Recognizing students who demonstrate inspiring leadership qualities through civic and community engagement.
Campus Compact’s Student Leadership Awards recognize students who demonstrate inspiring leadership qualities through civic and community engagement. Students who receive the award are leading change on their campuses and in their communities and inspiring their peers to do the same.
Recipients may be serving in leadership roles on their campus, creating impactful programs in their communities, or collaborating with faculty on community-based research. Each year Campus Compact recognizes two undergraduate students from four-year colleges, one undergraduate student from a community college, and one graduate student.
Additional details
Selection Criteria
- Strength of leadership on campus or community impact
- Proven ability to overcome and learn from adversity
- Level of commitment to integrating lessons from this work in the future
- Degree of involvement in civic and community engagement
- Level of investment and belief from campus partners
Application requirements
Application
- Personal information
- Short bio
- Headshot
Essays
- In one document, please respond to the following short-answer reflection questions individually. Your document should not exceed a total of 1,500 words (500 per question average).
- Change: Tell a story about how your leadership contributed to change on your campus or in your community. Please provide any qualitative or quantitative evidence you collected that demonstrates your impact.
- Challenge: Describe a challenge or issue you have faced in your community engagement work (personal, organizational, systemic, etc.). How did you address the challenge, what have you learned from the process, and how will you integrate those lessons moving forward?
- Growth: Describe how your civic and community engagement work has shaped you as a civic leader and will contribute to your personal or professional goals long-term.
Supplemental Materials
- Please upload a letter of support from a faculty or staff member who is familiar with your work.
- Please upload a resume or list your most updated leadership experience in civic and community engagement.
Timeline
For the 2026 Student Leadership Awards:
- The online nomination/application form will open on September 8, 2025
- The nomination deadline is October 13, 2025
- The application deadline is October 31, 2025
- The 2026 recipients will be notified in December 2025
- Public announcement: February 2026
- Recognition: at Compact26, March 16 - 18, 2026
Recipients of the 2026 Student Leadership Award
Rishika Kartik
Undergraduate student in accessible design and biology, Brown University
2026
Roberto Garcia
Undergraduate student in English and sociology, Michigan State University
2026
