This is to provide an overview of the upcoming UC Tech Awards ceremony at the UC Tech Conference at UC Riverside.
Event Details
2025 UC Tech Awards Ceremony
Thursday, June 26, 2025, 7 – 8 pm.
Host: CIO Council and UC Riverside
Location: Riverside Convention Center, Exhibit Hall A/B, 3637 5th Street, Riverside, CA
Contact: Laurel Skurko, Laurel.Skurko@UCOP.edu
On Thursday, June 26, from 7-8 p.m., in-person only, at the UC Tech Conference at UC Riverside, the UC Tech community will gather to honor the 14 winners of the 2025 UC Tech Awards program, founded in 2001. The winning projects and teams selected represent the scope and caliber of work happening across the UC Tech community. Further, the event provides the occasion to learn more about the people behind this work, and allows the connections and exchange that are critical to on-going innovation. We look forward to seeing you there and watching the virtuous cycle of progress unfold, as it has for the past four decades at the UC Tech Conference, since it was founded four decades ago.
Overview of the process to select winners
Judges from the CIO Council reviewed 51 outstanding applications to select the top contenders in each of the seven categories. This year’s CIO judges included Van Williams, Aisha Jackson, Nick Dugan, Jaki Hsieh Wojan, as well as the following two UC Tech leaders, Monte Ratzlaff and Kate Miffitt. These judges evaluated the remarkable applications to determine this year’s winners.
| Awards Ceremony Schedule | Details (Location: Riverside Convention Center, Exhibit Hall A/B, 3637 5th Street, Riverside, CA) |
| 5:15 p.m. | Awardees meet in the Green Room for a 45-minute dress rehearsal |
| 6-7 p.m. | Sit down dinner |
| 7-7:10 p.m. | Opening remarks |
| 7:10-7:45 | Awards ceremony – brief photo ops and brief (30-60 seconds) words of acceptance |
| 7:45-8 p.m. | Photos with CIO’s |
Dress code
Business attire optional. The event will be professionally photographed. For photography, it’s best to AVOID stripes, bold solid colors (you’ll stand out), and black (you’ll fade into the background).
Venue Map
FAQs
| FAQ | Answer |
| Do awards winners receive a complimentary pass to the UC Tech Conference? | All winners/winning teams received one complimentary UC Conference pass (only eligible for a leader/member of the project team). They received a code which they used to receive a conference ticket (one per team, and not transferable). |
| Background about the UC Tech Conference Awards Program | UC Tech Awards Background and Description |
| Can I still register for the UC Tech Conference? | The conference is sold out. |
| Is there an option for those who would attend only the UC Tech Awards Dinner event in-person (and not attend the rest of the conference)? | Only UC Tech Conference registered guests are eligible to attend the UC Tech Awards ceremony. |
| When does online registration for the conference close? Can I see recordings after-the-fact? | Registration for attendance for this in-person only conference is closed. Some aspects of the conference will be recorded, and those elements will be shared publicly after the conference. There are no plans to have the ceremony professionally recorded, but there will be posts on social media: #UCTech2025 and a press release issued the following day. |
| When will the awards be announced publicly? | One press release announcing all winners and individual news articles for each winning team will be published immediately during the ceremony. Individual interviews and events for winning teams will start to be announced shortly after the ceremony. |
| Will winners receive a certificate? | Yes, each team will receive ONE certificate in-person, and a digital copy will be sent for distribution to the team and will be posted from UC Tech News social media channels as well. |
| Will awardees provide remarks during the ceremony? | Yes, briefly (30-60 seconds), and then we will follow up with press. |
| Who can receive the award on the stage? | All teams will notify the awards program director, Laurel Skurko, regarding who will receive the award from their team (one person – or several – can come up to the stage to receive their certificate and have a photo taken. This, provided each member of the team is a UC Tech Conference attendee. |
| Will there be opportunities to take group photos? | During and after the ceremony, group photos will be taken by a professional photographer. After the event, photos and the video will be shared with winners. |
| Will the awards be live-streamed, or recorded? | No, but stay tuned on social media for live updates @UCTechNews on Instagram, Twitter and Laurel Skurko will be share on LinkedIn. |
| Hashtag for social media | #UCTech2025 |
About the UC Tech Awards 2025
UC Tech Annual Awards Categories for 2025
The awards recognize individuals, teams or project teams, as specified below.
- AI Impact Award
- Larry L. Sautter Award for Innovation in Information Technology
- IT Security Award
- Yvonne Tevis UC Collaboration Award
- Mojgan A. Amini Operational Excellence Award
- Design Award
- Sustained Impact Award (individuals only)
About the UC Tech Awards Program
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 using technical approaches. The UC Chief Information Officer (CIO) Council created the program in 2001 when they created an award for innovation named after Larry L. Sautter. The program now includes seven award categories, which include design, DEI leadership, innovation, IT Security, operational excellence, UC-wide collaboration and sustained impact. The UC Tech Awards Program celebrates an inclusive UC tech community by recognizing the technology contributions of people from all backgrounds and areas of expertise, including business operations, research, education, patient care and public service. The UC Tech Awards are sponsored by the UC CIO Council, composed of the Chief Information Officers (CIOs) across all UC locations. Each year, five members of this council, who rotate on an annual basis, select the awards winners. The annual call for submissions is announced in February with a May submission deadline. The committee meets by early June and awards are presented at the annual UC Tech Conference. To learn about the UC Tech Awards program, please visit the UC Tech Awards Program Description.
More Awards Ceremony Highlights
2024 UC Tech Award winners pose for a group photo with UC CIOs at UC Davis
Contact
Laurel Skurko
UC Tech Awards 2025 Program Director
UC Office of the President