Nominations for 2023 Community Social Services Awards of Excellence Now Open

CSSEA is welcoming nominations for our Community Social Services Awards of Excellence, sponsored by TELUS. Now in their eighth year, the awards honour four exceptional individuals working in community social services who excel in their roles at delivering vital services to vulnerable individuals in BC. Anyone can submit a nomination and both CSSEA Members and Associates are eligible to be nominated.

Four Award Categories

There are four awards categories that honour individuals working at different stages of their careers:

• 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

The online nomination form consists of four questions requiring a maximum 500-word response for each. Please note the word limit will be strictly enforced so all nominations can be evaluated fairly. We encourage those who have submitted nominations in previous years for individuals who were not selected to update their nominations and re-submit. Nominators have the option of starting and saving partially completed entries, and may complete them in increments up until the due date. While writing your nomination, please remember to save it often, as the system does not automatically save your entry.

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 Friday, May 12. 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 Kelowna at the Delta Grand Okanagan Resort.

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). 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.