CIOL Awards | CIOL (Chartered Institute of Linguists)

CIOL Awards

CIOL's Annual Awards

CIOL's Threlford Cup and David Crystal Award celebrate and recognise outstanding contributions in the field of languages.

We also celebrate the exceptional achievement of candidates in our professional language qualifications in translation and interpreting.

You can find out more about each qualification via the links below:

Diploma in Translation
Certificate in Translation
Diploma in Public Service Interpreting

Award winners are photographed receiving their awards from CIOL Royal Patron HRH Prince Michael of Kent.

Threlford Memorial Cup 2025

For the advancement and wider use of languages

Awarded to

GCHQ

David Crystal Award 2025

For outstanding contribution to the field of languages

Awarded jointly to

Philip Harding-Esch and Mark Critchley

CIOL Qualifications award winners 2025

DPSI Best Candidate

Award winner: Tsz Wing Ko

DipTrans Best Candidate

Award winner: Ross McCalden

CertTrans Best Candidate

Award winner: María José Piñón García

About the Awards & Past Winners

Threlford Memorial Cup
David Crystal Trophy
Richard Lewis Trophy
Schlapps Oliver Shield
Fred Brandeis Trophy
Peter Newmark Award
Nuffield Trophy
Corsellis Cup
Jaffar Hamid Cup
Susan Tolman Award
NRPSI Award
McInally Trophy
Youhotsky Cup
Pilley Cup
Middleton Cup
Real Lives
Nick Bowen Award

First presented in 1935 by Sir Lacon Threlford, Founder of the Institute of Linguists, in the archives of the time, the Threlford Cup was described as "the world's greatest trophy for fostering the study of languages" and "of marvellous beauty".

Current holder and past winners

2025: GCHQ
2024: Charity Translators
2022-23: Joint winners: Stephen Spender Trust / Lingo Flamingo
2021-22: Civil Service Languages Network
2020: BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha
2019: uTalk Junior Challenge
2018: Young Interpreter Scheme
2017: MFL Student Mentoring Project
2016: Sally Fagan, Business Language Champions
2015: European Masters in Translation Programme/Angeliki Petrits (programme leader)
2014: GCHQ Language Outreach Programme
2013: Lizzie Fane, Founder, ThirdYearAbroad.com
2012: Arsenal Double Club Languages
2011: Italian in Italy, Association of Italian Schools
2010: Luisa Ribeiro

About Sir Lacon Threlford

Sir Lacon was, amongst other things, the Governor of Fiji, a Mason of outstanding rank, sponsor at the induction of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and has a window dedicated to him at the Church of St Lawrence Jewry in the City of London.

The David Crystal Award recognises a person who has made an outstanding contribution to the field of languages in their life and career.

Current and past winners

2025: Philip Harding-Esch (joint winner)
2025: Mark Critchley (joint winner)
2024: Professor Michael Kelly MBE
2022-23: Chris Dennis
2021-22: Rev Nick Baines
2020: Bridget Kendall MBE
2019: Renée Van Hoof-Haferkamp
2018: Frank Gardner OBE
2017: Susie Dent
2016: Dr Lid King
2015: (not awarded)
2014: Shpresa Programme/Luljeti Nuzi
2013: Rosie Goldsmith, Journalist & Chair, European Literature Night
2012: Svetlana Carsten
2011: Prof Dr Erik Hertog
2010: Paul Hughes

About The David Crystal Award

Over a decade ago, CIOL was receiving strong Awards nominations year after year. In recognition of this, it was decided that an additional award should be presented and this was kindly donated by Professor David Crystal, a Vice-President of the Chartered Institute.

Diploma in Translation: Best candidate

A long-established company providing language training for business and industry, Richard Lewis Communications offered an annual trophy to the candidate who produced the best overall performance in the Diploma in Translation any language combination.

Past winners

2021-22: Paula Gayol-Corral
2020: Madalina Onofras
2019: Maria Petrizzi da Silva
2018: Asuman Abdulazizoglu
2017: Vjosa Kalaveshi Shala
2016: Julien Ivers
2015: James Christopher Palmer
2014: Julie Mamou
2013: Irina Stanova
2012: Romina Vucic-Pranic
2011: Carla McMillan
2010: Marcus Richardson

This shield was presented by Mrs Marjorie Elms FCIL, in memory of her late father, Mr G. A. Schlapps Oliver, an Institute Fellow for many years and a generous donor to the Institute's library.

Past winners

2019: Cardiff University School of Modern Languages
2018: Estudio Sampere (Madrid)
2017: Glossologia Professional Linguistic Studies
2016: Akademie für Fremdsprachen
2015: Dom-Schule Fremdsprachen
2014: Dom-Schule Fremdsprachen
2013: Dom-Schule Fremdsprachen
2012: Centre for Continuing Education, American University of Kuwait
2011: Dom-Schule Fremdsprachen
2010: Akademie für Fremdsprachen GmbH

Awarded in memory of Mr Fred Brandeis, a long-standing Fellow and friend of the Institute. The trophy was given by the CIOL Translating Division between 2010 and 2020 for the best candidate in German in the Diploma in Translation.

Past winners

2020: Heike Kurtz
2019: Cherokee Agnew
2018: Cornelia Oetting
2017: Ute Boronowsky
2016: Stefanie Ochel
2015: Erik Freitag
2014: Ramon Pils
2013: Julia Jira
2012: Katja Klier
2011: Inke Raupach
2010: Pascal Echt

The Peter Newmark Award was kindly presented by the Translating Division to honour the contribution made by the late Professor Newmark, both to the CIOL and to the study of translation.

Professor Newmark had a long association with the Institute and was also an examiner for the DipTrans, marking various options, including Literature from French into English. The prize was given to the candidate who achieved the highest mark in the DipTrans semi-specialised Literature option in any language combination.

Past winners

2021-22: Rositsa Lafchieva
2020: Mihail Banica
2019: Luciana Taffarello
2018: Burcu Aydi-Soganci
2017: Ceyda Aldemir-Down
2016: Sophie Verschuur
2015: Consuelo Tesei
2014: Irina Aksenova
2013: Irina Stanova
2012: Joint Winners: Cahit Baylav and Katja Klier

Presented by the Nuffield Foundation in support of public service interpreting from 2010 to 2020.

Past winners

2019: Cardiff University School of Modern Languages
2018: Cardiff Univeristy School of Modern Languages
2017: Bridge Interpreting Translating and Training Services
2016: Peterborough Interpreting Academy
2015: Peterborough Interpreting Academy
2014: Edinburgh College
2013: Talking Heads
2012: Cable Language
2011: Everyday Language Solutions
2010: Herts. Interpreting and Translation Service

Presented for the first time in 2000 and donated by Mrs A. Corsellis OBE FCIL, former Vice-President and former Vice-Chair of Council, long-time activist in the development of the Public Service Interpreting profession and author of "Non-English Speakers and the English Legal System".

Past winners

2019: Alina Imiolczyk
2018: Judit Kocsis-Barna
2017: Eleanor Crossley
2016: Dominique de la Cruz
2015: Magdalena Herok-Broughton
2014: Nicola di Pasqua
2013: Agata Sobieraj
2012: Philippe Muriel
2011: Marcin Walkowski
2010: Kathryn Fowler

Jaffar Hamid was Secretary of the WordBank Group which raised sponsorship and funding to produce a set of innovative English glossaries for Public Service Interpreters.

Mr Hamid's grandfather was a pharmacist in India who made and dispensed his own medicines. His father came from India to gain a double first at Cambridge and then returned to India to become a well known and respected teacher. Mr Hamid obviously inherited his forefather's spirit of commitment for the betterment of society and his special focus was full access to justice for all. Mr Hamid died in 1998 and the Wordbank Group has donated this cup in his name.

Past winners

2015: Aisha Sohail
2014: Roxana Marinkovic
2013: Aysen McIntosh
2012: Gaya Noble
2011: Anna Pachocka
2010: Petra Hytten

Susan Tolman, born in Vienna, was a Vice-Chair of Council for the Institute and the founder and chairman of the Institute's London Regional Society. This award was presented in Mrs Tolman's memory as a gift by her elder goddaughter, Mrs Anne Ivorson and on behalf of Miss Naomi Coombes (her younger goddaughter).

Past winners

2019: James Mallinson
2018: Marion Nuding
2017: Lukasz Ciolek
2016: Agnieszka Charzyńska
2015: Kamila Czul
2014: Julia Zieba
2013: Pavel Slama
2012: Almut Gadow de Mayor
2011: Patrycja Westgate
2010: Anthony Adamberry

CPD Prize

2017: Eleanor Crossley
2016: Agnieszka Charzyńska
2015: Kamila Czul
2014: Nicola di Pasqua
2013: Pavel Slama
2012: Almut Gadow de Mayor
2011: Patrycja Westgate
2010: Anthony Adamberry

Diploma in Police Interpreting: Best candidate

The National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI) is the independent voluntary regulator for interpreters working in the public services.

They say "Qualification standards are central to our registration criteria and the police are major users of the National Register. We are therefore delighted to provide the annual NRPSI Award for excellence in the Diploma in Police Interpreting, from its introduction in 2014, to the best examination candidate".

Current holder and past winners

2021-22: Tsegazghi Tesfaldet Michael
2020: Qualification not held
2019: Laura Pistininzi
2018: Lavinia Coaje
2017: Patricia Cassares
2016: Véronique Cubilié-Ratio
2015: Veronika Balkovska
2014: Anna Lesniewska

The McInally Trophy was presented for interpreting in the public services. Donated by Jan Cambridge FCIL, a long-standing member of Council in their memory, the McInally's were - in Jan's words "dear friends and mentors to me; always encouraging and full of enthusiasm, they supported me wholeheartedly in my endeavours to promote safe interpreting practice".

Past winners

2016: Bruno Rebeschini
2015: Kincso Kovacs
2014: Magdalena Ahmed

Presented by the widow of Mikhail Youhotsky in 1965. Youhotsky was one of the few top-level technical translators in Russian in the late 1950s and early 1960s and a prominent member of the Translator's Guild.

Awarded in memory of Mr A T Pilley, who was a long-standing member of Council, and Chair in 1954, the Pilliey Cup was presented from 2016 to 2019 to the school, college or university with the best performing candidates in the Certificate in Languages for Business.

2019: Shrewsbury High School
2018: King’s High School, Warwick
2017: King’s High School, Warwick
2016: Shrewsbury High School

Pilley Cup

The first candidates in the Certificate in Languages for Business took their exams in 2016, and the Middleton Cup was awarded to the Best candidate each year until 2020.

2019: Victoria Ainsworth
2018: Africa Andrews Esteban
2017: Eleanor King-Turner
2016: Charlotte Traynor

Middleton Cup

'Real Lives' was an innovative exam for Year 9 and 10 students that tested practical, applied language skills in real life scenarios focusing on listening skills.

2019: Mariena Teo
2018: Alex Sicking

In memory of CIOL’s late President, Dr Nick Bowen, this award celebrates his lifelong passion to recognise and develop the skills of young linguists.

2022-23: Kirsty Low
2020: Lucy Makepeace
2019: Emma Latham
2018: Anam Zafar