Co-op Student of the Year Awards

Here’s what we need to receive from you:

All nominations are completed through one form which you are responsible for submitting. In this form, we need your contact information, your employer’s contact information and these required uploaded documents:

• Up-to-date résumé (file upload)
• Unofficial transcript from Quest (file upload)
• WaterlooWorks co-op work history (file upload)
• Personal statement (text box - maximum length of 900 words)
  • Explain why you should win the Co-op Student of the Year Award (include how you performed above and beyond your employer's expectations and your job description).
  • Focus on impact, reflection, and learning, not just activities or responsibilities.
  • Format the statement so that each of the judging criteria is addressed under its own heading.
  • Translate technical information into language that anyone can understand. People without knowledge of your background may be reviewing the statement. They should be able to appreciate the meaning and significance of your accomplishments in order to make a fair assessment.
• Employer statement (file upload - maximum length of 500 words) from one of your co-op employers from within the same calendar year as your submission describing:
  • Your duties/responsibilities.
  • Your impact on the workplace.
  • Outstanding work achievements (cost savings, process/quality improvements, design/development innovations, improved customer service, significant research or other initiatives, etc.).
  • Duties or opportunities that were assigned to you in addition to typical work responsibilities because you performed above expectations.
  • Note: Employer statements are one form of supporting evidence. Reviewers recognize that employer writing styles and organizational practices may vary. 

Please note:

• Only complete applications with all required components will be considered.
• Your progress will be saved automatically. You can leave the form at any time and resume from where you left off by returning to the same browser where you started the survey.

Once you have submitted your application, your employer will be notified through the email submitted in the nomination form. You will also receive a receipt of your submission for your records.

We will contact all students and employers who submitted nomination forms regardless of whether they were selected as winners (by February of the following year).

Conditions:

• Please submit only the documents requested above.
• Only nominees with completed application packages will be considered for the award. This includes all of the required components.
• You, as the applicant, must agree to allow Co-operative Education to use your name, profile and photograph for publication and promotional purposes.

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Nomination due dates for Waterloo's 2025 Co-op Student of the Year Awards

Winter 2026: May 18, 2026

Spring 2026: September 7, 2026

Fall 2026: January 4, 2027

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Personal statement overview

Provide a personal statement (maximum 900 words) that addresses four required sections:

• Impact on employer
• Impact on self
• Impact on institution (University of Waterloo)
• Academic achievements

Each section is mandatory and will be scored separately. Each section will be worth a set number of points, adding up to a total of 40 possible points. Applications that do not clearly address all four sections may be considered incomplete. Please structure your personal statement using clear headings for each section and focus on impact, evidence and reflection.

Impact on employer (12 points) 

Your personal statement should describe how your work made a meaningful impact on your employer and must address the following criteria:

• Work achievements and contributions beyond expectations including but not limited to: Cost savings or efficiency improvements, process or quality enhancements, design or research innovations, improved stakeholder experience, and/or meaningful contributions to new or ongoing initiatives.
• Explain any additional duties or opportunities assigned to you beyond your role or job description earned through performance. Describe why you were trusted with these additional responsibilities.
• Evaluations received from your employer are one form of evidence used to demonstrate performance. Applicants will receive top scores available with at least one Outstanding in the nominated term, or Excellent ratings across multiple work terms in the award year. If your employer evaluation does not meet this benchmark, you are encouraged to demonstrate your impact through specific, concrete outcomes and evidence of your impact and performance through your written statement.

Impact on self (12 points)

Your personal statement should describe how co-op has shaped your growth, learning and development and must address the following criteria:

• How co-op has enhanced your personal, academic and professional growth.
• How co-op has influenced your understanding and insights into your academic program.
• Describe how you approached your co‑op experience with intention. This may include goals you set, how you actively engaged in your work term(s) or how you responded to challenges, barriers, uncertainty or opportunities for growth. Focus on the strategies you used, decisions you made and the learning you gained through reflection.

Impact on the University of Waterloo (12 points)

Your personal statement should describe how your co-op experience positively influenced others at Waterloo and must address the following criteria:

• Promoting co-op awareness or engagement, including but not limited to outreach and/or promotion to peers or academic units (e.g. student consultations, workshop or student society presentations, panels, student leadership opportunities).
• Supporting other students’ success including, but not limited to mentorship, coaching or guidance through work and/or recruiting terms.
• Examples of how you’ve brought workplace insights to enrich learning back on campus.

Academic achievements (4 points)

A minimum 75% overall average

• Your academic standing is one of several criteria and represents only a small portion of your overall score. 
• If your average is below 75%, you may still receive consideration by explaining:
  • Your academic progress
  • Circumstances affecting performance
  • How you demonstrated resilience, improvement or growth

We encourage all eligible students to apply, regardless of GPA. 

Selection process 

A group of Co-operative Education staff, co-op students and a WUSA representative review the applications for the award and select a recipient from each faculty. Reviewers focus on the quality of reflection, clarity of impact and evidence provided. Each section contributes meaningfully to the overall score. Strong applications demonstrate strength across all impact areas, not just one. If an insufficient number of applicants are received from any faculty, or if applicants aren’t suitable, no prize will be awarded to a student from that faculty.

Please note that all decisions made by the selection committee are considered final and may not be appealed.

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All nominees and employers will be notified by February. We will contact all students and employers who submitted nomination forms regardless of whether they were selected as winners.

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Waterloo Co-op Student of the Year Award winners may be nominated by the decision committee for the following awards:

CEWIL Student of the Year Award

The recipient of the Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning (CEWIL) Student of the Year Award is chosen from post-secondary co-op students nation-wide based on their standing in the following areas:

• Workplace achievements (including mostly Outstanding ratings on work term evaluations)
• Academic achievements (80 per cent average or above)
• Contribution to the community and extra-curricular activity
• Contribution to co-operative education

Nominees are selected and submitted to CEWIL Canada by the student's school. The recipient of the CEWIL award will be presented with $1,500 CAD and will receive national recognition. For more information about this award, please visit the CEWIL Canada website.

EWO Co-op Student of the Year Award

The recipient of the Experiential Work-Integrated Learning Ontario (EWO) Co-op Student of the Year Award is chosen from post-secondary co-op students attending Ontario universities based on the same criteria as the CEWIL Canada award. The recipient of the EWO award will be presented with a certificate and $750 CAD.

Nominees are selected and submitted to EWO by the student's school. For more information about the award, please visit the EWO website.

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Award recipients will:

• Receive a $500 CAD award on your Quest account.
• Receive a framed recognition plaque.
• Have a professional photograph taken, which will appear with an article about your award and will be presented in various university publications.
• Names of the year's recipients of the award will be displayed on a plaque and mounted on the award wall on the main floor of the Tatham Centre.
• Two names chosen by the selection committee from the recipients of the Waterloo award will be submitted to the Experiential Work-Integrated Learning Ontario (EWO) and Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning (CEWIL) Canada's Co-op Student of the Year Awards.

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