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Honors, Awards and Prizes (Honorifics) Support

Nomination and Selection Process

Eligibility

Submission of Award Package

Honors, Awards and Prizes (Honorifics) Support

Honors, awards and prizes—collectively referred to as "honorifics"—recognize faculty for outstanding research, scholarship, and creative activity. Honorifics span a wide range, including disciplinary society fellowships, book and teaching awards, innovation prizes, early-career awards and competitive national and international awards. RDS is here to support faculty nominations at every level and every career stage.

Some honorifics are categorized by prestige level as defined by the National Research Council (NRC). RDS provides focused resources for awards considered prestigious and highly prestigious national awards. 

Nomination Preparation and Strategy

Navigating a nomination can be as straightforward as compiling a checklist or as involved as coordinating a large team of contributors over several months. The goal of nomination support is to ensure that the strength of a nominee's work and impact comes through clearly and that nothing gets lost in the logistics. Whether you are leading a nomination, have been asked to nominate a colleague, or believe you may be a strong candidate yourself, we can help you think through the process and take on as much or as little of the work as is helpful.

Support may include:

• Compiling a tailored checklist of nomination materials and requirements
• Reviewing nomination materials for clarity, completeness, and overall strength
• Advising on nomination strategy to help present the most authentic and compelling case for the nominee
• Coordinating internal and external letters of support
• Helping letter writers and nominators gather and organize materials into a cohesive package
• Supporting the final submission

Faculty 

Whether you are exploring how honorifics fit into your career path or are ready to move forward on a nomination, we welcome you to reach out. Early-career faculty are especially encouraged to schedule a meeting with our Honorifics Associate. These conversations help us understand your current research, future goals, and disciplinary honorifics. 

College and Department Leadership and Staff

If you have someone in mind for an honorific, reach out for extra support in organizing and submitting the nomination. We are glad to support the nomination efforts you are already organizing and can partner closely with college- and unit-level awards staff in this work. Our goal is to coordinate with and complement your efforts, not duplicate them.

Recognition for External Honorifics

If you receive an honorific independent of a formal nomination process (e.g., election as a Fellow in a national professional society) notify RDS and we will coordinate with units across campus to ensure you are appropriately recognized.

Program Eligibility

RDS assists faculty, continuing-eligible academic professionals, and/or continuing status academic professionals across all disciplines and levels in their pursuit of honors and awards. 

Nomination and Selection Process

For honorifics with an institutional limit, the decision process will mirror the UA Limited Submission process. 

Honors and awards will be advertised in the following ways:

1. Listing in The Current or the Limited Submissions Newsletter
2. Direct email to individual faculty with profiles fitting the honorific
3. College and department personnel, including Associate Deans for Research, Associate Deans for Faculty Affairs, or others, as appropriate.

We aim to advertise 4 to 6 months before the expected honorifics deadline.

Additionally, you can notify the team member at RDS responsible for Honors, Awards and Prizes if you are interested in being nominated for a highly prestigious or prestigious honorific.

RDS provides nomination development support including drafting the narrative components of nominations, technical and nontechnical editing, formatting assistance, writing the nonscientific sections, gathering letters of support, and supporting the electronic submission process in coordination with the nominee’s home department and Sponsored Project Services.

Submission of Award Package

If a nomination includes a budget or plan for use of award funds, that component falls outside the scope of RDS review and support. Your unit's business office is your starting point, and the budget must be routed according to Sponsored Projects Services (SPS) requirements and deadlines. Depending on the submission mechanism and any regulatory requirements, SPS may also be responsible for submitting the final award package.

If the honorific is a fellowship or other opportunity that requires time away from teaching or other UA responsibilities, leave approval is coordinated at the college level. We encourage you to connect with your department head and dean early in the process. The UA's Prestigious Awards Leave policy is a helpful reference as you plan.