President’s Awards for Staff
UBC presents the President’s Service Awards for Excellence and the President’s Staff Awards annually to recognize staff who demonstrate outstanding achievement and excellence within the UBC community.
2026 Nominations
Thank you for your nominations. The call for nominations for the 2026 President’s Awards for Staff is now closed.
The deadline to submit nominations was 4pm on Friday, April 10, 2026.
Nominators will be notified of the results in late summer or early fall 2026. We appreciate your patience during this time. If you have any questions or feedback, please contact us at workplace.recognition@ubc.ca.
About the Awards
The President’s Service Awards for Excellence (PSAE) were created in 1991 and is awarded to employees for their outstanding contributions to the university. With the growth of the university over the years, including the addition of the Okanagan campus, the UBC Vancouver President’s Staff Awards and the UBC Okanagan Principal’s Staff Awards were created to celebrate a wider range of accomplishments.
Although the staff awards are associated with campus locations, every UBC staff member is eligible for one award or the other based on their work location.
For example, staff who are part of the Southern Medical Program are considered part of the Okanagan campus – and therefore eligible to be nominated for the UBC Okanagan Staff Awards of Excellence. Staff who work at remote sites such as the Malcolm Knapp Research Forest, the Dairy Education and Research Centre, Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, Robson Square, and hospital sites in the Vancouver Fraser, Northern, and Island medical programs are considered part of the Vancouver campus – and therefore eligible to be nominated for the UBC Vancouver President’s Staff Awards.
President’s Service Awards for Excellence
The President’s Service Award for Excellence (PSAE) is the top award presented to UBC staff in recognition of excellence in personal achievements and contributions to UBC and to the vision and goals of the University. Nominations may be submitted by UBC students, faculty and staff.
Criteria
- Excelled and made significant achievements in their area of work
- Improved the effectiveness of programs and services through long-term efforts that foster respectful environments and enhanced inclusivity, equity, accessibility, sustainability, and psychological health and safety in the workplace.
- Maintained a consistently high quality of service to their clients (students, faculty, etc.) and embraced UBC’s values of excellence, integrity, respect, academic freedom, and accountability
- Exemplified positive contributions to UBC and its communities, positioning UBC as an engaged local and global partner
- Made outstanding contributions to UBC, or to the advancement of UBC’s strategic priorities.
Eligibility
- All university staff from UBC Vancouver and Okanagan campuses with at least five years of continuous service are eligible for this award, with the exception of vice-presidents, associate vice-presidents, and the equivalent, and staff currently serving as members of the UBC Board of Governors and UBC Senates.
- Must be actively employed by UBC at the time of the award presentation (typically October).
- Only individuals (not groups) may be nominated for the PSAE.
- For each PSAE nomination, the nominator may also select one President’s Staff Award (PSA) category should the nominee not be selected for the PSAE. Please note that if the nominee has previously received a PSA in a specific category (e.g. Leadership), they are no longer eligible for that particular PSA; however, they may be considered for a different category of the PSA.
Announcement of Recipients
- Up to five awards may be given in one year.
- Each recipient receives a medal and $5,000.
Recipient Selection
The recipients will be selected by the President, with the support of an advisory committee.
President’s Staff Awards (Vancouver campus)
The President’s Staff Awards honour exceptional contributions in specific areas that are important to UBC, as outlined in the categories below. Contributions may have been for a specific project or initiative. Nominations may be submitted by UBC students, faculty and staff.
Eligibility
- All permanent UBC Vancouver campus staff with a minimum of two years of continuous service are eligible
- Must be actively employed by UBC at the time of award presentation (typically October).
- The nominator must select only one PSA category for each nomination.
- Only individuals may be nominated in the following categories: Leadership, Emerging Leadership, Nurturing a Strong and Vibrant UBC Community, and Discover and Innovate for Impact
- Groups (i.e., two to twelve UBC staff) may only be nominated for the category, Collaborative Excellence.
- A staff member can receive both the PSAE and the PSA, but not in the same year.
- For group nominations, the nominator must select one group member as the lead, and this person must have a minimum of two years of continuous service. All group members should be listed in the nomination form.
- The above Eligibility Criteria must be met for submission acceptance.
Award Categories
There are five categories of President’s Staff Awards:
- Leadership
- Emerging Leadership
- Nurturing a Strong and Vibrant UBC Community
- Discover and Innovate for Impact
- Collaborative Excellence
For award criteria, please refer to the nomination package.
Announcement of Recipients
- There can be up to 10 award recipients (two per category) per year.
- Each award recipient/group receives $2,000.
Recipient Selection
The recipients will be selected by the President, with the support of an advisory committee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Last updated: February 23, 2026
Who can submit nominations?
Any student, faculty, or staff member can submit nominations for either the President’s Service Awards for Excellence or the President’s Staff Awards. Please check the eligibility criteria for each of the awards above.
Nominations must be submitted by someone other than the nominee; i.e. staff are not able to self-nominate.
Why have the award categories changed for the President’s Staff Awards?
The updated award categories for the President’s Staff Awards (PSA) reflect the refreshed priorities in UBC’s Strategic Directions 2025-2030. Many of the award criteria previously reflected in the PSA for Enhancing the UBC Experience, Advancing Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence, and Wellbeing awards are now integrated into the criteria for the other PSA categories.
Can I nominate someone that I’ve already previously nominated?
Yes, you can nominate previous nominees again. Nominees can only be selected for an award category once; however, they can be nominated for other award categories.
For example, if a person previously received the President’s Awards for Staff for Leadership, they are still eligible for the President’s Service Awards for Excellence or any of the other categories for the President’s Awards for Staff.
Can I resubmit a nomination from a previous year if my nominee was not selected?
Yes, you can submit a nomination again, but only one year after it was originally submitted. Review and update the responses to reflect this year’s nomination package and the nominee’s current role and most recent achievements.
Please be sure that the person(s) who wrote the letter of support is aware and agrees to the letter being submitted again.
Can someone be nominated for multiple awards in the same year?
A nominee may only be nominated for one award category by the nominator in a given year. However, if you are nominating someone for the President’s Service Awards for Excellence (PSAE), you may additionally select one category of the President’s Staff Awards (PSA) for consideration, should the nominee not be selected for the PSAE.
Can a group of people write one letter of support?
Yes, multiple people can sign one letter of support. This is often the case when a few people are supporting the same details in the letter (i.e., they have a similar relationship to the nominee), or they have written the letter together.
When will the award recipients be announced?
The recipients are typically announced in late summer/early fall. Nominators will be contacted regardless of whether their nominees were selected for this year.
If you have any further questions, please contact workplace.recognition@ubc.ca.