Nominate someone for the Distinguished Academics Awards

Help us celebrate faculty members whose research and scholarly activity has significantly contributed to the public good. Find out who you can nominate and how.

Important dates and deadlines

Nominations close: Jan 31, 2025

Winners announced: late Feb / early March

Celebratory gala: April 24, 2025 in Victoria, BC

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How do I make a nomination?

Download our nominations package and follow the instructions within it. You’ll need to email us the following documents as one PDF by the deadline:

  • Completed nomination form
  • Cover letter
  • Nominee’s abbreviated CV (max 20 pages)
  • Two letters of reference

Your nominee must sign the application form to give their consent. Also, they must confirm they can attend the gala if they’re selected for an award.

Who can I nominate?

Nominees must be current members of one of our member faculty associations:

  • University of British Columbia Faculty Association
  • University of Northern British Columbia Faculty Association
  • Simon Fraser University Faculty Association
  • University of Victoria Faculty Association
  • Royal Roads University Faculty Association

Nominating a group? The majority of the group must be current members, including the primary researcher or leader if there is one.

What can I nominate someone for?

The Distinguished Academics Awards include three categories:

The Early in Career Award recognizes contributions made in the early stages of an academic career (typically within 5 years of completing a doctoral degree or within 3 years of becoming an assistant professor.)

The Ehor Boyanowsky Academic of the Year Award recognizes a specific and recent contribution (typically within the past 3 years.)

The Paz Buttedahl Career Achievement Award recognizes sustained contributions by an individual or group over the major portion of their career.

Contributions can be any form of research or scholarly activity that has an impact beyond the academic world. For example:

  • Innovating an idea, process, or framework (or finding novel applications) that benefits the economy
  • Promoting a field of knowledge to the public
  • Contributing to the understanding of public policy
  • Making a discovery or developing a product that has a significant social or economic effect
  • Doing research in cooperation with and in support of a community project

Each winner will receive a cash reward of $2,000, a commemorative plaque, and an expenses-paid banquet dinner to enjoy with up to seven guests at the celebratory gala.

Yes. You’ll need to submit a separate nomination for each award. Please tailor each nomination towards the relevant award’s criteria.

It’s often better to focus on one strong nomination for the most suitable category. Our Selection Committee may still consider your nominee for other awards if we feel they meet the criteria.

We don’t recommend it. Your nominee has a much better chance of winning if the letters are tailored towards an award’s specific criteria.

Yes, but only if you made the original nomination less than a year ago. In fact, we automatically consider nominations from the previous year’s awards. We’ll reach out to confirm you’re happy with the materials to be resubmitted.

Most tenure, tenure-track, and core faculty and professional librarians are members. It varies with part-time, sessional, and associate faculty. Retired, adjunct, and clinical faculty are often not members.

If you’re not sure, ask your local faculty association or the person you want to nominate.

Please use plain language and avoid overly technical descriptions. Although our Selection Committee members come from various academic backgrounds, they may not have expertise in your nominee’s field. Also, your nominee’s work will be communicated to the general public if they win.

“Recent” contributions should generally be within 3 years of the nomination. “Early career” typically means within 5 years of completing a doctoral degree or within 3 years of becoming an assistant professor.

If you’re not sure or you think special circumstances apply, please Contact us. The Selection Committee will make the final decision about whether a nomination meets the award’s criteria.

A strong publication record is important for the Paz Buttedahl Career Achievement Award. The Selection Committee needs to see ongoing contributions and will consider both the quality and quantity of research and scholarly activity.

Nominees without an extensive publication record can still win the Ehor Boyanowsky Academic of the Year Award or the Early in Career Award. The Selection Committee will consider research quality and significance, but volume isn’t the only measure of this.

University teaching already has good public recognition, with several high-profile awards celebrating it. We created the Distinguished Academics Awards specifically to bring more attention to university research.

While the awards focus on research and scholarly activity, the Selection Committee does consider other aspects of a nominee’s professional life. We encourage you to include some information about things like teaching and service.

Yes, the nominee has to sign to give their consent. We can’t consider the nomination otherwise. This is due to the Personal Information Protection Act which came into force on January 1, 2004. It requires that all organizations get informed consent from individuals for the collection, use, and disclosure of their personal information.

Unfortunately we only offer an award on the condition that the winner can attend the celebratory gala to receive it. If you’ve already made a nomination and your nominee can no longer attend the gala, pleaseUnfortunately we only offer an award on the condition that the winner can attend the celebratory gala to receive it. If you’ve already made a nomination and your nominee can no longer attend the gala, please get in touch as soon as possible.

Can’t find an answer to your question? Contact us.