Awards of Excellence
Since 1991, we have been honouring individuals who demonstrate excellence in their area of work, exemplify our values and culture, and show their commitment to our college community.
The Awards of Excellence are presented annually to one employee from each category: Faculty, Support Staff, and Administration, as well as one Team of employees.
2025 Awards of Excellence Nominations
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Learn About the Awards
Step 1
Review the section below to learn about eligibility, award criteria and requirements for submitting a nomination. -
Prepare Your Submission
Step 2
Review the section below to understand the components of a strong nomination. Prepare your written submission so it is ready to add to the online nomination form. -
Complete the Nomination Form
Step 3
Access and complete the online nomination form.
Step 1) Learn About the Awards
Review the information below to learn about the Awards of Excellence.
Who is eligible?
Any permanent employee of Niagara College may nominate or second a candidate for one or more of the award categories. Nominators and seconders do not have to be part of the same employee category as the nominee.
When is the nomination deadline?
The nomination deadline is Friday, September 26th, 2025 at 4:30 p.m.
What are the award criteria?
Nominees are evaluated based on the following criteria:
Demonstrates Excellence in their Area of Work:
- Actively contributes to their area
- Efficient and effective
- Model performance
- Promotes creativity and innovation
- Willing to share knowledge/expertise with others
Exemplifies NC’s Values and Culture:
- Student-focused; prioritizes student success
- Respectful, inclusive, committed to diversity and inclusion
- Focused on sustainability
- Supportive of a culture of innovation
- Committed to teamwork and collaboration
- Welcoming, passionate, and trailblazing
Shows Commitment to the NC Community:
- Actively contributes to the college community
- Innovates and inspires others
- Supportive of colleagues
- Develops positive relationships with internal/external clients and colleagues
- Creates valuable connections between our college and community partners
How do I nominate an NC employee?
You will be required to:
- Provide the name, position and department of the NC employee(s) that you’d like to nominate.
- Provide the name, position and department of 3 seconders.
- Provide strong written responses to three (3) questions which directly relate to the award criteria.
- Provide three (3) letters of support, following the listed requirements.
Additional details are available in the Prepare Your Submission section below.
Step 2) Prepare Your Submission
Review the information below to understand the components of a strong nomination, and then prepare your submission, so it’s ready to add to the online nomination form.
Nomination Questions
As part of your nomination, you will be required to answer three questions, which can be previewed below. There is a 3000 character answer limit for each question.
- How does the nominee demonstrate excellence in their area of work?
- How does the nominee exemplify Niagara College’s values and culture?
- How does the nominee show commitment to the NC community?
What makes a good answer?
Strong responses to the above questions will feature specific examples/situations/stories about how the nominee demonstrates the award criteria. Below are a few specific examples that would contribute to a strong nomination. These examples are tied directly to the award criteria.
(Nominee) willingly contributes to sharing knowledge and expertise with others through ongoing mentorship of new and part-time faculty, training of new student employees, the creation and maintenance of an online community of practice and hosting faculty lunch and learn. They are a valued and reliable resource for the department and a role model for their colleagues and students alike.
(Nominee’s) efforts to support students on the road to success are evident in their everyday interactions, whether it’s helping students academically outside of class, recruiting new students at open house, welcoming new students at orientation, serving lunch on Student Appreciation Day or creating a student lounge to develop a sense of community for students. Their classroom is described as a space where all students feel welcomed, respected, and enjoy a sense of belonging.
(Nominee) is a driving force for meaningful change and equity at both Niagara College and in the community. I was invited into their class to share my personal journey and they ensured that I was the one leading the conversation. This is one example of how they understands that to achieve the true meaning of Truth and Reconciliation, one must seek the truth from first-hand experience, and only then will reconciliation follow.
Letters of Support
Nominations will also require up to three (3) letters of support. Please note the following requirements:
- Letters of support should be written by someone other than the nominator or seconders of the nomination. They can be provided by anyone applicable to the nomination; this might include colleagues, students, clients, community partners, etc.
- Strong letters of support will highlight specific examples of how the nominee best demonstrates the award criteria. They may also feature the nominee in a unique or interesting way from a different perspective than the nominator.
- Letters of support should be no more than two pages in length.
Complete the Nomination Form
The nomination deadline is Friday, September 26th, 2025 at 4:30 p.m.
- Does the nominee actively contribute to their area?
- Is the nominee efficient and effective?
- Does the nominee show model performance?
- Does the nominee promote creativity and innovation?
- Is the nominee willing to share knowledge/expertise with others?
Is the nominee…
- student-focused; prioritizes student success?
- respectful, inclusive and committed to diversity and inclusion?
- focused on sustainability?
- supportive of a culture of innovation?
- committed to teamwork and collaboration?
- welcoming, passionate, and trailblazing?
Does the nominee…
- actively contribute to the college community?
- innovate and inspire others?
- show support for colleagues?
- develop positive relationships with internal/external clients and colleagues?
- creates valuable connections between our college and community partners?
Questions?
If you have questions about the Awards of Excellence please contact us at [email protected].