Marcus David Hayes MBE, alumnus, entrepreneur, and award-winning lawyer

You have the opportunity to nominate inspiring people to receive an honorary degree or fellowship from Sussex at a future graduation ceremony. 

Awarded in recognition of excellence in an academic field, or to those who have played an important role in society, honorary awards give us the opportunity to acknowledge people who make a positive impact in the wider world. 

Nominees do not have to have a direct connection to the University, but there does need to be a compelling reason why we should honour them. We are keen to recognise our alumni and people contributing to our city and region, and those whose work relates to areas of academic strength and specialism at Sussex. The selection process is led by the Vice-Chancellor and the Honorary Degrees Committee, and nominations are welcome from all areas of the University community, including current and former staff and students. 

Celebrating our honorary graduates is a highlight of graduation. During the ceremonies, each person is recognised for their notable contributions and has the opportunity to deliver a speech to the audience of graduates and their families, which often generates positive publicity for the University. 

Find out about some of our previous recipients

At our recent 2025 summer graduation honorary doctorates were awarded to Simon Watney, alumnus, writer, art historian and AIDS activist; Suzy Eddie Izzard, comedian, actor and activist; Sir Ben Bradshaw, alumnus and Labour Party MP; Marcus David Hayes MBE, alumnus, entrepreneur, and award-winning lawyer; Dr Jonathan MacQuitty, alumnus, venture capitalist and philanthropist; and Professor Kathryn Whaler OBE, alumna and award-winning geophysicist. You can watch a short clip of Marcus Hayes giving his acceptance speech below:

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In previous years, the University has awarded honorary degrees to a wide range of exceptional people including former Green Party leader and Brighton MP Caroline Lucas, business leader Noel Tata, author and conservationist Isabella Tree, academic, activist and psychotherapist Dr Gail Lewis, curator and writer Gilane Tawadros, leading employment law solicitor Rustom Tata, cosmologist Professor Carlos Frenk CBE, BBC journalist Clive Myrie, author Ali Smith, actor, comedian and writer Stephen Fry and guitarist Jeff Beck.

How to nominate

You can find information about the criteria and the online nomination form on our honorary degrees webpage.  

We encourage you to think about our University values of collaboration, courage, inclusion, integrity and kindness when nominating. In line with our Inclusive Sussex approach, we ask that you also think about our commitments to diversity of background, belief, and identity amongst those whom we might honour, and how this diversity represents Sussex.  

Nominations should be submitted via the nomination form available online. Completed forms need to be submitted by Friday 12 September for consideration at the next meeting of the Honorary Degrees Committee. Nominations are still welcome after this date but will be considered at a later meeting. 

All nominations should be kept confidential, including from the nominee, until selections have been made, Senate approval has been given, and the nominee has been offered and accepted the award. 

If you have any questions about nominations, or the Honorary Degrees Committee process, please contact Chloe Ratcliffe Schofield (C.Ratcliffe-Schofield@sussex.ac.uk).