Create or Edit a Nomination
The MIT Excellence Awards and Collier Medal are among our highest staff honors, and one of our most important ways to recognize employees for their contributions and celebrate their accomplishments. The 2026 nomination window is open now through December 5, 2025 at 5 p.m. Who will you recognize?
What Makes a Successful Nomination?
- Nominees are nominated in one of six categories. Which one best matches the talents and contributions of your nominee?
- Answer the nomination questions and speaking to how the individual/team contributes to the MIT community.
- Show that others support the nomination by adding Additional Documentation (see below) to your nomination.
What Else You Should Know
Nominations may be augmented by Additional Documentation. This single document can be a letter of support, a compilation of statements of support from multiple colleagues, an example of the nominee's work, or any other documentation that might be helpful. Each nomination can only include one Additional Documentation, of no more than two pages in length. The total amount of material received (Nomination + Additional Documentation) cannot exceed 6 pages.
Tips for video nominations
Most written nominations are approximately two pages in length. In video length, that is about eight minutes. Please be sure that your video nomination includes plenty of detail!
- You can record your video on your phone, Zoom, or another platform.
- Find a quiet place to record, and make sure the sound is turned up.
- Create a list of what you want to cover about the nominee/team.
- Provide background on why the individual/team is being nominated.
- If possible, describe the nominee/team's position and general job responsibilities.
- Be explicit in your description: "One of the award criteria for Outstanding Contributor is ... I’m going to list three ways that this nominee/team has fulfilled that."
- What impact did the contribution/achievement have on MIT, the DLCI, or team?
- Don't worry about how it looks. The Committee needs details, not production value.
- Video nominations may also include Additional Documentation, but these must be in written format.
- You'll see an option to upload your video when you create the nomination in Submittable.
Need Some Help?
Please see the useful tips for writing a nomination or the Excellence Awards FAQs. You can also email excellence@mit.edu.
