From the Nominator

UCL established its first £1 million+ donor recognition group in 2017. From the outset we knew that the Circle of Benefactors would require public recognition on campus, but that this would need to be delivered in a uniquely UCL way. We ran an open competition for a student-designed donor wall. Eight students were shortlisted and provided with honorariums and mentoring to develop detailed plans for the wall. The winning design, chosen by a panel of senior leadership, proposed the bespoke casting of donor hands in either bronze or aluminium and their installation on a feature wall of a main thoroughfare on campus. Over 60 of UCL’s largest donors to the campaign chose to participate and castings were carried out internationally for individuals ranging from 15 to 99 years old. Some of the most moving participants include a woman with late-stage dementia whose husband spearheaded a national campaign to raise money for UCL’s dementia research, and a man whose sight was restored through UCL’s world-leading ophthalmologic research. The thoughtful design, unveiled in 2019, stands as a permanent visual celebration of the power of philanthropy and the transformational vision of those who support us.

From the Judges

The judging panel found this nomination unique. It offered very personal recognition to the institution’s most generous donors. While donor walls can be overused, by making casts of each donor’s (or their representative’s) hands this forever connects them to the institution. The artistic installation was well integrated into the space. Additionally, we like that UCL held a contest for student artists to design and produce this donor wall. The installation was unique to the UCL community.