Share an initiative that changed how your institution works
APPLICATION PROCESS
The application form gathers general project information and provides an area to assess how your project meets the evaluation criteria.
The application must be approved and signed by the Vice-President responsible for the area covered by the initiative, or by the Dean where the initiative falls within a faculty, or their institutional equivalent. Applicants should arrange for this approval well in advance of the submission deadline.
Focus on the impact and innovation aspects, rather than the length of submission. The abstract must not exceed 350 words, and each question on criteria must be answered (maximum one paragraph)
Although not required, you may include a more complete description of the project and provide supporting material such as manuals, other documents, and website references to be considered. All supporting material must be submitted with the application.
Applicants should note that their full application and supporting documentation will be published on the CAUBO website in the Quality and Productivity Database, unless they are clearly marked as confidential.
AWARDS
Up to five national prizes are awarded annually, each with a token cash award and plaque. Additionally, there are opportunities for Honourable Mentions (plaque only).
New this year: An award recognizing innovation and impact at small institutions
This year, we are introducing the Quality and Productivity Award for Innovation and Impact at a Small Institution as one of the program’s national prizes. It recognizes an outstanding initiative developed at an institution with less than 12,000 FTE students. The award uses the same evaluation criteria and carries the same standing as the other national prizes and will be presented only in years when a submission meets the standard for a winning initiative. Small institutions remain eligible for all Q&P awards.
Prizes will be awarded by the Selection Committee based on merit. The Committee reserves the right to determine the number of awards granted. Awards winners will receive their prizes and plaques in time for a ceremony at the CAUBO Conference in June. Cash award will be determined annually based on the number of awards granted and the amount of sponsorship received. Individual awards will range between $1,000 and $2,000.
Have you developed an innovative idea or improved an administrative process? Submit it to CAUBO’s Quality and Productivity Awards.
Applications close December 4, 2026.
EVALUATION CRITERIA
Three areas are used to evaluate submissions for the Quality and Productivity Awards, leading to a maximum score of 100 points. The scoring factors and point values for each category are as follows:
35% Transferability – the potential for use of the technique at other institutions as assessed by the institution or demonstrated by presentations to other institutions or at a regional or national level
35% Innovation – the unique nature of the project or idea in the context of higher education. Although the idea may have been inspired by an initiative from another sector, institutions are encouraged to identify how they applied it to their environment
30 % Quality and Productivity Impact – the extent to which the project has contributed to an improvement in quality (e.g. improved services and/working conditions as perceived by staff, client/end user, community or others) and/or in improvements in effectiveness and efficiency, as measured against baseline data (e.g.: dollars saved relative to previous costs; number of transactions eliminated relative to baseline numbers, additional revenues relative to base revenues, extent to which a risk was mitigated, etc.).
The initiative should be sufficiently documented for others to understand how it was implemented and what it achieved. For the small-institution award, the Committee will assess the initiative’s impact in the context of the institution’s scale and available resources. The evaluation criteria and standard of merit are the same for all national prizes.