Alumni Awards eligibility & selection criteria
About the Victoria University (VU) Alumni Awards
The annual VU Alumni Awards are an exciting opportunity to recognise the exceptional achievements of VU alumni across the globe. In our community, we celebrate over 280,000 alumni and honour their outstanding contributions not only to the University, but to the entire international arena.
We take great pride in the achievements and successes of our alumni as they reflect our values and continue to build upon our legacy. Since the inaugural VU Alumni Awards in 2011, 50 alumni have been awarded from our local and international alumni community, including business leaders, philanthropists, world-class athletes, musicians, politicians, scientists, engineers and change makers.
The VU Alumni Awards are your chance to celebrate the achievements of those in our community.
Be a part of celebrating the contributions VU alumni have made to our society by nominating yourself, or a colleague, friend or family member who has graduated from VU or one of our predecessor institutions.
Eligibility
Nominators
Any member of the VU community, including alumni, staff, students, industry partners, community partners and friends of VU, may nominate an individual for a VU Alumni Award.
Nominees
- All nominees must be a VU graduate and meet the criteria for the award they are being nominated for.
- Self-nomination is permitted.
- Past nominees are eligible to be nominated for any award category.
- An individual may only be nominated for one award category each year.
- VU is committed to gender equality and strongly encourages the nomination of women as they are traditionally under-represented in Award programs.
Winner recognition
Award recipients will receive a trophy, recognition within the VU and wider community for their outstanding achievements, and an invitation to participate in VU events during the year of their tenure.
How to nominate
Step one
Identify a member of the VU alumni community who fits the criteria for one of the awards above.
Step two
Prepare your answers in a document. This will allow you to save and edit your answers until you are ready to submit your nomination using the nomination form in the Alumni Awards website.
Alternatively, you can skip this step and type your answer straight into the online nomination form.
Refer a nominee
If you know an eligible alum who is deserving of an award, but you don’t have access to the required information and supporting evidence, you can refer the nomination.
You will be asked to fill out a basic form with your contact details, your nominee’s contact details and why you believe they are deserving of the award. The form will then be sent to your chosen nominee, and they can decide to complete it or not.
Step three
Using the answers in your nomination template, fill out and submit the online nomination form.
You may attach additional documents to support your nomination, including resumes, articles, photos and videos which showcase the nominee.
If you are referring a nominee, the nomination form will be sent to the alum for them to fill out and submit.
Things to note
- Incomplete or late submissions may not be assessed by the Awards Selection Panel.
- Nominations where the nominee does not fit the eligibility criteria for that award may not be assessed by the Awards Selection Panel.
- Nominees must consent to being nominated.
Data consent policy
In submitting or accepting a nomination, the nominee agrees that their image and other information (excluding personal contact details) will be used to promote the nominee, VU and the VU Alumni Awards online.
The nominee will assist the Alumni Relations Team with this promotion and associated activities as reasonably requested. It is the responsibility of the nominator to ensure this is understood by the nominee.
Other information
- There will only be one winner selected for each award category.
- A nomination is not a guarantee of selection for an award. The selection panel may choose not to make a recommendation for award in any category.
- VU reserves the right to not grant awards in any given year.
What happens next?
The Awards Selection Panel will shortlist nominees for each award based on how well they demonstrate eligibility for their nominated award.
The judging panel will determine the winners among the shortlisted candidates.
Tips on creating a compelling nomination
To assist with your nomination, please review these tips on making the strongest possible nomination to give your nominee the best chance of being selected as a finalist for their award.
Key things to consider
- Fill out the nomination form with as much detail as possible to give your nominee the best chance of being shortlisted. Use specific examples demonstrating how your nominee has made a positive impact on the community.
- Don’t leave out the small stuff! This is not the time for modesty, so include all the award-relevant achievements your nominee has accomplished.
How do I get information for the nomination, if I don’t know the nominee very well?
- We have a referral process where you can send a nomination form to a deserving alum to complete. Please keep in mind they may choose to not complete it, so be compelling in letting them know why you think they should.
- Search online for more information about your nominee by looking at their LinkedIn profile as well as any news articles.
- Call your nominee, or talk to their friends, colleagues, former lecturers, family members and people who know them well. Ask them questions such as:
- What are your achievements and what are you most proud of? How have you made an impact on the community?
- What inspires you?
- What are some challenges you faced along the way and how did you overcome them?
- Have you received any awards or recognition throughout your journey?
