INFORMATION OVERVIEW

THE UMTHELELA EPWORTHIAN AWARD

The Umthelela Epworthian Award celebrates the extraordinary impact (umthelela) that Epworthians have made in South Africa and the world beyond. This annual award seeks to recognise and celebrate the valued contributions of Epworth High School alumni in making a significant difference in a community, industry, arena, or field of study.

As a fourth-generation Epworth family, the Hampson family introduced The Umthelela Epworthian Award in 2026.

Having been part of the Epworth family for four generations, we've witnessed first-hand how this remarkable school shapes not just minds, but hearts and character. We've seen countless fellow Epworthians go on to touch lives, transform industries, and build stronger communities. This award is our way of saying, ‘we see you, we're proud of you, and your impact matters.

We believe that celebrating these achievements doesn't just honour individual success – it inspires current students and recent graduates to dream bigger, reach further, and remember that being an Epworthian means carrying forward a legacy of making the world a better place and becoming a woman of worth.

This is more than just an award – it's our community coming together to celebrate the incredible people we've been privileged to call classmates, friends, and fellow Epworthians. Whether someone has revolutionised healthcare in rural communities, led groundbreaking research, built businesses that create jobs and opportunities, or simply touched countless lives through teaching, mentoring, or community service – these are the stories we want to share and celebrate.

the-hampson-sisters

Nomination and selection process

NOMINATION
DEADLINE

Made by fellow Epworthians only:
7 October

Community voting deadline

All Epworthians invited to vote:
by 31 October

Final
Selection

November

Announcement of the winner

Announced:
January

RECEIVING THE AWARD

Recipients will have the honour of receiving their award in person (if able to) and sharing their story with our Epworth family, inspiring the next generation to continue this beautiful legacy of impact.

Nomination forms are available from:
The Epworthian Liaison Officer, Jan Menear -[email protected], or via the link below.

NOMINATION FORM
umthelela-award

CRITERIA

  • The Umthelela Epworthian Award may only be awarded to an Epworthian once in their lifetime.
  • The candidate must be a living Epworthian, nominated by a fellow Epworthian for the award.
  • An Epworthian may be nominated more than once and in different years, provided they have not already been awarded The Umthelela Epworthian Award.
  • The candidate must have contributed extraordinarily to their community, industry, field of study or another arena.
  • Their contributions must be recognised and valued by peers and community leaders.
  • The achievement must be determined by their personal attributes, whether those be in leadership, through motivation or change agency, or through inspiration.
  • The achievements would be considered above and beyond the call of duty.

PROCESS

  • Nominations will be requested with selection of the recipient being made in November of that same year.
  • Nominees will be requested to furnish The Epworthian Office with additional information in support of their nomination.
  • Epworthians will be invited to vote for the nominees during the month of November.
  • The top two voted nominations will be submitted to an external panel of judges at the end of the voting period.
  • The judge’s decision will be final.
  • The external panel of judges will select the recipient of The Umthelela Epworthian Award based on the above criteria.
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VIEW Previous Recipients