Staff Excellence Awards
GW's staff are the heartbeat of our campus, driving our daily operations, enabling research breakthroughs, and fostering the student experience. The GW Staff Excellence Awards recognize the incredible individuals and teams who go above and beyond to make our university a world-class place to live, learn, work, and grow.
There are four categories of awards:
| Commitment to Excellence | The Rookie Award: Dedicated to a staff member with under three years of service who has made an immediate and significant impact. The Distinguished Staff Award: Honoring a dedicated professional with five or more years of service who shows sustained excellence over time. The Rising Leader Award: Honoring a dedicated professional who has taken on challenges beyond the normal scope of their position and risen to the occasion. Great Leader Award: Honoring a dedicated staff member who is doing an excellent job leading a team or a division. A leader who fosters a warm and innovative team focusing on collaboration and GW’s mission. |
| Operational Impact | Outstanding Customer Service Award: Honoring those who provide outstanding support to foster a welcoming, inclusive, and supportive environment within the GW community. Innovative & Creative Contributions Award: Celebrating those who have developed new approaches, methods, and processes to improve organizational effectiveness. Excellence in Research Support Award: Celebrating foundational staff who provide critical support for the university's vital research enterprise. Celebrating an individual who has gone above and beyond to positively impact the research mission of GW. The Bridge Builder Award: Celebrating a high-impact individual, who works across different departments or divisions to successfully make a difference at GW. |
| Teamwork & Collaboration (awarded to groups of up to 10 staff members) | The Crew Commendation: Recognizing the collective effort of a group navigating significant, precise project execution. The Phalanx Award: Capturing exceptional team unity and continuous collaboration toward a common goal. |
| Revolutionary Spirit | Student Experience Catalyst Award: Focused on staff passionately creating change to dramatically improve the student experience. 1821 Award: Recognizing a staff member who exemplifies the university’s heritage and tradition. Staff Champion: Celebrating a faculty member who goes above and beyond for staff at GW. |
Nominate for the Staff Excellence Awards Now!
Nomination Process
2026 Award Nomination deadline: October 31, 2026
In order to nominate an individual or team for the Staff Excellence Awards, follow these steps:
- Access the nomination form before the October 31, 2026 deadline. Nominations will not be accepted past this deadline.
- Please note: The nomination system is Single Sign-On, meaning that GW community members must be logged in using their UserID and password in order to access the nomination form.
- Upon accessing the nomination form, you will see descriptions of each award listed. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Apply."
- Required fields are marked with an asterisk in red.
- You will see that your name should already be listed as the "Applicant" in the form. The "Applicant" is the nominator—in this case, you.
- You will be asked to provide information on the nominee(s):
- If you are nominating a group, please provide an email address for a representative member of the group in the "Nominee's Email" field.
- You may nominate an individual or team for more than one award, so long as they are eligible.
- Under "Details of Nominee's Work," please provide an in-depth explanation for why you believe the nominee should be the winner for the selected award(s). Winners are selected on the strength of the nomination, so provide as much detail as you can to show why your nominee should be awarded.
- While optional, the "Evidence of Impact" field is a great way to showcase how a nominee has made a positive impact on the GW community. For example, a link to an article about their work, or photos of tangible changes/progress.
- You will be asked to provide an "Acknowledgement Statement" to confirm you are providing accurate information on your nomination.
- After entering nomination information, click "Preview" to see a preview of all the information you have submitted. You can click "Edit" at the bottom of this form to make edits or changes.
- When your nomination is final, click "Submit."
Nominate for the Staff Excellence Awards Now!
Staff Excellence Awards FAQ
- Who can be nominated for an award?
To recognize the hard work and achievements of our staff members, award nominations are open to regular, benefits-eligible staff at the university. The "Staff Champion" award is open to regular faculty at the university. You cannot submit a nomination for yourself or a family member.
- What is the nomination process?
Any GW community member (e.g., staff, faculty, students) may nominate a staff member (or, for the "Staff Champion," a faculty member) for one of the awards. GW community members can use the "Nominate for the Staff Excellence Awards Now!" button on this page, or can navigate to the nomination form using this link.
Please note: the nomination system is Single Sign-On, meaning that GW community members must be logged in using their UserID and password in order to access the nomination form.
- What is the deadline to nominate?
The deadline for the 2026 Staff Excellence Awards is October 31, 2026.
- How are winners selected?
Winners of the Staff Excellence Awards will be selected based on the strength of their nomination(s). The selection committee is composed of senior leaders and representation from the Staff Council.
- How many people can I nominate?
We encourage you to nominate multiple individuals or teams as you feel are deserving of recognition in the categories listed. Please note that the system has a limit of 15 total nominations per nominator.
- When and where does the awards ceremony take place?
The Staff Excellence Awards Ceremony will take place at the Jack Morton Auditorium at 11:00am on December 7, 2026, prior to the GW Winter Celebration.