All active staff employees on the regular payroll are eligible, provided they are not in senior leadership roles. Seasonal and intermittent employees are not eligible.

No. Excellence Awards are designed specifically to recognize staff achievements.

Yes, union employees are eligible.

Any member of the Brown community may nominate a colleague. Self-nominations are not accepted; however, team nominations may be submitted by a member of the team.

Yes, you can review the form in advance to prepare your submission.

Nomination Questions

The nomination form provides ample space to describe accomplishments, including an area for additional notes. Because the selection committee reviews more than 100 nominations each year, we encourage thorough yet concise submissions within the form rather than additional attachments.

Excellence Awards recognize accomplishments from the previous fiscal year.

While completed work from the previous fiscal year is ideal, many projects span multiple periods. In general, a substantial portion of the work should have taken place during the last fiscal year.

A selection committee representing a broad cross-section of the University reviews all nominations in late November or early December. Committee members first identify top candidates outside their own areas, then meet to discuss and select approximately 15 award recipients.

Individual recipients receive a $2,500 after-tax award and are recognized at BEAR Day. Team recipients share the $2,500 award equally; for larger teams, each member receives a minimum of $500.

Award winners are announced in Today@Brown in December. Nominators are notified in advance and may have the opportunity to share the news directly with their nominee.

Yes. This award is intended for staff who have worked at Brown for at least one year but no more than three years.

Absolutely. Recognition doesn’t have to be formal to be meaningful. A timely thank-you, a team celebration, peer-to-peer recognition, or a small departmental acknowledgment can all be highly effective. For more ideas, contact the Learning, Development & Engagement team at ldeteam@brown.edu.

This is optional. However, collaborating with your team can help ensure that the strongest candidates are nominated.

No. A single, well-written nomination is sufficient. If others support the nomination, their names can be included as endorsers.