Premier's Awards
The Premier’s Awards celebrate the best examples of innovation and excellence across the BC Public Service. The awards showcase the work of some of our most outstanding employees whose professionalism, dedication and innovation make a difference in many lives and communities in B.C.
The Premier’s Awards were launched in 2004 and are held annually. In 2018, the program celebrates its 14th year of being the most prestigious recognition for the BC Public Service. This year, a new category highlights the BC Public Service’s commitment to evidence-based design in program or policy development.
The awards are recognized both at a regional and provincial level. The regional awards recognize projects and individuals that impact a specific region, while provincial awards recognize projects or individuals whose impact is felt provincially or across multiple regions.
Premier’s Awards adjudicators and judges determine the finalists and winners of the Premier’s Awards.
Award Categories for Regional & Provincial Levels
Award Categories for Provincial Level Only
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Regional & Provincial Categories
Innovation
The Innovation award recognizes groups, teams, or organizations within the BC Public Service that have developed and transformed new ideas into tangible initiatives, programs, or projects. By applying a user-centric or citizen-centric approach, innovations may streamline business processes, leverage technology, or pursue creative solutions to fulfill organizational mandates.
Leadership
This award recognizes a BC Public Service employee who demonstrates the highest levels of integrity and exemplary leadership attributes and abilities.
Organizational Excellence
This award recognizes one or more BC Public Service organizations that have delivered a program, service, or initiative resulting in substantial benefits to their organization(s), the public service, or citizens of British Columbia.
Partnership
This award recognizes joint ventures or multi-party initiatives between BC Public Service organizations and organizations in the broader public sector, other levels of government, First Nations communities, or in the private or not-for-profit sectors.
Provincial Categories
Emerging Leader
This award recognizes an employee, under the age of 40 and below the level of Director, who has made a significant impact on their ministry, division, workgroup or the greater BC Public Service early on in their career.
Evidence-Based Design
The Evidence-Based Design award recognizes groups, teams or organizations within the BC Public Service whose work is outstanding in the area of evidence-based or evidence-informed policy or program development and the process by which the policy or program was designed. This category showcases excellence in policy or program development for both internal BC Public Service and external regional or provincial policies or programs.
Legacy
This award recognizes individuals who have made exceptional and lasting contributions to the BC Public Service and/or the province of British Columbia during a public service career of at least 15 years. The contributions may cover a nominee’s entire career or portions of it, provided that the contribution has a lasting and ongoing positive impact. This award is presented at the provincial level only. During the judging process, a Legacy finalist may be considered for the BC Public Service Hall of Excellence.
BC Public Service Hall of Excellence
The BC Public Service Hall of Excellence is a significant honour recognizing outstanding achievement, dedication, and service to the province. The BC Public Service Hall of Excellence follows the same criteria as the Legacy Award; however, this meritorious award recognizes individuals who have performed their duties in such an exemplary manner that it constitutes a contribution of special merit to British Columbia.
Induction into the BC Public Service Hall of Excellence represents the highest form of recognition that the BC Public Service can extend to its employees.
Adjudicators & Judges
Premier’s Awards adjudicators and judges, external to the BC Public Service, determine the finalists and winners of the Premier’s Awards according to criteria for each of the categories. They're government, business and community leaders in British Columbia who volunteer their time to recognize BC Public Service achievements.
2018 Adjudicators
- William Charlie, Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Negotiator for Sts’ailes First Nation, Fraser Health Board Member
- Carmen Charette, VP External Relations, University of Victoria
- Robin Ciceri, Deputy Minister (former) and President, Research Universities' Council of British Columbia
- Leah Hollins, Deputy Minister (former) and Chair, Vancouver Island Health Authority
- Dr. Evert Lindquist, Professor, University of Victoria, School of Public Administration
- Val Litwin, President and CEO, BC Chamber of Commerce
- Maureen Maloney, Deputy Minister (former) and Professor at Simon Fraser University, School of Public Policy
- Nancy Olewiler, Professor and Director, School of Public Policy, Simon Fraser University, and member of the Climate Solutions and Clean Growth Advisory Council
- Bert Phipps, Assistant Deputy Minister (former), Bert Phipps Consulting
- Jill Tipping, President and CEO, BC Tech Association
- Dick Vollet, President and CEO, St. Paul's Hospital Foundation
2018 Judges
- Taylor Bachrach, Mayor of Smithers
- Celeste Haldane, Chief Commissioner, BC Treaty Commission
- Grand Chief Ed John, Tl'azt'en Nation and North American Representative, United Nations
- Dave Obee, Publisher, Times Colonist
- Stacy Ross, Anchor, CHEK News
- Stephanie Smith, President, BCGEU
- Nancy Wilhelm-Morden, Mayor of the Resort Municipality of Whistler, Queen's Counsel QC
For more information about the Premier’s Awards, including ministry contacts, how and when to submit a nomination and more, visit @Work
