The Graduate and Professional Student Association and Graduate Student Life are proud to announce a new award to recognize the individuals, offices, and organizations across the university who work tirelessly to advance graduate student success and well-being at George Mason University.
The purpose of the Graduate Student Champion Awards is to celebrate the champions who support the success and well-being of graduate and professional students at George Mason University and to cultivate and elevate a university-wide culture of graduate student support and success.
The Graduate Student Champion Awards will be presented at the Mason Graduate Interdisciplinary Conference on Friday, March 27, 2026 during the Closing Reception.
Award Categories:
- Instructional Faculty Member
- Administrative Faculty or Staff Member
- Graduate Student
- Campus Unit or Student Organization
Selection Process:
- To nominate an individual, unit, or organization, a nomination form must be submitted and all supporting information by the deadline (Monday, March 9, 2026).
- The nomination must be submitted by a current graduate or professional degree seeking student at George Mason.
- The nomination will require a letter of nomination explaining how the nominee has championed graduate students, addressing the award criteria (may be as brief as one paragraph, no more than 2 pages).
- Up to 2 additional letters of support may be submitted (no more than 4 additional pages total), but are not required. Letters of support may be written by anyone who can speak to the nominee’s contributions to graduate student success and well-being at George Mason, including but not limited to graduate students, faculty, staff, and alumni. All materials must be submitted with the nomination form.
- Nominations will be reviewed by a selection committee using a rubric based on criteria. Up to one winner will be selected for each category.
- Members of the selection committee are not permitted to submit nominations.
- The Student Organization must be either a Registered Student Organization or a Departmental Student Organization.
- Self-nominations are permitted for the Graduate Student and Student Organization categories.
Timeline:
- Deadline for nominations: Monday, March 9
- Awards presentation at the Mason Graduate Interdisciplinary Conference: Friday, March 27
Criteria:
Nominations will be evaluated using the following criteria. Nominations may address some or all of the criteria.
- Demonstrated genuine commitment to improving the well-being and quality of life for graduate students at George Mason University.
- Has created or improved programs, services, policies, and/or systems that are responsive to the diverse needs of George Mason graduate students and advance their well-being.
- Has provided mentorship and/or advising to make a tangible, positive difference in graduate students’ lives.
- Has worked above and beyond the scope of their position responsibilities to remove barriers to graduate student success and well-being and to amplify graduate students’ voices.
- Acts with integrity, empathy, and inclusivity to support George Mason graduate students.
Nomination form (due March 9, 2026):
Submit nominations via this form.
Nomination forms will require the nominator’s and nominee’s names and email addresses and a letter of nomination addressing the criteria in PDF format (may be as brief as one paragraph, no more than 2 pages). Up to two additional letters of nominations (no more than 4 pages total) in PDF format may also be submitted. All materials must be submitted by the deadline in order to be considered.