The application/nomination process for the UC Tech Awards Program [1], is now open through Monday, March 3, at 5 p.m. Apply/nominate a colleague to allow the UC Tech community to learn more about you and your work in support of digital transformation at UC and advancement of the UC Tech community. The application is a simple, two-step process:
- Download the application form in Word and complete it offline
- Upload your application to the application portal by Monday, March 3 at 5 p.m. (or by Friday February 14, for the opportunity to be entered in a drawing.)
- Join an upcoming Info Session/Webinar
- Learn more about award judging selection criteria
- Discover the new AI Impact Award
This year, the Chief Information Officer (CIO) Council, sponsors of the UC Tech Awards Program, is happy to announce a new “AI Impact Award.” Also, they encourage applicants from past years to consider applying again, as many winners from recent years had applied one time before winning the subsequent year.
All applications will be published online, and winners will be celebrated at the UC Tech Awards ceremony dinner on Thursday, June 26, at UC Riverside. One complimentary UC Tech Conference pass will be awarded per winner/winning team.
Start your application/nomination today.
Benefits of participating
“You can spend your whole career working on something like Ilios…and never get to the end… In some ways, it can feel like you’re not making progress. But an award like this,it validated our whole team, in a big way. We all felt incredible for it.”
- All applicants will have their application/nomination read by Chief Information Officers (CIOs).
- Winners will be invited to attend the UC Tech Awards ceremony, with one complimentary UC Tech Conference pass that will be awarded to each winner/winning team.
- All applicants will have their application/nomination published online.
- All applicants will be invited to participate in networking events to meet colleagues and others interested in their work.
“I’m intersted in hearing what others are doing across UC.”
Learn more about the UC Tech Awards Program application & nomination process
Join an upcoming Info Session/ Webinar
Tuesday, February 11, 2025, 4-4:30 p.m. [Zoom registration link]
Tuesday, February 26, 2025, 11-11:30 a.m. [Zoom registration link]
Eligibility Criteria
- The project must be operational and have been implemented within the last three (3) years.
- Individuals or teams, including those who were equally involved in significant projects
- Staff and faculty employed by the University of California
- Any technology-centered functions, including technology, research, academic and business support units
- Those working in cross-location and cross-functional teams are encouraged to participate
Selection Criteria
The UC CIO Council selection committee [3] selects one golden and one silver award for each category, based on the following criteria.
1. Complexity – How challenging was the problem addressed?
- Clear articulation of the challenge or problem
- Distinctive aspects of the solution, such as:
- Technical complexity
- Coordination of multiple stakeholders or navigating complex relationships
- Consideration of the UC environment, including location and department/unit
- Creation of a unique and reliable solution to overcome these challenges
2. Impact – What was the scope and effectiveness of the solution?
- Number of individuals, systems, or processes affected
- Depth of impact (extent of change on affected individuals, systems, or processes)
- Longevity of impact over time
- Whether the solution is novel and has been adopted elsewhere within UC or beyond
3. Mission Alignment – How does the project support the university’s mission and relate to the award category itself?
- Demonstration of how the person or project advances UC’s mission of serving California and the world
- Explanation of how the approach of the person/team/project meets the attributes of the award category to which they are applying
UC Tech Annual Awards Categories for 2025
The awards recognize individuals, teams or project teams, as specified below. This year there is a new, “AI Impact” category.
1. AI Impact Award – Honors an individual or team for developing an AI-driven solution that exemplifies value creation. The winning project must address a unique use case, effectively solve a business challenge, and uphold UC AI Principles, including transparency, fairness, accountability, privacy, and non-discrimination.
2. DEI Leadership Award – Recognizes the leadership of an individual or team in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in technical communities, as demonstrated by specific tactics to create vehicles that improve visibility, access and engagement of underrepresented populations.
3. Design Award – The award is given to an individual or team that transformed one or more touch points through the application of various design disciplines (e.g., visual design, interaction design, user experience (UX) design, customer experience (CX) design and/or industrial design) to improve usability and/or create a more elegant experience for everyone, including people with disabilities.
4. Larry L. Sautter Award for Innovation in Information Technology – The award is
given to an individual or a team for having implemented an innovative technology initiative that has had significant impact on the university’s academic/research mission, student life, business operations, patient care, or public service mission. Innovation is defined as the new application of technology, the creative use of limited resources, or an emphasis on collaboration to solve a problem.
5. IT Security Award – The award is given to an individual or team that advanced IT security at the University of California through awareness and training, policy, technical controls, and/or IT security hygiene. Projects that intersect with legal, privacy, and compliance are eligible.
6. Mojgan A. Amini Operational Excellence Award – The award is given to an individual or team that transformed a business process (via reliability, speed, scale, efficiency, and/or effectiveness), whether through business process design, automation, customer service, digital transformation, or another initiative.
7. Sustained Impact Award (for individuals only) – The award is given to an individual who, over time, has contributed significant expertise, passion, and commitment to the university as evidenced by a portfolio of work supporting the technology arena.
8. Yvonne Tevis UC Collaboration Award – The award is given to an individual or team that conducted a strong collaborative technology initiative across two or more UC locations, across a UC campus and UC health system, and/or with other UC partners.
FAQs
- Do I /we apply for an “individual” or “team” award? The CIO Council welcomes individuals and teams to apply. If the individual is the leader of a project team, that individual can acknowledge those who worked on the project with them in their application and during the awards ceremony, but the focus will be on the individual leader. On the other hand, if project teams would like to apply as a group, they are also welcomed to do so.
- How far back in time can I submit projects? If you chose to recognize a project team, the project must be operational and have been implemented within the last three (3) years.
- Is there a limit on the number submissions for one individual or team? For 2025, we encourage applicants to choose one category for their submission. The judges may reserve the right to change the category, if needed, to support visibility of the nominees.
- Where can I see winning applications from prior years? Please visit this article on recent winners and all applications, or view UC Records, with all applications/nominations since 2001.
- Is there a template for me to email my team or post on social media to promote the UC Tech Awards Program? Yes, each year, the UC Tech Awards Committee creates a UC Tech Awards Program marketing/media kit. This kit includes examples of emails and other formats for your communications needs.
- More questions? Join a UC Tech Awards application webinar/info-session, or contact Laurel.Skurko@UCOP.edu.
Resources
- Past UC Tech Awards applications – 2024
- UC Tech Awards by Year since 2001
- UC Tech Awards Program 2025 marketing/media kit
Contact
UC Tech Awards Program Director
UC Office of the President
[1] The UC Tech Awards Program celebrates individuals and teams in the UC Tech community who have contributed to areas of strategic importance to the university. The CIO Council created the program in 2001 when an innovation award was named after Larry L. Sautter. The program has grown to eight (8) awards ranging from design, IT security to diversity, equity and inclusion and AI initiatives. Learn more about the 2024 UC Tech Awards Program winners, and see all nominations.
[2] The UC Tech Conference is an annual event for members of the UC Tech community, who are tech employees at the university. At this conference, about three days in length, members of the UC Tech community gather to attend educational workshops, networking and more. It happens one time each year and rotates UC locations. In 2024, it was hosted at UC Davis. Learn more about the UC Tech 2024 Conference here.
[3] UC CIO Council’s Selection Committee is composed of several members of the CIO Council, who rotate annually. The committee determines the award winners on the basis of submitted materials and in accordance with the selection criteria.