• Section 1 - Purpose
• Section 2 - Scope / Application
• Section 3 - Vice-Chancellor’s Staff Excellence Awards and Medal
• Section 4 - Eligibility
• Eligibility Criteria
• Category Winners
• Section 5 - Benefits and Prizes
• Section 6 - Recognition
• Section 7 - Selection Panel
• Section 8 - Terms of Reference

Section 1 - Purpose

(1) The Vice-Chancellor’s Staff Excellence Awards and Medal celebrate the accomplishments of ACU staff and publicly recognise, reward and encourage excellence in performance and achievement.

Section 2 - Scope / Application

(2) This Policy applies to all Academic and Professional Staff members of the University.  

(3) The Vice-Chancellor’s Staff Excellence Awards and Medal are presented annually.

Section 3 - Vice-Chancellor’s Staff Excellence Awards and Medal

(4) The Vice-Chancellor and President may award up to two commendations per award category (individual or team) and one distinguished Vice-Chancellor’s Medal for Excellence. The award categories, criteria and timeline are outlined in the annual Vice-Chancellor’s Staff Excellence Awards Nomination Guide and may be subject to change each year at the discretion of the Vice-Chancellor and President. Nominations are assessed against the criteria for each award. A nominee’s contribution, initiative, activity or project must demonstrate significant and sustained achievement over and above the expected normal performance expectations of the nominee’s substantive role or team’s usual remit.

(5) The Vice-Chancellor’s Staff Excellence Awards and Medal complement the existing awards in other areas of the university such as:

1. The Vice-Chancellor’s Teaching Excellence Award.
2. The Vice-Chancellor’s Postgraduate Teaching Award.
3. ACU Citations for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning.

Section 4 - Eligibility

Eligibility Criteria

(6) The Vice-Chancellor’s Staff Excellence Awards are open to all academic and professional staff members, including full-time or fractional, fixed term, contract and casual staff, who have completed at least one year of service prior to the date of nomination. Contractors are not eligible.

(7) The awards are open to individuals and teams. Teams may be within the same work area or across one or more organisational units (e.g., schools, faculties, directorates or portfolios).

(8) An individual or team may be nominated by a staff member for a Vice-Chancellor’s Staff Excellence Award. Self-nominations, including for a team a nominator is part of, are acceptable.

(9) A nominee or recipient of a VC Staff Excellence Award is only eligible for re-nomination in subsequent years on the basis that there were significant new achievements or developments to be considered.

(10) Nominees must follow the University’s Code of Conduct for Staff at all times. A nominee is ineligible if they have been the subject of discipline or unsatisfactory performance review, where the results were upheld against the nominee, within the past 12 months. If a nominee was the subject of a discipline review where the allegations were dismissed against that individual, they are eligible for a Vice-Chancellor’s Staff Excellence Award.

Category Winners

(11) Nominees must be employees of ACU at the time of the selection panel’s assessment.

(12) To receive prize money, nominees must be on a current contract at the time of the award presentation.

(13) Any award recipient who is no longer employed by ACU at the time of the announcement of the awards will not be entitled to an award prize.

Section 5 - Benefits and Prizes

(14) Successful individual awards receive $500 and team awards receive $2,500 per team, with individual awards not exceeding $500. The Vice-Chancellor’s Medal for Excellence awards $5,000 for an individual or $10,000 for a team.

(15) This prize money will be a salary payment and will be subject to the legislative requirements of the Australian Taxation Office such as pay as you go income tax at the employee's marginal tax rate and the Superannuation Guarantee Charge. Notification to People and Capability will be a memorandum outlining the staff member's name, and value of the award for payment.

(16) Any award recipients no longer employed by, or associated with, the University will not be entitled to an award nor receive any benefits or attend the presentation ceremony.

Section 6 - Recognition

(17) The Vice-Chancellor’s Staff Excellence Awards and Medal are presented at an annual University-wide presentation ceremony.

(18) Recipients and nominators will be invited to attend the presentation ceremony. Travel for a recipient (to and from their local campus to the presentation ceremony location) to attend the presentation ceremony will be covered by the Office of the Vice-Chancellor and President (OVCP). Travel will be in the form of domestic economy airfares and one night of accommodation, if required, subject to the presentation ceremony timing. Travel costs for nominators will be at their own expense. For teams, travel costs for one member of the team will be covered by the OVCP.

(19) Nominees agree that, in receiving an award, they will be acknowledged in University media publications including but not limited to photographs, video recording, ACU website, Staff Bulletin, Workplace, Annual Report and other promotional avenues.

Section 7 - Selection Panel

(20) The Vice-Chancellor’s Staff Excellence Awards and Medal Selection Panel (the Panel) is appointed annually by the Vice-Chancellor and President.

(21) The Panel is accountable to the Vice-Chancellor and President for fulfilling the terms of reference.

(22) Staff members who serve on the Panel are not eligible for an individual or team award during the year they serve. Panel members must declare any conflict of interest in the selection process.

(23) The Panel will be supported administratively by the OVCP.

Section 8 - Terms of Reference

(24) The Panel:

1. Considers nominations for the Vice-Chancellor’s Awards and recommends to the Vice-Chancellor and President the number of awards to be granted and the recipients of the awards.
2. Provides advice to the Vice-Chancellor and President on policy and procedural matters relating to the Vice-Chancellor’s Staff Excellence Awards and Medal.
3. The Panel reserves the right to not recommend a category winner if the criteria is judged to not have been met to a sufficiently high standard.
4. The Panel’s recommendation and the Vice-Chancellor and President's endorsement of an award are final and no further deliberation will be entertained.

(25) Recipients and unsuccessful nominations are advised in writing by the OVCP.