This award honors students, student teams and/or student organizations from higher education who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in promoting sustainability on campus. One award is given annually.
Application Process
Students can apply for a Student Sustainability Leadership Award by submitting a case study of their project to AASHE’s Campus Sustainability Hub. An AASHE account is required in order to log into the Hub.
Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis and are due on the fourth Friday in January. Your application will be considered in the 2025 award season if you submit it by the deadline. Submissions received past the deadline will be considered for the next award season. If you have any questions, please email awards@aashe.org.
Timeline
| Submission deadline | Fourth Friday in January |
| Judging process | February |
| Recipient notified | March |
| Publicly announced | April |
| Recipient recognized at the AASHE Conference | October |
Prizes
Award winners receive:
- One complimentary registration for the AASHE Conference & Expo ($700 value)
- Recognition during the AASHE Conference
- A certificate of recognition
- Public recognition on the AASHE website and press release
Criteria
Applications will be evaluated by a panel of judges on the following criteria:
- Overall impact – How much of an impact did the project make?
- Innovation – To what extent is the project innovative?
- Replicability – To what extent is the project a model for others?
- Breadth of impact – Did the project advance sustainability in many dimensions or only one?
- Stakeholder Involvement – Did the project engage multiple campus audiences (students, faculty, staff, community members, etc.)?
- Racial equity and social justice – To what extent does the project reflect racial equity and social justice, and how significant is its potential contribution to racial equity and social justice?
- Clarity and coherence – How easy is it to follow the case study?
Eligibility
Student(s) enrolled at an AASHE-member college or university (or student groups at these institutions) are eligible for this award. Students who graduated within the 12 months prior to the application deadline are still eligible. The first author of the case study must be the student for whom the award is being considered.