UQ Ally Award
About the award
Since 2004, the UQ Ally Network has worked to create positive change for inclusion across the university. Our allies are people work to make the university a more accepting, positive, diverse, and inclusive space for work and study.
This award celebrates the contributions made by our allies. Recipients are people who have worked to create and promote a safe, welcoming, and inclusive space for sex, gender and sexuality diverse people.
2024 Ally Award Nominations Now Open
Nominations for the 2024 Ally Awards are now open. Submit your nominations using our online form.
We look forward to reading your nominations.
Award criteria
This award recognises and celebrates the work of LGBTQIA+ allies at the University of Queensland. Recipients are people who have worked – as an individual or as a team – to create and promote a safe, welcoming, and inclusive space for sex, gender and sexuality diverse people.
Nominees might have undertaken action of a personal level by, for example, serving as a mentor and advocate for LGBTQIA+ students and staff, or acting as a role model for other allies by demonstrating approaches and methods for being an active ally.
They might also have taken public action by, for instance, developing a project or program for LGBTQIA+ students and staff, organising a significant event, or working with the broader LGBTQIA+ community on a project that addresses their needs.
Individuals and teams may be nominated.
Eligibility
All UQ allies are eligible to be nominated. This includes professional and academic staff (continuing, fixed-term and casual) employed at UQ. Allies can nominate themselves or be nominated by someone else (who doesn’t have to be a UQ Ally). To check if someone is a UQ Ally, you can review the UQ Ally Listing.
Nominations should specify
- Full names and contact details
- Position at UQ
- The reason for nomination, ideally with specific mention of measurable outcomes or impact for the LGBTQIA+ community within and without of UQ
Selection committee
The winners will be judged by the UQ Ally Action Committee in the first meeting after entries are closed. Results will be announced in late November alongside UQ Awards for Excellence.
Prize
UQ Award winners receive a certificate of recognition and a media profile highlighting their contribution to the Ally Network and to LGBTQIA+ inclusion at the University of Queensland.
Commendations
Nominees whose nomination is considered to be of a very high standard but who are not endorsed as the winner may receive a commendation on the recommendation of the selection committee. This is at the discretion of the UQ Ally Action Committee.
Congratulations to the 2023 Ally Award winner Brooke Szucs
As a student, Brooke co-founded UQU Minorities in Media Society (MiMS), successfully providing a welcoming group for a variety of students, especially queer students with intersecting identities. After graduating, she’s stayed in touch with MiMS about new initiatives to help the Society widen its connections in the University. As a UQ staff member, Brooke has shown leadership above and beyond her position in response to repeated incidents where Ally network posters have been removed from buildings and vandalised around UQ. At personal cost, she has put hours of her own time into visiting affected people and offices to replace missing posters multiple times, and let affected individuals know they are not alone. She continues to encourage others to display support for LGBTQIA+ people, and her direct efforts have led to broader action at the university. Her prompting and ongoing response and outreach have been invaluable in increasing visible support for LGBTQIA+ people. Brooke truly exemplifies the role of a UQ Ally and the purpose of the Network.
Previous Winners
2023: Brooke Szucs
2022: James Fowler
2021: Elias Blanch
2020: Dr Rebecca Olive