UW Tacoma’s 23rd annual OSCARs set for May 8, honoring student leaders, organizations, staff and faculty
UW Tacoma’s Outstanding Student Ceremony for Awards and Recognition returns May 8 in the University Y Student Center, with student-choice awards and recognition categories that highlight leadership, advising and campus impact.
By Syed Huzaifa Bin Afzal
UW Tacoma will hold its 23rd annual OSCARs, the Outstanding Student Ceremony for Awards and Recognition, on Friday, May 8. The ceremony will take place in University Y Student Center 303/304, with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. and the program beginning at 6 p.m., the event page states.
The Center for Student Involvement (CSI) describes the OSCARs as an annual campus celebration that recognizes students and campus community members and invites award recipients, nominees and guests to attend in person to learn the results live, according to UW Tacoma’s OSCARs overview.
This year’s awards include a combination of student leadership and organization categories, plus student-choice awards that center the student experience. UW Tacoma’s OSCARs nominations page promotes the May 8 ceremony and directs students to nominate individuals and groups for recognition. A Tacoma Ledger campus update also reported nominations for the 23rd annual OSCARs were open and highlighted major awards including Top Dawg, Registered Student Organization of the Year and Registered Student Organization Adviser of the Year.
Nominations for the 23rd annual OSCARs opened March 11 at 8 a.m. and will close April 10 at 4 p.m., according to UW Tacoma’s OSCARs nominations page. Students can submit nominations through the online form linked on the nominations page, which directs users to a Dubnet submission form.
Conor Leary, director of Student Involvement and Leadership, said nominations are open to the broader UW Tacoma community.
“Students, faculty, staff, and community members should submit nominations for our seven awards to honor those in the UW Tacoma community that have supported engagement and involvement throughout this year,” Leary said.
He added that nominators are encouraged to recognize “the students, faculty, staff, administrators, departments, services, and events that have helped to increase belonging on campus.”
Student Involvement’s nominations page describes Top Dawg as recognizing sustained, multi-year campus engagement and “above and beyond” support for programs and organizations, Registered Student Organization of the Year as honoring groups that build community through programming and maintain an active presence on campus, and Registered Student Organization Adviser of the Year as recognizing advisers who support student leaders and help their organizations succeed.
UW Tacoma also recognizes the support role behind student organizations through Registered Student Organization Adviser of the Year, described as honoring an adviser who volunteers time, empowers student leaders and contributes to an organization’s success, according to the CSI.
Student-choice awards are a separate portion of the OSCARs that focus on who and what students say made a difference during the year. UW Tacoma lists Student’s Choice awards that include Outstanding Student Leader, Outstanding Staff Member and Outstanding Faculty Member, along with a category focused on Campus Impact, according to the nominations page.
Leary said the Students’ Choice awards Outstanding Student Leader, Outstanding Faculty Member, Outstanding Staff Member and Campus Impact will be decided through student voting. He said the ballot will be distributed through UW email on Monday, April 13, 2026, and students can vote until 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 22, 2026. Leary said students will be able to view nomination statements for each nominee while voting, and winners will be announced live at the May 8 ceremony.
Leary said strong nominations include specific examples of impact rather than general praise. He said nominations are strongest when they describe direct connections a nominee’s involvement has had on campus or in the community such as events, organizations or experiences the nominee supported or helped create along with traits that helped the nominee connect others to campus resources, services and departments. He added that even when someone does not win, a nomination serves as recognition of their impact.
The CSI describes its office as supporting registered student organizations and student programming, along with involvement opportunities that include student government, service programs and student media Past recipient lists are available through Student Involvement’s OSCARs archives, which document winners across multiple years.
Leary said the OSCARs are a campus tradition meant to highlight efforts that strengthen community and belonging at UW Tacoma. He said the ceremony also gives departments a way to recognize students and campus community members who support engagement, noting that more than 20 departments identify individuals, groups and projects for recognition each year.
Students looking for event details can confirm the OSCARs schedule and location on UW Tacoma’s OSCARs page.
