The Annual Gala Awards will be hosted in person at the ECC Unity Suite. Nominations will happen online, and winners will be announced on Gala day. Check out the FAQ for more information!
To learn more about what makes a nomination eligible for these awards and what kinds of characteristics we are looking for, please visit our awards criteria page
How are Gala Awards decided?
Our nomination process takes place from Tuesday, April 14th to Monday, April 27th. RSOs and student leaders who are nominated will receive a notification of their nomination status. Nominated RSOs will be given materials to request professional references (UW Staff/Faculty and campus partners), which should be completed by our deadline of Monday, May 4th. Individual Student Leader awards do not require a reference. All recognition awards will be decided by the Gala Awards Committee based on materials submitted (nomination form and professional references for organization awards). All winners will be announced in person at the Gala Awards Ceremony.
What categories are there?
The ones that are presented to an organization are:
- Commitment to Community and Service
- Outstanding Collaboration and Participation
- Breakout Organization
- Most Impactful Programming
- Organization of the Year
- Rising Star
Individual awards include:
- Leadership Award
- Branching Out Award
- Activism Award
What makes you eligible for a category?
- You must be an Affiliated ECC RSO
- You must be an active RSO with UW – Seattle Campus
- Nominator must be a currently enrolled UW student or staff/faculty
- You can nominate your RSO for multiple categories (it will be up to committee to choose only one category for your RSO)
- *Please Note: RSOs being considered for awards will be asked to provide one professional UW/Community reference after their nomination is received, per award. Individual Recognition Award nominees will not need to submit additional materials.
Read the Awards Criteria for more information
Can RSOs be nominated for multiple awards?
Yes, any of our affiliated RSOs may be nominated for multiple awards. However, once the nomination period closes, RSOs who have multiple nominations will only be allowed to select a maximum of 2 award categories to be up for consideration for in the final selection round.
If an RSO is considered for two awards, do they need to have two different references?
RSOs being considered for two awards during the final round may choose to have a singular reference complete both forms, or may opt to have two different references. We recommend that RSOs be intentional that their reference(s) can speak to the nature of the award(s) they have been nominated for.
What is the timeline for the nominations?
- Award nominations will open from April 14 – April 27. We will close our nomination form at 9:00 AM on Monday, April 27.
- RSO and Individual Recognition nominees will be notified directly by Tuesday, April 28. RSOs will be asked to request a professional reference (UW Staff/Faculty or Campus Partner) to complete our reference form by the following Monday (May 4th). Individual Award Nominees will not need to provide an additional reference.
- Award recipients will be announced at the Gala Awards Ceremony on May 14th.
- (All times are subject to change)
If we win an award, do we win anything?
Yes! For the organizational awards, the winners will receive $250 in funds for their RSO. All funds can be available at the start of Fall 2026. Restrictions on the use of funding will apply. More information on that will be sent to the winners via email from eccadvs@uw.edu to their general RSO email address
Individual award winners will receive a commemorative statuette.
What is the theme of Gala? What can we expect?
The 2026 Gala Awards theme is inspired by the Disney Film, Princess and the Frog! Leading up to the event and during the program, we will incorporate themes from the rich Creole culture, New Orleans, and Fairy Tales throughout our marketing materials and decorations. Overall, the Gala will include music, food, mingling, and time to recognize the hard work and achievements of our ECC RSOs and ECC student leaders this past academic year!