The University of Alabama is pleased to recognize the most exceptional scholars, servant leaders, and citizens from among our UA community with the following (6) Premier Awards. Each of these awards carries a strong legacy and celebrates distinctive areas of excellence for both students and non-students who seek knowledge, demonstrate the highest standards of citizenship, and positively impact campus life at the Capstone. Please email vlgiattina@ua.edu with any questions regarding UA’s Premier Awards.

Nominate Someone or Apply for a Premier Award

The William P. and Estan J. Bloom Award

  • Students may be nominated for this award or may submit an application.
  • One current junior (will graduate next year)
  • GPA of 3.2 or higher and in good judicial standing
  • Honors a student who has improved relations among different groups. Past recipients have been chosen primarily for improving understanding and supporting interaction among groups for a common cause.
  • The essay should focus on the actions you have taken and the University groups of which you have been a part that provide specific examples of your promotion to improve understanding and collaboration among diverse individuals and groups.
  • Recommended length (double spaced) for nomination/reference letters is 2-3 pages and length for essays is 3-5 pages.

The Judy Bonner Presidential Medallion Prize

  • This award is specific to nominations only, and all candidates must have a nomination form submitted.
  • Member of UA community – either student, non-student, or organization
  • Recognizes one who has made extraordinary contributions to the Alabama experience positively impacting undergraduate students.
  • The Bonner Prize recognizes a member of the UA community who has gone above and beyond normal expectations to change the culture or implement new initiatives designed to advance the Alabama experience for all undergraduate students or a segment of the undergraduate population (i.e. first generation, veterans, students in Greek-letter organizations, student leaders, athletes, students studying abroad, minorities, etc.).
  • While the recipient will typically be a member of the faculty or staff, others including alumni, departments, and student organizations can be nominated when warranted.
  • Recommended length for nomination/reference letters is 2-3 pages double spaced.

The Morris Lehman Mayer Award

  • Faculty must be nominated for this award. Students may be nominated or may submit an application.
  • One current senior (graduating this year) and one teaching faculty recipient
  • Student applicants and nominees must have a GPA of 3.3 or higher and be in good judicial standing.
  • Recipients will exemplify the life of Morris L. Mayer: selfless and significant service and leadership for the U of A community, significant contributions to student life, and integrity. In addition, student nominees must have minimum grade point averages of 3.3 at the U of A. Professor Mayer’s career exemplified the importance of enriching the undergraduate student experience; therefrom, priority should be given to faculty candidates with extensive service in this area.
  • The essay should include your definition of “community and civic service.” Your discussion of your significant contributions to the quality of life of the student community should also be included.
  • For faculty nominations, this award requires an additional letter of support. If you are a student nominating the faculty member, please collect a letter of support from a different faculty member. If you are a fellow faculty member nominating the faculty member, please collect a letter of support from a student. You will be required to submit both letters in the nomination process. For student applications, only a faculty letter of support is required in addition to the student essay.
  • Recommended length (double spaced) for nomination/reference letters is 2-3 pages and length for essays is 3-5 pages.
  • Learn more about the Morris Lehman Mayer Award

The Catherine J. Randall Award

  • Students may be nominated or may submit an application.
  • One current senior (graduating this year)
  • GPA of 3.9 or higher and in good judicial standing
  • Recognizes the most outstanding student scholar at UA based on GPA, rigor of course study, and extraordinary scholarly or creative endeavor; applicants may come from any academic program of study, as scholarly and creative activities from within all majors will be considered for this award.
  • The essay should make the case that the applicant/nominee is the most outstanding student scholar at UA based on the above criteria.
  • Recommended length (double spaced) for nomination/reference letters is 2-3 pages and length for essays is 3-5 pages.

The Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award

  • Faculty/Staff must be nominated for this award. Students may be nominated or may submit an application.
  • One current senior (graduating this year) one non-student winner
  • GPA of 3.0 or higher and in good judicial standing
  • The award honors one member of this academic year’s graduating class as well as one non-student. The recipients of the award have demonstrated the highest standards of scholarship, leadership, and service.
  • Recognizes the practical application of noble ideals and is based on excellence of character and service to humanity
  • The essay should include your definition of “character.” Your discussion of your significant contributions to the University and the community should incorporate that view of character.
  • Recommended length (double spaced) for nomination/reference letters is 2-3 pages and length for essays is 3-5 pages.

The John Fraser Ramsey Award

  • Students may be nominated or may submit an application for this award.
  • One current junior (graduating next year)
  • GPA of 3.3 or higher and in good judicial standing
  • Honors a student with broad humanistic interests who has exerted a positive influence on his or her contemporaries
  • The John Fraser Ramsey Award is not exclusively a service, leadership, or academic award: it honors a distinctive kind of excellence. The Ramsey recognizes in a junior the versatility of gifts and attainments, as well as the breadth of excellence in mind and character, that have traditionally been the goals of a liberal education. The Ramsey is awarded to a junior with broad interests related to the humanities who has exerted a positive influence on his or her contemporaries.
  • The Ramsey Award consists of a monetary award and a travel award in support of a Great Ideas Tour (GIT). The GIT is named for the signature class taught by John Ramsey in his 42 years as a history professor at the U of A and is the opportunity for Ramsey recipients to travel Europe and discover their own sense of possibility and responsibility within a global humanity. While encompassing aspects of both the best vacation and the most demanding study abroad program ever, the GIT is neither. Members of the Ramsey Board help recipients craft informed, intentional tours that provide authentic encounters and space for reflection while embracing Dr. Ramsey’s joie de vivre.
  • Because versatility is an important component of the Ramsey Award, the application essay should demonstrate breadth in academic and nonacademic pursuits, as well as the ways in which applicants have been a positive influence on their contemporaries. The essay should also include a page on what applicants would hope to accomplish and experience on the GIT. Applicants for the Ramsey must be juniors enrolled full time at the UA. Learn more about John Fraser Ramsey Award.
  • Recommended length (double spaced) for nomination/reference letters is 2-3 pages and length for essays is 3-5 pages.

The Graduate School Premier Award

  • Any currently enrolled graduate student is eligible for this award.
  • Students may be nominated or may submit an application. Nominated students must still submit an essay, and students who apply must still be supported with letters of recommendation.
  • Students must graduate in the spring semester or later following the submission of an application or nomination.
  • This award honors a graduate student whose University of Alabama experience encapsulates the University’s tripartite mission of teaching, research, and service.
  • Three letters of recommendation are required. The recommended length for nomination/reference letters is 2-3 pages double-spaced.
  • The essay should focus on the manner in which you have woven together your teaching, research, and service to advance the mission of the University. The essay should include evidence of the impact on each of your teaching, research, and service both internally and externally.