The National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) launched the Images of Public Engagement Competition as part of their 10th anniversary celebrations in 2018.  People were invited to share images and captions of inspiring engagement activities, culture change initiatives, and of people involved in public engagement in UK higher education. The three competition categories were Engagement; People and Culture Change. MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM submitted an entry titled Keneba Open Day under the Engagement category and were commended. The judges felt that the image provided an important reminder that researchers’ engage with the public in many different countries and cultural contexts. They thought that the entry demonstrated how important it is to build relationships with research participants, and to do so in ways that are sensitive to the culture and traditions of the participants.  It was an important reminder of the need to ‘say thank you’, of the vital role that food and drink play in nurturing relationships, and of the need to create relaxed, informal settings where people feel valued and where conversation can flow.

The judging panel included Sophie Duncan, Deputy Director, NCCPE, Jo Heaton-Marriott, and Director of Communications & Engagement, University of Central Lancashire UCLan, Paul Manners, Director, NCCPE Erinma Ochu, Lecturer in Science Communication & Future Media, University of Salford and Ed Stevens, Deputy Head of Public Engagement, University of Bath

“The Images of Public Engagement Competition 2018 provides a wonderful snapshot of the vitality and diversity of public engagement practice in UK Higher Education. We want to thank everyone who entered for providing such a personal and thoughtful illumination of what public engagement means to them, and for reminding us of the difference it can make, inside and outside the university.” Sophie Duncan and Paul Manners, NCCPE

The article was first published on 17th October 2018 https://www.publicengagement.ac.uk/sites/default/files/publication/imag…