Are you an industry innovator? Every year, the USDLA recognizes leaders from around the world for their contributions to the digital/distance education landscape.
The USDLA Awards Committee is pleased to announce the five award categories for the 2025 USDLA annual awards. These award categories have been designed to provide an opportunity for a wide range of activities and individuals to participate in this years’ nominations. Each award category is listed below with a brief description of the award and a link to the criterion rubric.
The cost to submit a nomination will be $100.00 for USDLA members and $200.00 for non-members. The award submission fee for non-members includes a single USDLA membership for one year.
The USDLA 2025 Awards will be presented to the award winners at the 2025 National
Conference. The conference will be held at Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark from June 23rd to June 26th 2025.
AWARD SUBMISSION FOR 2025 NOW OPEN
USDLA 2025 AWARD SUBMISSIONS
Instructions: Please review the categories below and select the appropriate award submission link. Please note that USDLA members and non-members have unique links reflecting the associated submission fee.
NOTE: Please do not submit a nomination for the same project/person that won an award in
the previous three years. Nominations that are the same as previous winners will be rejected.
NOTE: For non-members, you will receive a “Welcome” email when you save/submit your nomination. This email will contain login information that you will need to edit/access your award submission.
1 – USDLA Trendsetter in Distance Learning Award
Award Description: The Trendsetter in Distance Learning award is given to an agency, institution, company, project, individual or unique pedagogy that has shown innovation in the field of distance learning. The award recognizes pioneering initiatives in the field that have profoundly changed distance learning, existing practice, or developed new and effective solutions. Click for Award Criteria
USDLA Member – Click Here to Submit ($100 Fee)
USDLA Non-Member – Click Here to Submit ($200 Fee)
2 – USDLA Dr. Janet McMahill Rising Star Award
Award Description: The Rising Star Award is presented to an individual demonstrating exceptional promise in the field of distance education. The individual will have spent less than 5 years in the field of Distance Education. Click for Award Criteria
USDLA Member – Click Here to Submit ($100 Fee)
USDLA Non-Member – Click Here to Submit ($200 Fee)
3 – USDLA Excellence in Distance Learning Teaching/Training Award
Award Description: The Excellence in Distance Learning Teaching/Training award is given to an outstanding individual or team of individuals whose teaching at a distance demonstrates extraordinary impact to student growth and engagement. The teaching or training must demonstrate effective learning facilitated through technology with measurable outcomes. Click for Award Criteria
USDLA Member – Click Here to Submit ($100 Fee)
USDLA Non-Member – Click Here to Submit ($200 Fee)
4 – USDLA Outstanding Leadership Award
Award Description: This award is granted to an Individual leader demonstrating outstanding leadership in the field of Distance Education in their respective constituency (Pre-K-12; Higher Education; Government; Corporate; Health) through advocacy, professional affiliation, influence, and/or scholarship in the field of Distance Education. Click for Award Criteria
USDLA Member – Click Here to Submit ($100 Fee)
USDLA Non-Member – Click Here to Submit ($200 Fee)
5 – USDLA Excellence in Distance Learning Research Award
Award Description: The Excellence in Distance Learning Research Award is given to a person(s) or organization(s) that currently conducts research in the field of distance education. This award recognizes high quality research that serves to advance the field of distance learning. Click for Award Criteria
USDLA Member – Click Here to Submit ($100 Fee)
USDLA Non-Member – Click Here to Submit ($200 Fee)
Award Timeline:
- Award Submission Open: 8/26/2024
- Award Submission Close: 11/15/2024
Award Questions
- Email Wendy Pate at wpate@usdla.org
USDLA Awards Committee:
- Wendy Pate, Awards Chairwoman, USDLA Board Member
- Janine Lim, USDLA Advisory Board
- John Copeland, USDLA BOD
- Farah Bennani, USDLA BOD
- James Hodges, USDLA BOD
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is there a space limitation for submissions in terms of number of pages or word count?
NO page limits…just make sure to hit/answer the criteria and provide evidence, etc.
Is there a specific format in which the nominator’s content should be arranged? For example, is it up to the submitter to organize the material in the best way that reflects the judging attributes?
Submit a nomination overview. Write a narrative that summarizes the project, program, person, etc. Include a paragraph for each rubric criteria explaining how this nomination meets that criteria and referencing each evidence document that supports the criteria.
You can upload unlimited evidence files. The file name for each evidence document should represent which criteria the evidence accompanies.
All files must be uploaded into the reviewer site. No email submissions are accepted.
Any evidence not already in an electronic format may be scanned and submitted as a PDF.
How secure will my material be?
All entries and related courses, material and content are kept confidential for judging purposes only.
Can I submit an award on behalf of my client?
Yes, you can submit a nomination on behalf of your client. Please note that for US government entries, you may have to consult your legal team regarding legal gift restrictions.
Is there a limit to the number of submissions an organization can submit?
NO
Can I load screen shots of my website, module?
Yes, you can load them in the award system as an example or insert them in your narrative to demonstrate or showcase certain features you want the judges to view.
Can I mail additional material or copies of my submission(s) to USDLA for consideration?
NO submission(s) will be accepted via mail. All entries and related material must be submitted online via the awards website.
How do you determine the Gold, Silver and Bronze level awards?
Each criteria is rated from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest) by the judges. The submission with the highest total score is given the Gold award, the next highest is Silver, etc. If there is only one submission for a category, the score will be matched against the highest possible score where 90-100% is of the total possible points is Gold, 80-90% is Silver and 70-80% is Bronze.
