From Amelia Earhart to Barnes Wallis, Malala Yousafzai to Edith Wharton, Ernest Shackleton to Coco Chanel, pioneers have always been a source of hope and inspiration, driving forward our knowledge and our capacity to create.
Wendy Gordon (1942-2023) was a true pioneer in the world of qualitative research and all of us in the industry have benefitted from her groundbreaking thinking, whether knowingly or not. Wendy's insatiable appetite for understanding what makes us human constantly pushed the boundaries and translated into extraordinary ways of doing, thinking and applying qualitative research.
Wendy cared deeply about models of thinking, the "mind-frames" that help us interpret and apply insights, taking research beyond interesting methodology to useful tools and frameworks.
An award to recognise pioneering spirit
The AQR Wendy Gordon Pioneers Award is a celebration of what Wendy brought to the industry and beyond, to brand planning, semiotics, recruitment, marketing and more; her curiosity, her bravery, her intelligence and her pioneering spirit. The award is open to anyone from the insight industry who can demonstrate a similar pioneering spirit in the work that they do. The winner will hold the Pioneers Award trophy for one year, a ceramic which was created by Wendy herself and donated by her family.
What is pioneering thinking or doing?
- Innovative and novel approaches that have helped establish a new standard
- Game-changing actions or models of thinking that have resulted in a positive shift for a business, brand, community, culture
- Initiating a way of thinking that has set the scene for others to follow
- Approaches that have challenged the status quo or changed the frontiers of qual
- Pioneering business or operating models
- A project or programme of research or strategy that could be described as pioneering
Who can be nominated?
Anyone from the broadest insight community, including those who have conducted, commissioned or implemented insight-based solutions. This includes client companies and individuals, ad agency planners, marketers, agency collaborators, those who develop or use research and industry support services such as recruitment, viewing facilities, technology, etc.Entry requirements
The award is open to both members and non-members. The entry must include some element of qualitative research or its associated specialisms. You can nominate an individual, a pair, a team or yourself.How to nominate someone for the award
Email your nomination to: info@aqr.org.uk
Make sure you include this information:
- Your own name
- Your company name
- Your email address
- The name of the person you are nominating
- Their company name
- Their email address
Your nomination should include your reasons for nominating this person and be between 1000 and 1200 words in total, and include all of the following:
- The background context and objectives of your nomination, i.e. What was the problem or challenge being faced and what was it it about the solution that was pioneering?
- Describe the detail and specify the qualitative research element employed, including a brief explanation of why?
- Describe why you believe your nominee deserves this award.
You can also send a link to a single video, of a maximum of five minutes duration if you believe this is relevant, but this should be in addition to the above, not as an alternative to the above.
Entry Fee
There is NO entry fee for this award. For the inaugural year of this award, it is FREE to enter.
Timetable and key dates
Deadline for Entries
Wednesday 15th January 2025
Announcement of winner and award presentation
Thursday 27th February 2025
Judging panel
Rory Sutherland
Vice Chairman of Ogilvy UK
Phil Barden
MD of DECODE Marketing Ltd
Author of "Decoded. The Science Behind Why We Buy"
Dr Shivonne Gates
Head of Impact and Strategy, Class 13
MRS EDI Changemaker Of The Year, 2023
Katya Des-Etages
Research Manager, Channel 4
Caroline Whitehill
Co-Founder and Strategist, Acacia Avenue
Judy Taylor
AQR Board Member
Research and Strategy Consultant
Sarah Fryer
Head of Global Brand Tracking and NPS, Zurich Insurance
Sponsor
The AQR Wendy Gordon Pioneers Award is sponsored by Acacia Avenue, the insights company which Wendy helped found in 2002.
“Wendy Gordon was a true pioneer in the world of qualitative research and all of us in the industry have benefitted from her ground-breaking thinking, whether knowingly or not.”