Awards of Excellence Nominations

Thank you for your interest in nominating an outstanding golden hawk for the Awards of Excellence.

Applications can be submitted at any point throughout the year, but they will only be reviewed in the spring and presented once annually at the Awards of Excellence. The 2025 window for submissions has closed but you are welcome to submit nominations for the 2026 awards.

AOE Nomination Form Part 1

To nominate an individual for the Awards of Excellence please submit the following:

A letter from the nominator (max 500 words) explaining how the candidate meets the criteria (details below) for the award that you are nominating them for.
A resume, CV or Linkedin profile of the candidate. Their LinkedIn profile would need to cover the following: positions held by the candidate, both volunteer and professional; any awards or honours received; professional society or Service Club memberships; candidate's publications.
Up to 3 letters of recommendations (max 500 words each). These letters can be included when you submit the form, or they can be added later via a link in your confirmation email. Recommendations should be from a personal or professional acquaintance providing a testimonial of the nominee's qualifications for this award.

Deadline: April 7, 2026

Nominator Information:

First Name: Required Field

Last Name: Required Field

Email:

Nominee Information:

First Name: Required Field

Last Name: Required Field

Email:

Nomination Category Required Field

Scroll below to read more about each category

Uploads

Letter from the nominator Required Field

Biography, CV or LinkedIN profile

LinkedIn Profile URL

Letter of Recommendation 1

Letter of Recommendation 2

Letter of Recommendation 3

The University collects personal information under the authority of the Wilfrid Laurier University Act. Personal information collected by any part of the University may be used or disclosed by other units in order to execute the functions of the University and to administer the relationship between the University and its students, alumni, employees, clients, suppliers, partners and others.

Further information about how your personal information is collected, used and disclosed can be found in Laurier’s Notice of Collection, Use, and Disclosure of Personal Information.

Award Categories and Criteria

Alumnus/Alumna of the Year

Recognizes outstanding achievement by a graduate of any Laurier program who has brought honour to Wilfrid Laurier University.

Forever Golden Hawk

Recognizes an alumnus/alumna for their outstanding ongoing contribution to Laurier through their exceptional support, volunteerism, or service to the university.

Young Alumnus/Alumna of the Year

Recognizes outstanding achievement by a graduate of any Laurier program and who is 35 years of age or under who has brought honour to Wilfrid Laurier University.

Student Alumnus/Alumna of the Year

This award, provided annually by the Alumni Association, acknowledges the outstanding achievements of a student forwarding the objectives of the Alumni Association.

Honorary Alumnus/Alumna

Individuals who have brought honour to Laurier and its community through significant, and often selfless, contributions to Laurier, and/or the local, provincial, national or international communities. The candidates cannot be regular alumni of Wilfrid Laurier University.

Award for Community Impact

Honours outstanding achievement by a Laurier alumnus/alumna to foster a better world through local, national or international initiatives as a volunteer, advocate, or employee.

Entrepreneurial Spirit Award

Recognizes an alumnus/alumna from any faculty for their outstanding work as a business founder or entrepreneurial leader with a demonstrated ability to generate business growth (this may include, but is not limited to, revenue, profits, client base, employment, innovation, patents, etc.).

Past Winners

For more details on the Awards of Excellence and for lists of past winners, please visit our Awards of Excellence webpage.

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