About The Awards

The ISCN Excellence Awards recognize outstanding contributions made by universities to advancing sustainability initiatives, programs, and projects. In its sixteenth year, the 2024 Awards will continue to serve as a way to showcase global best practice examples for the higher education community.

The ISCN Awards recognize excellence in the areas of Whole Systems Approach, Partnerships for Progress, and Cultural Change for Sustainability. An additional Honorary Member Award is granted to an outstanding project at a non-member institution.

Winners of the awards will receive a plaque and be featured on the ISCN website where their projects will serve as case studies to inspire and show how successful projects can be developed.

Application Process and Timeline

The ISCN Award Jury is comprised of an international panel that will score the completed applications based on standardized criteria and determine the winner in each category. The ISCN Secretariat will inform the winning and unsuccessful candidates via email after the judging process has concluded.

Applications open: July 18, 2024
Applications close: September 27, 2024
Winners notified: November 11, 2024

To apply for an Award

1. Identify the appropriate Award Category for your application.

2. Ensure you comply with the Conditions of Entry listed below.

3. Complete the online application form.

4. Submit your completed application by September 27, 2024.

Apply now

Conditions of Entry

By submitting to the 2024 ISCN Excellence Awards you are agreeing to the following conditions:

• All applications must be completed via the online application form.
• Applicants must be current ISCN Members in good financial standing to apply for the following categories: Whole Systems Approach, Partnerships for Progress, and Cultural Change for Sustainability.
• Members can apply for more than one category award. Please complete a separate application for each one.
• Only non-member institutions are eligible to apply for the Honorary Member Award category.
• Non-member applicants must be eligible for ISCN membership as detailed on Join ISCN.
• All applications must be submitted by the official deadline. Late submissions will not be accepted.
• Applications must be made on behalf of higher education institutions. Applications representing individuals will not be accepted.
• All information contained in the submission is true to the best of the applicant’s knowledge.
• By applying, winners of the Awards are committing to providing a short video (1 to 3 minutes) of the winning project to be completed and submitted by the public announcement date.
• Winners of the Awards grant permission to the ISCN to publicize winning projects to enable the sharing of ideas, to inspire other campuses, and to stimulate new partnerships and collaborations.
• Projects that have received a non-ISCN award are eligible to apply.
• If an institution is granted the Honorary Membership Award it is ineligible for a future Honorary Membership Award.
• The ISCN Secretariat reserves the right to verify the information included in applications.

Main Application Questions to Help You Prepare

Project Title

Project Description

Describe the project, collaboration, or initiative highlighting its unique characteristics. (max. 150 words)

Impact and Outcomes

Describe how this project, collaboration, or initiative demonstrates impacts toward whole-institution sustainability (governance, teaching, research, campus operations, and community outreach). What are the concrete outcomes. (max. 150 words)

Stakeholder and Community Engagement

How did this project, collaboration, or initiative engage members of the campus community and/or external partners? (max. 150 words)

Innovation

What makes this project, collaboration, or initiative innovative in its approach? (max. 150 words)

Scalability

How could this project be scaled for broader impact at the campus, regional, national, or international scale? (max. 150 words)

Challenges and Lessons Learned

What were the greatest challenges/barriers of the project, collaboration, or initiative that needed to be overcome and how did you manage them? What can other institutions learn from your experience? (max. 150 words)