Excellence Award: Academic Advising, Careers, Graduate, Professional, and related
Excellence Awards
Each year, NASPA recognizes the outstanding contributions of members who are transforming higher education through exceptional programs, innovative services, and effective administration. NASPA's Excellence Awards cover twelve categories crucial to the success of students and the continued growth of the student affairs profession. Winners are recognized at the NASPA Annual Conference.
The NASPA Excellence Awards will accept nominations from July 29, 2026 through October 1, 2026. Applicants will be notified of the award decision in January 2027.
SUBMITTING A NOMINATION:
Refer to the rubric against which nominations will be evaluated and review the NASPA Excellence Awards Guidelines.
Need help with your submission? View the video series below which explains each part of the rubric and application in greater detail!
Recent Past Recipients:
2025 Recipients2024 Recipients |
2023 Recipients2022 Recipients |
2021 Recipients2020 Recipients |
Are you interested in serving as an Excellence Awards reviewer? Apply here no later than September 18, 2026. Reviewer applicants will be notified of status on a rolling basis. A tentative timeline of volunteer duties are as follows:
- September 18, 2026: Reviewer applications are due (reviewers are notified of status on a rolling basis).
- October 1, 2026: Excellence Award program applications are also due.
- October 2, 2026 at 12:30pmET: Committee kickoff call (30 min)
- October 5-31, 2026: Committee members use this time to review applications while scoring through NASPA's online tool.
- November 2-24, 2026: Each category holds 30-60 minute meeting to choose winners in their category. Time of meeting will be based on committee members' availability. *At this point, Category Reviewers have fulfilled volunteer duties.
- December 1, 2026 - January 4, 2027: Category Chairs (appointed) review category gold winners and score through NASPA's online tool.
- January 5-8, 2027: Area Award Category Meeting (Gold, Silver, Bronze winners determined) comprised of the Committee Category Chairs and Awards Chairs. A one-hour meeting is scheduled during this period of time, depending on availability.
Committee Member Eligibility:
- You must be a current NASPA member to serve on the committee.
- You may still serve on the committee if you are submitting a nomination. In this case, you will be placed in a different category to review.