Today, in our tenth year, we honour a decade of courage, collaboration and change. At the heart of the Awards sit the INSIGHT Quality Standards. Co-produced by Expert Citizens with people experienced in use of services, these standards define what good involvement looks like when working alongside people facing multiple disadvantage. They set out a clear progression, Welcoming, Listening, Learning and Leading, so that organisations can evidence how they include lived experience, build trust, learn from feedback, and ultimately help to build up the power of lived expertise. In practice, the standards are both a compass and a contract. A compass that orients services towards dignity, empathy and improvement. A contract that commits us to measurable behaviours, transparent evaluation, and sustained systems change.

The Awards shine a light on this journey. Each nomination tells a story of people and teams turning experience into expertise, opening doors more widely, hearing more deeply, adapting more quickly and sharing leadership more bravely. By celebrating those stories, we amplify what is possible and invite others to raise their ambition.

The Conference then extends the learning, bringing together lived experience leaders, practitioners, commissioners and researchers to exchange ideas, build relationships and take practical steps that improve lives. As we mark ten years, we also look forward. The INSIGHT Quality Standards will continue to evolve, informed by communities and evidence, so that recognition remains meaningful and the movement for better services grows stronger. Thank you to everyone who has walked this path with us. Here’s to the next decade of welcoming, listening, learning, and leading, because together we are stronger.

Darren Murinas, CEO