2022 Community Social Services Awards of Excellence to be Presented in Person!

CSSEA is excited to announce that it plans to once again present the 2022 Community Social Services Awards of Excellence in person, after a two year pause in large gatherings. While we appreciate that the public health situation may change, CSSEA is buoyed by current Provincial Health Officer guidelines that allow for indoor gatherings at 100% capacity, and will hold the event as long as it remains safe to do so. Nominations for the awards are now being accepted until 5pm on April 22 and CSSEA encourages all members and associates to consider nominating an outstanding individual working in BC's publicly funded community social services sector.

CSSEA is particularly thankful for the continued, generous support of event sponsor TELUS, who has maintained incredible support of the event throughout the pandemic.

Four Award Categories

The Awards of Excellence celebrate four individuals who provide vital services to some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.

The award categories are:

• Rising Star: An individual with less than five years of experience who demonstrates early success.
• Leader: An individual with more than five years of formal leadership experience who leads and mentors a team to achieve a common goal.
• Hero: Someone who goes the extra mile to make a difference, not necessarily in a formal leadership role.
• Legend: An ED or CEO with at least 15 years of experience who has made extraordinary contributions to the community and the sector.

The Nomination Process

Anyone can submit a nomination online and those who have submitted nominations in previous years for individuals who were not selected are welcome to re-submit. The nomination process consists of four questions requiring a maximum 500-word response for each. Nominators have the option of starting and saving partially completed entries, and may complete them in increments up until the due date.

Nomination questions are the following:

1. Provide a brief biography and/or background for this individual, including positions held within the agency and sector, and length of service with the agency and in the sector.
2. Explain why this individual should receive this award. Provide a specific example or a pattern of contributions that distinguishes this individual from other dedicated community social services employees.
3. Describe how this individual goes “above and beyond” the normal scope of the job. Provide a specific example or a pattern of contributions that demonstrate this individual’s dedication to improving the work being done in the community social services sector.
4. Describe how this individual has inspired or effected change in others. Provide a specific example or a pattern of contributions that demonstrate how this individual’s efforts have had a positive impact on coworkers, the employer, clients and/or the community.

Determining Awards Recipients

Nominations will be accepted until 5pm on April 22. They will then be sent to a member panel, who will review and shortlist nominations in each category before an external judging committee selects final recipients. Please note that CSSEA, in consultation with its member panel, reserves the right to move a nominee to a different category if a nominee’s experience and profile suits that category more appropriately. Winners will be notified by July and the awards event will be held on October 26 in Vancouver at the Marriott Pinnacle Downtown Hotel.

For More Information

Full details, including profiles of previous winners, can be found on our Awards Website. We invite you to promote the awards by sharing this poster on your social media channels and/or by printing and posting it at your worksite(s), where possible. If you have any other questions, contact Doris Sun, Director of Communications at: 604.319.5010 or via e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.