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 were due Nov. 15, 2023.
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 at 5pm on January 5, 2024. 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 2024
- Self-nominations are not accepted
Excellence in Teaching Award:
- Previous recipients are ineligible
- Must be a current UW graduate student
- Must be employed at UW in Spring 2024
- 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 2024
Applicants for the Distinguished Teaching Award at UW Bothell and UW Tacoma can find eligibility information on their campus pages.
- Nomination period: October 2 – November 15, 2023
- Application period: November 17, 2023 – January 5, 2024
- Recipients announced: June 2024
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