Faculty of Arts Alumni awards

University of Waterloo mace

The Faculty of Arts is extremely proud of exceptional Arts alumni who are making a difference in the world through their professional and/or academic achievements or through their significant contributions to the community. Each year, we are honoured to recognize these distinguished alumni at our Fall convocation.

The awards

The Alumni Achievement Award was established in 1998 to recognize the accomplishments of inspiring Faculty of Arts alumni who graduated more than 10 years ago.

The Rising Star Alumni Award (formerly Young Alumni Award) was established in 2009 to recognize the outstanding accomplishments and achievements of Faculty of Arts alumni who graduated in the last 10 years.

Read the award pages linked above for more information about nomination criteria and previous recipients.


2023 award recipients

Alumni Achievement Award

Chris Williams

Chris Williams (BA ’91 Fine Arts) is an Academy Award winning animator, film director, screenwriter, and the 2023 Alumni Achievement Award recipient.  Read more about Chris Williams.

Rising Star Alumni Award

Sara Cumming

Sara J. Cumming (PhD ’14 Sociology) is Executive Director of Home Suite Hope, an award-winning professor, and the 2023 Rising Star Alumni Award recipient.  Read more about Sara Cumming.


Nominate an outstanding alumnus!

Recognize the achievements of an outstanding alumnus by completing and submitting the forms below!

Deadline to nominate is April 30.