The Distinguished Teaching Awards and Excellence in Teaching Award are among the highest teaching recognition at the University of Washington. This page offers information about the individual Distinguished Teaching Awards (Seattle campus), the Distinguished Teaching Awards for Teams, and the Excellence in Teaching Awards.
Criteria
Award review committees will select recipients for these awards based on the degree to which they exemplify and provide evidence of:
- An iterative, reflective teaching practice with evidence of pedagogical experimentation and refinement over time
- Commitment to inclusive teaching and mentoring and valuing students’ experiences
- Dedication to creating transformative learning experiences that foster deep reflection and critical inquiry
- Service as a mentor, collaborator, and consultant on teaching-related matters to other faculty and/or teaching assistants: for individual awards
- Using collaboration to enrich the learner experience and the UW teaching community: for team awards
Nomination and Application Process
- Nominations are due by 5 PM on November 15
- Eligible nominees are invited to submit an application after November 17
- Applications close at 5 PM on January 5, 2024
- Recipients are notified in Spring 2024
Navigate through the tabs below to learn more.
- Distinguished Teaching Award for Teams: for instructional teams (2-5 people) from any UW Campus
- Excellence in Teaching Awards: for current graduate TAs and graduate instructors at UW in Seattle
- Distinguished Teaching Awards (Seattle campus): for current faculty members at UW in Seattle
- Distinguished Teaching Award (UW Bothell): see the UW Bothell Distinguished Teaching Award
- Distinguished Teaching Award (UW Tacoma): see the UW Tacoma Distinguished Teaching Award
Nominations must include the following:
- Your name and UW email address
- Nominee’s first and last name
- Nominee’s UW email address
- Nominee’s school/college and department
- Nominee’s title (e.g. Assistant Professor, Associate Teaching Professor)
- A description of how the nominee has demonstrated the award criteria
Nominations for all awards are due Nov. 15, 2023.
Nominate an outstanding graduate student, instructional team, or Seattle campus faculty member today!
Instructors may apply for a teaching award after receiving a nomination. Eligible nominees will be invited to apply after November 17. Applicants must provide:
- Completed cover form
- List of courses taught (list only classes taught at UW)
- List of teaching-related activities, including relevant teaching mentorship and scholarship related to teaching and learning
- Teaching statement (max 1 page)
- Letter of support from a UW student – current or graduated within the past 2 years (max 2 pages)
- Letter of support from a UW colleague – (max 2 pages)
- Letter of support from a UW supervisor: chair/dean (DTAs) or chair/dean/advisor (ETA) – (max 2 pages)
- Evidence of teaching effectiveness from the prior 2 years (max 7 pages)
- Evidence may include, but is not limited to, syllabi and assignments. Applicants are encouraged to annotate their materials with explanations of how they meet the award criteria.
All application documents must be within the page limit and in a minimum of 11-point font. Applications will be due on January 5, 2024. Late applications are not accepted.
- Previous winners are ineligible.
- Recipients must be employed at UW in Spring 2024.
- Self-nominations are not accepted for Seattle campus awards.
- Nomination period: October 2 – November 15, 2023
- Application period: November 17, 2023 – January 5, 2024
- Recipients announced: June 2024
Questions
Who do I contact for questions about these awards?
- Seattle campus Distinguished Teaching Award, Excellence in Teaching Award, and Distinguished Teaching Award for Teams: teaching@uw.edu.
- UW Bothell Distinguished Teaching Award: uwbvcaa@uw.edu
- UW Tacoma Distinguished Teaching Award: acadaff@uw.edu