Compassion in Practice Awards 2026

Terms and Conditions — sponsored by Animal Friends Pet Insurance

1. The Promoter

1.1 The Compassion in Practice Awards 2026 (the “Awards”) are promoted by Veterinary Business Development Limited, trading as Vet Times, a company registered in England and Wales under company number 02185105, registered office C/O Hunters Law LLP, 9 New Square, Lincoln’s Inn, London, WC2A 3QN (correspondence address: Eventus, Sunderland Road, Market Deeping, Peterborough, PE6 8FD) (“Vet Times”, “we”, “us”, “our”).

1.2 The Awards are sponsored by Animal Friends Pet Insurance Services Limited, trading as Animal Friends Pet Insurance, a company registered in England and Wales under company number 03630812, registered office Animal Friends House, The Crescent, Sun Rise Way, Solstice Park, Amesbury, Wiltshire, SP4 7QA, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 307858) (referred to in these terms and conditions as “Animal Friends” or “the Sponsor”).

1.3 By submitting a nomination, uploading a photo or video, or voting in the Awards, an entrant or voter accepts these terms and conditions in full.

2. What the Awards Are

2.1 The Compassion in Practice Awards celebrate individuals and teams across the veterinary profession, including but not limited to veterinary surgeons, registered veterinary nurses (RVNs), student veterinary nurses (SVNs), patient care assistants (PCAs), client care and reception teams, practice managers, and wider practice teams, who demonstrate exceptional compassion in their work. There are no categories or hierarchy; any genuine story of compassion may be nominated.

2.2 Every approved nomination is published permanently in the online Gallery of Compassion. Four nominees will be shortlisted as “Compassion Champions” and two of those four will go on to be named “Compassion Champions of the Year”.

3. Key Dates (2026)

28 September: Entries open

6 November: Entries close 23:59

13 November: Four Compassion Champions announced (selected by the Vet Times / Animal Friends panel)

13 November: Public voting for Compassion Champions of the Year opens

25 November: Public vote closes 23:59

Week commencing 30 November: Two Compassion Champions of the Year announced, each awarded a £1,000 gift voucher

December: Compassion Champions celebrated across Vet Times and Animal Friends channels

We reserve the right to amend these dates. Any material change will be published on this page and so far as reasonably possible, notified to affected entrants.

4. Eligibility

4.1 Nominations may be submitted by anyone working in, or connected with, UK veterinary practice.

4.2 The person or team nominated must be based at, or associated with, a UK veterinary practice.

4.3 Entry is free. No purchase is necessary.

4.4 The Awards are not open to employees, contractors or immediate family members of Vet Times or Animal Friends who are directly involved in administering the Awards.

4.5 Nominators and nominees must be 18 or over or have the consent of a parent or guardian if under 18.

4.6 A nomination should not be submitted without the knowledge of the person or team being nominate (see clause 7 on consent).

5. How to Enter

5.1 Entries must be submitted via the online entry form at https://awards.vettimes.com/submit-a-story/ completing all four steps: (1) nominator and nominee details; (2) the context, who needed compassion and what they were facing; (3) the action taken; and (4) the outcome and its impact, together with a supporting photo or short video.

5.2 One nomination per nominee per Award year. Multiple nominations will not give a nominee any additional advantage, and Vet Times may consolidate duplicate nominations where appropriate.

5.3 We may contact the nominator or nominee to verify details or request further information before an entry is approved.

5.4 Incomplete entries, or entries received after the closing date and time, will not be considered.

6. Selection Process

Panel selection (four Compassion Champions)

6.1 All approved entries received by the closing date will be reviewed by a judging panel comprising representatives of Vet Times and Animal Friends, and at least one independent judge with appropriate veterinary experience in line with CAP Code rule 8.26. Judges’ full names will be made available on request.

6.2 The panel will select four Compassion Champions based on the impact of the action described, evidence of going above and beyond, and the authenticity of the story. The panel’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into.

Public vote (two Compassion Champions of the Year)

6.3 The four Compassion Champions go forward to a public vote open from 13 to 25 November 2026.

6.4 Voting is free and open to members of the public. Limited to one vote per email address. The IP address of the device used, along with the voter’s email address and the time of the vote, will be recorded to ensure technical control. We reserve the right to disqualify votes reasonably believed to be fraudulent, automated, or otherwise obtained in breach of these terms.

6.5 The two nominees receiving the most votes are named Compassion Champions of the Year. In the event of a tie, the final decision will be made by the judging panel.

7. Content, Images and Consent

7.1 A nomination should not be submitted without the knowledge of the person or team being nominated. Before submitting, the nominator should make the nominee aware that their name, role, practice name, story and any photo or video may be published in the Gallery of Compassion and shared across Vet Times and Animal Friends channels (see clause 9). A nominee may contact Vet Times to request that their nomination is withdrawn or that further use of their content ceases, subject to clause 9.3.

7.2 Where a photo or video shows a client, a client’s animal, or any other identifiable third party, the entrant confirms that consent has been obtained from that person (or, for an animal, from its owner) for the image to be taken and used in this way, in line with the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct’s guidance on client consent and the use of images (Supporting Guidance, Chapter 12) and by submitting an entry, the entrant confirms that they have obtained all permissions and consents reasonably necessary to submit and permit the use of any personal information, image or video relating to an identifiable third party included in the entry.

7.3 Where a story or image discloses information about a client, their circumstances or their animal’s treatment, the entrant confirms that this does not breach client confidentiality obligations under the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct (Chapter 4 / Supporting Guidance, Chapter 14 on Confidentiality), and that appropriate client consent has been obtained or the information has been anonymised so that individuals cannot reasonably be identified.

7.4 Images and videos must show animals being handled and cared for in a way consistent with standard welfare guidelines, including guidance issued by the British Veterinary Association (BVA), as referenced on the entry form. We reserve the right to reject any entry that depicts, or appears to depict, poor animal welfare practice, however well-intentioned the underlying story.

7.5 Content must not feature any identifiable child under 18 without the express consent of their parent or guardian, obtained separately from any client consent referred to in clause 7.2.

7.6 Entrants must own or have obtained all necessary permissions and licences to submit all photos, videos and written content included in their entry, and the content must not infringe any third party’s copyright, privacy or other rights.

7.7 We reserve the right to edit entries for length, clarity, house style or legal reasons, and to decline or remove any entry, at our sole discretion, including after publication.

8. Prizes

8.1 The two Compassion Champions of the Year will each receive a £1,000 gift voucher of their choice from the available retailers/options notified by Vet Times and provided by Animal Friends. Vet Times will arrange delivery of the prizes to the winners.

8.2 There is no cash alternative. The prize is not transferable.

8.3 If a prize cannot be awarded as described for reasons beyond our reasonable control, we reserve the right to offer a reasonable equivalent of similar value.

8.4 Winners will be notified using the contact details provided at entry within 5 working days of the announcement. We will make reasonable and repeated attempts to contact winners; if a winner cannot be reached within 30 days, we reserve the right to award the prize to a runner-up as determined by the judging panel.

8.5 Winners’ names, roles, practice names and winning entries may be published or otherwise made available, in accordance with clause 11 below and CAP Code rule 8.28.5. Entrants may object to the level of detail published, but we may still be required to disclose full details to the Advertising Standards Authority if a valid award is challenged.

9. Licence to Use Your Content

9.1 By submitting an entry, the entrant grants Vet Times and Animal Friends a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive licence to use, reproduce, edit, adapt and publish the nomination text, photo and video for the purposes of administering, publicising and promoting the Awards, the Gallery of Compassion and related communications concerning the Awards across all Vet Times and Animal Friends channels, including websites, social media, email marketing, print and associated promotional material, including the permanent Gallery of Compassion.

9.2 This licence continues after the Awards period ends and applies whether or not the entry is selected as a Compassion Champion.

9.3 Entrants (and, where different, nominees) may ask us to remove an entry from the Gallery of Compassion or stop further use of their content at any time by contacting awards@vettimes.com, though content already published in print, or already shared or cached by third parties, may not be capable of removal.

10. Accuracy of Roles and Titles

10.1 Entrants must describe a nominee’s professional role accurately. Under the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966, only veterinary surgeons registered with the RCVS may use the titles “vet”, “veterinary surgeon” or “veterinary practitioner”, and only registered veterinary nurses may describe themselves as “RVN”. Entries must not describe or imply that a nominee holds a title, qualification or registration status that they do not hold.

10.2 We reserve the right to amend an entry’s description of a nominee’s role, or to decline an entry, where we reasonably believe it misrepresents the nominee’s title or qualifications.

11. Data Protection

11.1 Vet Times is responsible for collecting and administering personal data submitted through the Awards, including nominator contact details, practice address, consent records and voting information, in accordance with applicable data protection law.

11.2 Certain information contained in the approved nomination, including the nominee’s name, role, practice name, nomination story and any submitted photographs or video, may be made available to Animal Friends for the Purposes of judging, publicising and promoting the Awards. To the extent that this information constitutes personal data and is processed by Animal Friends for those Purposes, Animal Friends will process it in accordance with applicable data protection law and its Privacy Policy.

11.3 Vet Times will not share nominator contact details, practice address, consent records or voting data with Animal Friends for the purposes of administering the Awards. Further information about how each organisation processes personal data is available in the Vet Times Privacy Policy link and the Animal Friends Privacy Policy link.

11.4 Entrants are responsible for ensuring that any third party named or identifiable in their entry (in particular the nominee, and any client, colleague or family member referred to) is aware of the submission and that the entrant has obtained any permissions or consents required to submit and permit use of that information.

11.5 Entrants and nominees may exercise their applicable rights under data protection law, including rights of access, rectification, erasure or objection, as applicable. Full details of those rights and how to exercise them are set out in the relevant privacy policy. Individuals may raise a concern with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ico.org.uk).

11.6 Where a nominee has not given their own consent before being nominated, we process their personal data on the basis of our legitimate interests in recognising compassion across the veterinary profession, not consent. Full details of this legal basis, and the safeguards that apply, are set out in the Vet Times Privacy Policy.

12. Sponsor Disclosure and No Implied Endorsement

12.1 The Awards are sponsored by Animal Friends, as disclosed throughout the campaign. Sponsorship of the Awards does not constitute, and must not be presented or understood as, an endorsement of Animal Friends’ products by Vet Times, the veterinary profession generally, or any individual Compassion Champion.

12.2 Nothing in the Awards or their promotion implies that the RCVS has reviewed, endorsed, or is otherwise affiliated with the Awards.

13. Fair Administration of the Promotion

13.1 We will administer the Awards under proper supervision, with adequate resources, and will deal fairly, promptly and honourably with all entrants and voters, in accordance with the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing (the “CAP Code”).

13.2 We reserve the right to disqualify any entry or vote, and to require the return of a prize, where we reasonably believe these terms have been breached, or an entry or vote is fraudulent, abusive, defamatory, discriminatory, or otherwise unlawful or inappropriate.

13.3 In the event of circumstances beyond our reasonable control, we reserve the right to cancel, amend or suspend the Awards, or these terms, to the extent reasonably necessary, but will always try to keep any changes as fair as possible to entrants and voters.

14. Liability

14.1 To the fullest extent permitted by law, Vet Times and Animal Friends exclude liability for loss or damage arising from entry into, or participation in, the Awards, except for liability which cannot be excluded by law, including death or personal injury caused by negligence, or fraud.

14.2 Nothing in these terms excludes or limits any rights or liability which cannot lawfully be excluded or limited by law.

15. Governing Law

15.1 These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction, save that entrants or voters resident in Scotland or Northern Ireland may also bring proceedings in their local courts.

16. Contact Us

16.1 Questions about these terms, or requests to withdraw an entry, should be sent to awards@vettimes.com or by post to Vet Times, Eventus, Sunderland Road, Market Deeping, Peterborough, PE6 8FD.

16.2 Related policies: Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy

© Veterinary Business Development Ltd 2026