Award Nominations

Any staff member or titleholder may submit a nomination for a University Award for Outstanding Achievement. Self-nomination is not permitted. Recipients of national awards are not eligible to be nominated for a University Award in the same category (e.g. Research). If awarded an Award in the same category in the previous year, individuals or teams should not be nominated in the subsequent year. This ensures recognition opportunities are distributed across our community.

Nominations maybe recognising contributions to the co-creation of Adelaide University as well as for The University of Adelaide as part of business as usual activities.

Members of the Vice-Chancellor’s Executive are ineligible to receive an Award.

Staff and titleholders are eligible for nomination in accordance with the below:

Award criteria have been developed to recognise the breadth of strategically important academic and professional endeavours across the University. Each nomination must identify the award criteria for which an individual or team is being nominated.

Nominators should seek approval from the nominee/s prior to submitting a nomination and may seek input from them to prepare the nomination. Nominators should confirm with the nominee whether they wish to include a paragraph outlining any special circumstances that may be relevant to their nomination. Such circumstances may include:

• career interruptions or delays such as maternity/parental leave
• flexible working arrangements
• late entry to academia
• career break to enable work in a different field, with different responsibilities including industry experience
• caring responsibilities such as for children, elderly parents or other family members
• illness, disability or injury
• extenuating circumstances resulting from COVID-19
• visa delays impacting on grant or NHMRC applications
• other relevant circumstances.

All nominations must be endorsed by the nominee’s Head of School or Branch. When providing endorsement, Heads are expected to consider the alignment of the nominee’s behaviour and conduct with the Staff Values & Behaviour Framework, Code of Conduct, and, where relevant, the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research

Nominations are to be based on contributions made within the five years preceding the call for nominations, and should identify key outcomes, as well as the extent and nature of impact on the University, and where appropriate, the broader community.

Nominations must also address how the achievement and/or activity outlined is aligned to and supports one or more University Values.

An additional brief statement that explicitly addresses the selected University Value(s) that your nominated individual or team exemplifies is also required.

What is an outstanding achievement?

Outstanding Achievement Standard: Nominations should clearly demonstrate exceptional performance that goes significantly beyond normal job expectations and business-as-usual activities. Nominees must show outstanding achievement that distinguishes them from their peers through innovation, excellence, leadership, or substantial impact that exceeds their standard role requirements.

When preparing nominations, consider:

How does this achievement exceed what would normally be expected in this role?
What makes this contribution exceptional compared to standard performance?
What distinguishes this nominee from other high-performing colleagues?
What measurable impact or innovation sets this work apart from routine excellence?

Nominations that primarily describe fulfilling standard job responsibilities, meeting regular performance expectations, or completing routine tasks—regardless of how well executed—will not meet the threshold for recognition. The achievement should represent a clear departure from everyday excellence toward truly exceptional contribution.

Supporting evidence

(Up to two pages of evidence to support the nomination statement)

In preparing a nomination, consider what evidence will best support the achievements outlined in the nomination. As a starting point, consider if any of the following might be useful:

• Stakeholder testimonials – this may be from colleagues, students, external partners or community groups, or any stakeholder that has been impacted by the nominee’s achievements
• Research income generated
• Top 10 publications
• Efficiencies in time or budget achieved through process improvement
• The number of presentations at international conferences
• Programs or initiatives implemented to support student retention, and their reach
• Public acknowledgements through media, industry partners, professional networks and  community groups
• Relevant external awards

Remember, supporting evidence provides you with an opportunity to verify what has been written in the nomination statement, rather than introduce new information. Any new information will not be considered by the shortlisting or selection committees.

Submission

Nominations should be submitted using Arial 11 font, single spacing, and comprise:

• a brief statement addressing the University Values selected (no more than 200 words)
• a nomination statement addressing the Award criteria (approximately 500 words)
• up to two pages of evidence to support the nomination statement.

All nominations can be completed online using the links below:

• Research excellence and impact
• An enhanced student experience
• A culture of service innovation and excellence
• A connected and enriched community
• Leadership impact

Please select the award category and indicate whether you are nominating for an individual or a team. Please ensure that you provide all your contact details (as nominator) and the contact details of your nominee or team representative. You will be asked to confirm that you have sought approval from the nominee or team representative.  Please identify your nominee’s team or team representative’s Head of School or Branch as they will be asked to endorse the nomination. 

Once the above steps have been completed, you will be able to start your Values statement and nomination statement.  Please note there is no option to save a draft of your nomination form online and return to it at a later date. You may write your statements directly onto the online form or copy and paste the text into a text editor like Notepad (Windows) or TextEdit (Mac) when you are ready to submit. Please do not use Microsoft Word as it is not compatible with the online forms. Once you have submitted your nomination form, you will be able to export a PDF of your nomination.

The Selection Committee will review shortlisted nominations and provide a recommendation of Award recipients to the Vice-Chancellor.

The Selection Committee may seek clarification and advice from outside of the Committee to ensure the most deserving nomination is successful, and will consider the staff member’s achievement relative to their opportunity.

The University reserves the right not to grant an award if the nominations are insufficiently compelling.