what is champions for change?
A partnership program between the Office of Sustainability and Healthy Gators (currently overseen by Gator Well), the annual Champions for Change Awards recognize individuals and groups in the UF community who have made significant contributions in the areas of sustainability or health & wellness during their time at UF.
Understanding Champions for Change
The Champions for Change Awards include a wide representation of accomplishments in sustainability and health and wellness by the broad UF community.
The Champions for Change Awards nomination period is currently closed! Nominations for the 2026 award cycle will open in January 2026, with the award ceremony taking place in April 2026.
Champions for Change nominations are judged based on a combination of a variety of factors. The review committee is looking for individuals or groups who demonstrate one (or more) of the following through their achievements:
- Problem-solving
- Community-oriented approach
- Innovative
- Forward-thinking ideas, actions, or attitudes
- Persistence, resilience, and dedication
- Outstanding service above and beyond normal expectations
- Positive impact on the overall goals of the nomination category for a department, group, or aspect of the UF community
The Champions for Change Awards nominations are judged in one of two categories. While there can be an overlap between sustainability and health and wellness, we ask you to choose the nomination category that best aligns with the nominee’s accomplishments.
Sustainability
Individuals or groups who have made substantial efforts to improve in one (or more) of the following sustainability areas:
- Waste reduction
- Water/energy conservation
- Environmental justice
- Outreach/engagement
- Academics
- Green teams
- Conservation
- Transportation
Health & Wellness
Individuals or groups who have made substantial efforts to support or improve in one (or more) of the following areas of health and wellness:
- Physical (food/nutrition, housing, clothing, exercise/fitness, disease prevention, etc.)
- Social (relationships, personal expression, identity, community-building, etc.)
- Spiritual
- Emotional well-being (counseling, support programs, resilience, mindfulness, meditation)
To illustrate the wide array of accomplishments that could warrant a nomination for Champions for Change, we would like to provide the following examples of significant contributions in the areas of sustainability or health and wellness:
- Educational/ experiential programming, communications, or resources
- Curriculum efforts and/or classroom content, projects, etc.
- Advocating for, establishing, or updating a relevant plan or policy
- Student or faculty research projects or presentations
- Hosting a new or recurring event
- Supporting or mentoring others / forming new groups
- Innovative use of technology
- Excellence and leadership in overall job or role performance
- Initiative and/or creativity to existing work/campus challenges or operations within an office, department, student organization, etc.
Champions for Change nominees must meet certain criteria to be eligible for consideration.
Eligibility Criteria
- The achievement must have occurred within the last 2 years at UF.
- The nominee cannot have received a Champions for Change Award within the past 3 years (View prior recipients below).
- Self-nominations are permitted.
- Group nominations are permitted.
- The nominee must have one of the following current affiliations with UF:
- Faculty (all)
- Graduate Student
- Post-Doc / PhD
- Student Organization
- Staff (all)
- UF Health Employees
- Undergraduate Student
