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 11:59 PM on November 13
- Eligible nominees are invited to submit an application after November 15
- Applications close at 11:59 PM on January 12, 2025
- Recipients are notified in Spring 2025
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 were due Nov. 13, 2024.
Instructors may apply for a teaching award after receiving a nomination. After November 15, eligible nominees will be emailed an invitation to apply that will include instructions for the application process. Applicants will provide:
- Completed cover sheet (emailed to applicants)
- Teaching statement (max 1 page, learn more about teaching statements)
- Evidence of effectiveness from the prior 2 years (max 7 pages). Acceptable forms of evidence may include, but are not limited to: syllabi, assignments, course projects, class activities, examples of student work. Applicants should annotate their materials with explanations of how they meet the award criteria.
- 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: for Distinguished Teaching Award and the Distinguished Teaching Award for Teams: chair or dean. For the Excellence in Teaching Award: chair, dean, or advisor. (max 2 pages)
All application documents must be within the page limit and in a minimum of 11-point font. Applications are due at 11:59 pm on January 12, 2025. Late applications are not accepted.
Applicants for the Distinguished Teaching Award at UW Bothell and UW Tacoma can find application information on their campus pages.
Distinguished Teaching Award (Seattle campus):
- Previous recipients are ineligible
- Must be a current UW faculty member at the Seattle campus
- Must be employed at UW in Spring 2025
- Self-nominations are not accepted
Excellence in Teaching Award:
- Previous recipients are ineligible
- Must be a current UW graduate student at the Seattle campus
- Must be employed at UW in Spring 2025
- Self-nominations are not accepted
Distinguished Teaching Award for Teams:
- Teams that have received the award previously are ineligible
- At least half of the team members must be currently affiliated with UW
- Please note: The financial portion of the award can only be dispersed to units or individuals affiliated with UW in Spring 2025
Applicants for the Distinguished Teaching Award at UW Bothell and UW Tacoma can find eligibility information on their campus pages.
- Nomination period: October 1 – November 13, 2024
- Application period: November 15, 2024 – January 12, 2025
- Recipients announced: June 2025
Questions
Please contact the relevant office 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