ESC Awards Program
Nomination Procedures and Process

The application portal (link below) will be open February 5, 2023.  All nominations must be submitted by the deadline of March 25, 2023. Application materials will be reviewed by ESC member institution representatives and award recipients will be notified by May 13, 2023.

Award Categories:  The following categories are open for nomination or application: Excellence in Community Partner Engagement; Excellence in Faculty Community Engagement; Excellence in Staff Community Engagement; and Excellence in Student Community Engagement.

The Award Categories of Institutional Leadership and Distinguished Engaged Scholar are selected by committees and are not open for nomination or application.

To apply for the Distinguished Dissertation Award, please follow the instructions found here. You will not find this material on the portal.

Note: If you are a new user to the OpenWater system, you must register to create a new account in order to submit a nomination. Select "Register" at the bottom of the screen and follow the instructions. Once your account is created and verified, select "Awards Nomination" in the navigation, fill out the form and press "Save and Finalize".

Questions related to the ESC Awards Program may be directed to Ryan J. Schmiesing, Vice Provost of Outreach and Engagement, Ohio State University (schmiesing.3@osu.edu).

In case of technical difficulties, contact Brad Smith, Michigan State University, at or call (517) 884-1413.

Nomination Portal

Excellence Awards Criteria