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 2019, the program celebrates its 15th year of being the most prestigious recognition for the BC Public Service.
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
Featured Videos
To learn more about this year's winners, visit @Work.
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.
2019 Adjudicators
- Lorne Brownsey, former Deputy Minister
- Carmen Charette, VP, External Relations, University of Victoria
- Robin Ciceri, former Deputy Minister and VP, External Relations, University of British Columbia
- Leah Hollins, former Deputy Minister and Chair, Island Health Board of Directors
- Dr. Shannon McDonald, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, First Nations Health Authority
- Bert Phipps, former Assistant Deputy Minister and Principal, Bert Phipps Consulting
- Terry Yung, Chair, Board of Directors, S.U.C.C.E.S.S
- Dick Vollet, President and CEO, St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation
2019 Judges
- Celeste Haldane, Chief Commissioner, BC Treaty Commission
- Grand Chief Ed John (Akile Ch’oh), Tl’azt’en Nation, First Nations Summit Political Executive
- Kathy Kinloch, President, BC Institute of Technology
- Stacy Ross, Anchor, CHEK News
- Allan Seckel, CEO, Doctors of BC
- Stephanie Smith, President, BC Government Employee Union
- Laura Nashman, CEO, BC Pension Corporation
- Philip Steenkamp, President and Vice-Chancellor, Royal Roads University
- Dr. Daniel Weeks, President, University of Northern BC
- Richard Zussman, Online Journalist, BC Legislature, Global BC
For more information about the Premier’s Awards, including ministry contacts, how and when to submit a nomination and more, visit @Work.
