StreetInvest took the President’s Medal for its Growing up on the Streets project, which recruited street children in three African cities to use basic ethnographic methods to give commentary on their lives.

Lightspeed GMI and BBC Worldwide won the Grand Prix Award for Greatest Impact.

Among the Research-Live Award winners were: TNS, which won the Best Innovation Award for its methods of using artificial intelligence algorithms to deliver personalised content: Laura Gillespie and Sophie Wells, of ABA Market Research and Hall & Partners respectively, who were joint winners of the Best Newcomer Award; and the Tesco Insight team, which won the Best In-house Research Team. Flamingo won the Best Agency (with turnover over £20m) Award for the second year running, while MTM took the Best Agency (with turnover under £20m) Award.

“It has been a delight to have such a fantastic range of examples which showcase the numerous ways that research is helping to inform organisations,” said Jane Frost, chief executive of MRS. “From charities, the government, media and business, market research is an industry which has the opportunity to really benefit strategic decision-making and improve understanding for clients and end-users.

“As we approach the 70th anniversary of our society next year, and in a world of constant technological innovations and ever greater access to big data, it is important that we keep true to the fundamental raison d’etre of research – to understand and inform. It is our ability to do this which enables us to positively touch the lives of all sectors in which we operate – and will continue to provide us with a bright future.”

The full list of winners can be found here.