Established in 2005, the Excellence Through Innovation Award (ETIA) program recognizes exemplary administrative staff and librarians and provides a platform for sharing outstanding practices across our tri-campus community. The ETIA program is an institutional award program that acknowledges and celebrates contributions towards the University’s mission as one of the world’s foremost research-intensive universities, driven to invent and innovate.
The ETIA program celebrates individuals and project teams/groups who make a significant contribution to U of T in five areas: enriching the student experience; promoting and advancing equity, diversity and Inclusion; elevating the employee experience; improving administrative/operational processes; and/or fostering community connection.
The program is comparable to the Exemplary University of Toronto Ambassador (EUTA) Awards program, which recognizes service to/at U of T.
The ETIA program occurs biennially and alternates with the EUTA Awards.
The 2025-26 ETIA program will consider the nominee(s) efforts and accomplishments up to August 31, 2025.
For more details about this award, contact thanks@utoronto.ca. Other contact methods.
Program Objectives
The ETIA program assesses significant contribution(s) towards one or more of the following five objectives.
Enriching the Student Experience
- Ensures that every student has the opportunity for a unique, well-rounded experience at U of T;
- Enhances student services in response to students’ diverse needs;
- Improves institutional and equitable supports for students; and/or
- Contributes to making participatory learning experiences and communities available to students.
Promoting and Advancing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
- Embeds equity, diversity, and inclusion in practices and processes;
- Intentionally ensures students, staff, librarians, and faculty members’ voices are included and reflected in our scholarship, research, and academic and support programs; and/or
- Creates an inclusive culture through intentional initiatives that foster a sense of belonging.
Elevating the Employee Experience
- Encourages the recruitment of diverse faculty members, librarians, and staff that recognize the ethos of our student-centred University;
- Supports and promotes inclusive initiatives that onboard, develop, mentor, and retain faculty members, librarians, and staff;
- Employs inclusive strategies that further our efforts to retain, recognize, mentor, support, and promote outstanding staff; endorses and promotes programs that improve the workplace; and/or
- Fosters an inclusive team environment that creates and creates a sense of belonging.
Improving Administrative/Operational Processes
- Advances U of T’s mission by effectively allocating and generating resources;
- Uniquely maximizes or transforms administrative and/or operational processes, systems, and resources; and/or
- Innovatively brings together information or services that better support our diverse students, alums, faculty members, librarians and staff.
Fostering Community Connection
- Demonstrates commitment to public advocacy and advancement that encourages initiatives that unite the tri-campus;
- Identifies opportunities for community-based experiential learning for our students; and/or
- Enhances collaborations and promotes access, success and inclusion that supports our diverse University community.
Assessment Criteria
Individuals and/or Teams considered for this award will have made a significant contribution(s) towards achieving one or more of the objectives outlined above. The impact of the contribution(s) should extend beyond the immediate work unit of the nominee(s), should have some effect on the broader University community, making a measurable or demonstrable impact, or the potential to be implemented more broadly across the institution thereby increasing the overall impact of the initiative.
The review committees assess the significance of each nomination against the objective(s) and the context of the department, Faculty, division and/or University along with at least two of the following assessment criteria.
Transferability
- What is the potential for use/adoption at other locations across the tri-campus?
- Have other units already adopted this solution locally at U of T as a result of the initiative’s success and/or learnings?
Quality Impact
- To what extent has/have the contribution(s) improved the quality-of-service delivery, the environment, or working conditions for staff or users at U of T?
Productivity
- To what extent has/have the contribution(s) positively impacted productivity at the Department or Division?
Cost Savings
- Has this initiative resulted in meaningful cost savings at the departmental, Faculty, divisional or University level?
- Were there measurable dollars saved relative to previous costs and/or additional revenues relative to base revenues?
Transformative Value
- How has the contribution(s) changed a service, department, Faculty, division, or the broader University?
- What was the cultural shift or impact on strategic direction?
- How were students, alums, faculty members, librarians and/or staff empowered because of the outcome?
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
- How has/have the contribution(s) fostered and/or advanced an inclusive or equitable culture at U of T?
- Did the contribution(s) build knowledge and/or capacity that creates equitable opportunities for students, alums, faculty members, librarians, and staff?
Eligibility
Any employee or supervisor can nominate a librarian or staff member for the ETIA program. Self-nominations are not accepted, nor can nominators include themselves as a member of a team nomination.
Individual ETIA Eligibility
Nominees for an Individual ETIA must:
- Be one of the following: Advancement Professional, Confidential Staff, Professional & Managerial Staff, Research Associate/Senior Research Associate, Librarian, Unionized administrative (non-academic) staff, or a Casual employee, and
- Be in good standing and be in active status at the University at the time nominations close.
Successful candidates will normally have completed a minimum of three years of service at U of T by the nomination deadline.
Project Team/Group Member ETIA Eligibility
Nominees for a Project Team or Group ETIA can consist of:
- Advancement Professionals, Confidential Staff, Professional & Managerial Staff, Research Associate/Senior Research Associates, Librarians, Unionized administrative (non-academic) staff, or Casual employees, and
- All team/group members must be in good standing and be in active status at the University at the time nominations close.
- Two or more individuals.
- There is no maximum to the number of individuals on a team; however, the maximum prize given to a team will be 24,000 True Blue Points.
The Nominations Process
Nominations for the 2025-2026 ETIA program opened on June 2, 2025.
Nominations should describe in detail the specific contribution(s) that an individual or team/group has made in relation to one or more of the program objectives and at least two of the assessment criteria listed above. Successful nomination packages will typically focus on the objectives and criteria that the nominee best meets or exceeds, rather than attempt to address all of the objectives and criteria listed above.
Each nomination and supporting letter should not exceed three pages in length. Nominators should provide examples of the nominee’s demonstrated impact across multiple portfolios in their letters where applicable. Where appropriate, supporting letters from multiple divisions and/or beyond the University of Toronto are encouraged. However, it is recognized that not all roles, by their very nature, will have the ability to have an impact across multiple portfolios.
The Advisory Committee will review all submitted nominations and can then ask for further details. All nomination materials will remain confidential.
Nominators are encouraged to inform their Division Head prior to submitting a nomination.
A complete nomination package for the ETIA program consists of the following:
- A cover letter from the lead nominator providing the rationale for the nomination and a description of the nominee’s(s’) contribution(s) and impact(s).
- Two letters of support from colleagues/peers. Please note:
- A letter of support signed by multiple individuals counts as one letter towards the total.
- The nominee or project/team members cannot write the letter of support; it must be written by someone else.
- An executive summary highlighting the nominee’s(s’) most significant contributions, accomplishments, and impact related to the award criteria (minimum 200 words, maximum 300 words).
- The University may publish the summary of successful nominees.
- An editor will review and revise your submitted text to ensure consistency among recipients.
- The nominee or project/team lead will have the opportunity to review and approve the final text before publication.
- OPTIONAL: You may also provide up to five hyperlinks to supporting sites to provide additional information about the nominee/project.
Submission Guidelines
Nomination Deadline: 5:00 p.m. on Friday, September 19, 2025.
Submit nomination packages electronically through the True Blue Recognition Platform.
Two buttons for the ETIA program will appear when “Nominate” is selected under the “Recognize” header, one for individual nominations and one for project team/group nominations.
Upload the nomination letter and supporting documents, and enter the executive summary into the appropriate fields using the online form.
Do not submit more than the required number of documents and supporting letters. The Advisory and Selection Committees will not consider additional documents as part of the nomination package.
Should you require assistance with your submission, please contact the Recognition & Engagement Team.
Tips for Compiling a Successful Nomination Package
Nominators are encouraged to address the following questions in their nomination packages:
- What was the initiative/project undertaken by the nominee?
- What problem was this initiative intending to solve?
- What issues were addressed in the process?
- How was the solution innovative?
- What challenges were encountered in bringing this initiative to fruition?
In completing the nomination submission, please:
- Be specific by giving examples and the details of what your nominee has done that meets the selection criteria.
- Be intentional in how you frame your nomination. Not every nominee will demonstrate achievements in all award criteria. Use your nomination to intentionally identify the criteria where your nominee has made a demonstrable impact and provide evidence to support your nomination.
- Avoid general statements such as: “the nominee has a pleasant personality,” “the nominee is a seasoned professional,” or “the nominee is always helpful” in your submission.
- Include as much qualitative and quantitative information as you can about the nominee’s work and contributions.
- Avoid the use of uncommon or undefined acronyms or initialisms in the description of your nominee’s work and contributions.
Refer to the guide on “How to Write an Impactful Award Nomination” for additional details.
Adjudication
- Advisory Committee: conducts a thorough review of all the nominations and selects nominations to be reviewed by the ETIA Selection Committee.
- Selection Committee: reviews the pre-assessed nominations and approves the final selection of recipients.
The Advisory & Selection Committees will meet in the Fall of 2025 and Winter of 2026 to select the 2025-26 ETIA recipients.
We expect to inform all nominators and successful nominees of the adjudication results in Winter 2026.
Award Prizing
Individual Winners
Each individual winning nominee shall receive:
- An ETIA Certificate,
- 2,500 in True Blue Points redeemable for prizes on the True Blue Recognition Platform.
Group/Team Winners
Each member of a winning group/team shall receive:
- An ETIA Certificate,
- 1,500 in True Blue Points redeemable for prizes on the True Blue Recognition Platform, up to a maximum of 24,000 points per team/group.
-
- If a project team or group has more than sixteen members, the 24,000 point maximum will be evenly divided amongst all the team members.
Individuals can be nominated and recognized for more than one accomplishment per year. However, only one prize will be awarded annually. When a difference in the value of the prize occurs, the individual will receive the greater value of the two.
Further Information
Please contact the Employee Recognition and Engagement Team if you have questions about the program or need assistance developing or submitting your nomination.
Past Recipients
Details on the recipients of an ETIA are available below.
Nominators are encouraged to review the most recent award-winning profiles of individuals and teams/groups below before compiling a nomination.
2025-26 Excellence Through Innovation Award
On March 23, 2026, 219 administrative staff members and librarians were recognized with an ETIA.
2023-24 Excellence Through Innovation Award
On May 6, 2024, 320 administrative staff members and librarians were recognized at the 2023-24 ETIA Presentation & Reception.
- Read the list of librarians and staff recognized with the award in 2023-24.
- Read the award-winning project profiles for 2023-24.
- Explore the gallery of photos from the event.
2019-21 Excellence Through Innovation Award
On December 14, 2021, 349 administrative staff members and librarians were recognized with an ETIA.
2017-18 Excellence Through Innovation Award
On November 20, 2018, 130 administrative staff members were recognized at the 2017-18 ETIA Presentation & Reception.
- Read the list of staff recognized with the award in 2017-18.
- Read the award-winning project profiles for 2017-18.
- Explore the gallery of photos from the event.
2015-16 Excellence Through Innovation Award
On April 26, 2016, 135 administrative staff members were recognized at the 2015-16 ETIA Presentation & Reception.
- Read the list of staff recognized with the award in 2015-16.
- Read the award-winning project profiles for 2015-16.
2014 Excellence Through Innovation Award
On January 12, 2015, 83 administrative staff members were recognized with an ETIA.
- Read the list of staff recognized with the award in 2014.
- Read the award-winning project profiles for 2014.
2013 Excellence Through Innovation Award
On October 28, 2013, 104 administrative staff members were recognized with an ETIA.
2012 Excellence Through Innovation Award
On October 3, 2012, 109 administrative staff members were recognized with an ETIA.