. This award is for members of the Coleg's associate lecturer scheme and this year's winners were lecturers in Sociology and Communicative Policy from Bangor University, Dr Cynog Prys and Dr Rhian Hodges for developing the Sociology Multi-Media Package
- Outstanding Contribution Award
For outstanding contribution to higher education (beyond a professional role). This award is for members of the Coleg's associate lecturer scheme and this year's winner is Dr Hywel Griffiths, lecturer in the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences at Aberystwyth University
- Student Award
The 'Student Award' offers a student or group of students the opportunity to nominate a lecturer who has made a huge difference to their Welsh life at university. This award is for members of the Coleg's associate lecturer scheme, with this year's winner being Gwyneth Hayward, lecturer in Physiotherapy at Cardiff University.
The ceremony was on from 18:00 to 20:00 at Canolfan yr Egin, S4C, and the event was streamed live on the Coleg’s YouTube channel and can also be watched back.
The winners of the following awards will be announced in the Coleg Cymraeg tent on Wednesday afternoon at the National Eisteddfod:
- The Eilir Hedd Morgan Memorial Award which recognises the forward thinking of research among the sciences and contribution to the teaching of the sciences through the medium of Welsh at an institution of higher education
- Dr John Davies Memorial Award recognises the best dissertation in Welsh History
- Professor Gwyn Thomas Memorial Award recognises the best dissertation submitted in the field of Welsh
- Norah Isaac Award for the student who receives the best result in the Coleg's Welsh Language Skills Certificate assessment.