Nominate someone today for an Outstanding Staff Award!
People are the bedrock of our University. Recognizing and awarding our staff members for embracing opportunities, leveraging resources, and solving problems is an important part of how we elevate staff contributions. The President’s Outstanding Staff Awards honor a select number of staff members who seek out innovative solutions to problems, contribute to positive experiences, and have an impact on the campus community.
The President and the awards committee are now accepting nominations for the 2026 University of Texas at Austin Outstanding Staff Awards. The amount for each award is $1,500 (minus applicable taxes).
Who is Eligible for Nomination?
Current UT Austin Classified and Administrative & Professional staff members who were continuously employed for at least 20 hours per week from September 1, 2023, to August 31, 2025, are eligible for the awards. In addition, return-to-work retirees who meet those employment requirements are also eligible. Temporary employees are not eligible. Previous honorees who received an award more than five years ago are also eligible. To remain eligible and receive an award, individuals must continue to hold an eligible position through the time the award is presented in April 2026.
Outstanding Staff Award Nominees must:
Have a significant impact on the University through:
- Innovative problem solving and improvements to processes or systems
- A growth mindset and dedication to self-improvement
- Competent and conscientious performance
- Excellent customer service
- Exceptional collaboration, communication, and cooperation
Nomination Guidelines
Any staff member, faculty member, or student can nominate an eligible staff member for an award.
To nominate a staff member for an award, submit the online nomination form (UT EID required) by 11/17/2025. To be accepted, all nominations must be submitted online no later than 11:59 p.m. on that date. The nomination form consists of open-ended questions, and responses should take into consideration the eligibility requirements listed above.
Award recipients are selected based on the quality of the nomination, and not on the quantity of nominations they receive. To increase the chances that your nomination results in an award, be sure to include specific details about the staff nominee with concrete examples of how they have performed above and beyond normal job requirements.
The open-ended questions on the nomination form are:
- How has the nominee had a significant impact on the University in the last two years? Consider the following characteristics in your response:
- Innovative problem solving and improvements to processes or systems
- A growth mindset and dedication to self-improvement
- Competent and conscientious performance
- Excellent customer service
- Exceptional collaboration, communication, and cooperation
(500-3000 character limit) - Provide an example of how the nominee's work within the last two years has contributed to and demonstrated a commitment to the University's core purpose and values.
- Is there anything else the review committee should consider in reviewing the nomination?
Examples of the level of detail and supporting information expected from quality nominations can be found below. The people and events used are fictional.
Outstanding Staff Award Nomination Examples
Recipients of the Outstanding Staff Awards and the Outstanding Supervisor Awards will be notified in March and formally recognized in April.
For questions about the staff award nomination process, eligibility or nomination criteria, or The President's Staff Awards, please contact the Staff Awards Team.
Online Nomination Failure: Please note that the online nomination form is time-limited. To avoid potentially timing out before submitting your nomination, you may want to draft your nomination text into a text editor such as Word and copy/paste it into the online form. Nominations are not anonymous, and your nomination will be shared with the person you nominated after the awards have concluded.