Sustainability Awards
The UM Sustainability Awards recognize and celebrate the collaborative efforts of University of Manitoba students, faculty and staff in advancing our commitment to excellence and leadership in sustainability. Sustainability Award winners create MomentUM by advancing knowledge that matters, empowering learners and reimagining engagement through their campus sustainability efforts.
The award application period is now CLOSED. Check back in January 2027 to submit a nomination.
Awards Categories
Undergraduate Sustainability Award
The Undergraduate Sustainability Award recognizes an undergraduate student who has led an initiative or project to advance sustainability. This initiative or project can be part of course work or take place outside of the learning environment.
Eligibility
Nominees must be full‐ or part‐time undergraduate students in good standing currently enrolled at the University of Manitoba.
Graduate Sustainability Award
The Graduate Sustainability Award recognizes a graduate student who has led an initiative or project to advance sustainability. This initiative or project can be a part of course work or take place outside of the learning environment.
Eligibility
Nominees must be full‐ or part‐time graduate students in good standing currently enrolled at the University of Manitoba.
Student Group Sustainability Award
The Student Group Sustainability Award recognizes a group of students who have led an initiative or project to advance sustainability at UM. This group also has made and will continue to make a lasting positive impact on the environmental, economic and social well-being of students at the University of Manitoba.
Eligibility
- Nominees must be a current UMSU student organization/association or club, student or graduate student association or group in good standing.
- Sustainability does not have to be in the mandate or mission statement of the student group.
Staff Sustainability Award
The Staff Sustainability Award recognizes an individual staff member's efforts to educate, advocate and advance sustainability within their department and/or unit. This person shows a keen interest in campus-related activities and sustainability as a whole. Sustainability may or may not be defined in this person's job responsibilities.
Eligibility
Must be an employee of the University of Manitoba.
Faculty Sustainability Award
The Faculty Sustainability Award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated exceptional and continuous integration of sustainability into their teaching, research and engagement activities. This individual creates engaging opportunities for students through experiential learning, course design, innovative research and assignment creation. This person also shows a keen interest in campus related activities and sustainability as a whole.
Eligibility
Must be an active University of Manitoba faculty member, instructor or postdoctoral fellow.
Collaborative Sustainability Award
The Collaborative Sustainability Award recognizes a unique collaborative effort between students, faculty, staff and community members to integrate sustainability into a project or initiative. This unique category puts emphasis on interdepartmental interactions at UM in efforts to find solutions to sustainability-related challenges.
Eligibility
Must be a collaborative project representing at least two of the following: staff, students, faculty and/or community members
Past Award Winners
2026
Undergraduate sustainability award: Abby Procter, B.A., Economics
Graduate sustainability award: Uche Nwankwo, PhD program, Biosystems Engineering
Faculty sustainability award: Punam Mehta, College of Community and Global Health, Rady College of Health Sciences
Staff sustainability award: Lisa MacPherson, Career Services Lead Coordinator, Student Engagement and Success
Student group sustainability award: UM Wetlanders Club
Collaborative sustainability award: Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning, Bran Adams, Anna Nekola, Sam McIvor, Robyn Chow
2025
Undergraduate student sustainability award: Sahand Babaie, Faculty of Science B.Sc. (General)
Graduate student sustainability award: Heather Eckton, Faculty of Education, PhD program
Student group sustainability award: iGEM
Staff sustainability award: Debbie Armstrong, Centre for Earth Observation Science, Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth and Resources
Faculty sustainability award: Joe Curnow, associate professor, Educational Administration, Foundations & Psychology, Faculty of Education
Collaborative Sustainability Award: Period Poverty and Equity, on Campus and Beyond
2024
Undergraduate sustainability award: Joyce Ji, Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth and Resources, Environmental Science
Graduate sustainability award: Nazanin Khaksari, Asper School of Business, Marketing
Student group sustainability award: UMEarth
Staff sustainability awards: Jenny Trenchard, Office of Vice-President (Indigenous) and Claire Venevongsa, Asper School of Business
Faculty sustainability award: Dawn Sutherland, associate dean, Social Sciences and Humanities, Faculty of Graduate Studies and professor, Faculty of Education
Lifetime sustainability award: John Sinclair, professor and director of the Natural Resources Institute, Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth and Resources
2023
Undergraduate sustainability award: Sharon Felix
Student group sustainability award: UMEarth
Staff sustainability award: Alexa Harwood-Jones, Asper School of Business
Faculty sustainability award: Bruno Dyck, professor, Business Administration, Asper School of Business
2022
Undergraduate sustainability award: Justin Langan
Graduate sustainability award: William Bowie
Student group sustainability award: Nursing Students' Association, Faculty of Nursing
Staff sustainability award: Joe Ackerman, Sustainability-in-Action Facility, Price Faculty of Engineering
Faculty sustainability award: David van Vliet, associate professor, City Planning, Faculty of Architecture
Collaborative sustainability award: Science Students' Association, Faculty of Science