RESOURCE: What to expect from the 2024 UC Tech Awards Ceremony – Monday, October 28, 2024, at UC Davis – MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Backstage at the UC Tech Awards - crowd taking photos and enjoying the celebration

This is to provide an overview of the upcoming UC Tech Awards ceremony at the UC Tech Conference at UC Davis in October.

On Monday, October 28, from 5-6 p.m., in-person only, at the UC Tech Conference at UC Davis, the UC Tech community will gather to honor the 16 winners of the 2024 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 75 outstanding applications to select the top contenders in each of the seven categories. During the ceremony, the community will present each awardee with a certificate and take a commemorative photo during the 60-minute program, followed by a dinner. We will also recognize the Chief Information Officer (CIO) Council, program sponsors, and the five rotating CIO judges, who serve on an annual basis. This year’s CIO judges included Van Williams, CIO of the University of California, Adam Hamilton from UC College of the Law, Sree Mada from UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, Julie Eastman from UC Irvine Health, and Matthew Gunkel from UC Riverside and UC Riverside Health. These CIO judges evaluated the remarkable applications to determine this year’s winners. Each awardee will have at least one representative present to accept their award and join in the celebration with the 700 attendees of this year’s UC Tech Conference. Additionally, all nominees will be featured in UC Tech News stories and events throughout the upcoming year. Below, you’ll find details about this significant UC Tech community celebration and ceremony.

UC Tech Awards What to expect Guide and FAQ

Event details

When & where

Date: Monday, October 28, 2024, 5-6 p.m. (in-person only event)
Place:  Mondavi Conference Center, Jackson Hall at UC Davis (Davis Campus) 
Audience: All 700 guests of the UC Tech Conference
Contact: Laurel Skurko, Laurel.Skurko@UCOP.edu

Awards Ceremony ScheduleDetails
4:45 p.m.Awardees meet at the stage
5 p.m.Awards ceremony begins
5:45 p.m.Awards ceremony ends
5:45 – 6 p.m.Photos of winners with Van Williams and other photo opportunities
6 – 9 p.m.Awards Ceremony Dinner in Gateway District. Food and drinks will be served to all conference attendees who opt to attend. 
See map of UC Davis showing the Mondavi Center here.
See map of UC Davis showing the Mondavi Center here.

Dress code

Business attire optional. The event will be professionally photographed. For photography, it’s best to steer clear of stripes, bold solid colors, and black.

FAQs

FAQAnswer
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 live posts on social media: #UCTech2024
When will the awards be announced publicly?One press release announcing all winners and individual news article 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 a 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?No, but you are welcome to schedule a “birds of a feather” or apply for an opportunity to present at a future conference. Further, the UC Tech News team welcomes the opportunity to host a webinar event for you and your team any time.
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#UCTech2024

About the UC Tech Awards 2024

UC Tech Annual Awards Categories for 2024

The awards recognize individuals, teams or project teams, as specified below.

  1. Larry L. Sautter Award for Innovation in Information Technology
  2. DEI Leadership Award (for individuals only)
  3. IT Security Award
  4. Yvonne Tevis UC Collaboration Award
  5. Mojgan A. Amini Operational Excellence Award
  6. Design Award 
  7. 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 Over the Years

2023 UC Tech Award Winners pose for a group photo with UC CIOs.
2023 UC Tech Award winners pose for a group photo with UC CIOs at UC Berkeley.

Attendees at the 2022 UC Tech Awards
UC Tech community members, including leaders at all levels of the organization, celebrating their collective achievements at the UC Tech Awards ceremony at UC San Diego in 2022.

Related Reading

Contact

Laurel Skurko, Marketing & Communications, IT Services, UC Office of the President
Laurel Skurko
Laurel.Skurko@ucop.edu
Marketing & Communications
UC Office of the President