After four years of stagnation, the selection process for Queen’s most prestigious student award has been revamped.
The Agnes Bendickson Tricolour Award (ABTA) is Queen’s highest student honour, recognizing outstanding service, leadership, character, and community impact. Overseen by the Rector’s office, its Terms of Reference hadn’t been reviewed since 2021, so Rector Niki Boytchuk-Hale felt it was time for an analysis, striking a committee that met monthly over the summer to update the policy.
An award recipient herself in 2024 and then overseeing its administration in 2025, she’s been on both sides of the awards selection process. Last winter, she often spent time responding to e-mails about the process, e-mails that could’ve been avoided if certain procedural details were clearly outlined in the policy.
The changes were made by the Tricolour Award Selection Review Committee, which consisted of multiple student leaders and their delegates, former 38th Rector Owen Crawford Lem, another past ABTA award winner, and a principal’s intern. The award selection committee itself consists of the Rector as chair, accompanied by delegates from the AMS, SGPS, and 10 faculty societies.
One of the more systemic changes was the implementation of a positive disclosure process for applications. Boythchuk-Hale explained that a positive disclosure is similar to a background check that’s conducted for orientation leaders, where the Rector will be able to check whether students have had any infractions under the Sexual Violence Prevention or Harassment and Discrimination policies.
“There’s been times in the history of the selection that I’ve heard about where a student [on the selection committee] might be aware that someone who was nominated had done something “bad” and there’s really no way to validate it, unless I go call someone, but I would not feel comfortable […] asking that without a student knowing I was doing that,” Boytchuk-Hale said.
Now, students have to permit the Rector to check those records if they want to be considered for the award, although Boytchuk-Hale confirmed only the Rector would have access to those files and that it would only apply to infractions under those two policies.
Other changes were more procedural. The updated policy clarifies the composition of the award selection committee, specifically naming and laying out which student groups have a delegate on the committee. Additionally, it is now outlined that decisions on awards must be unanimous. While that was already the precedent in her year as committee chair, it’s now in writing as they wanted to ensure decisions were “very firm” with no one in disagreement.
Nomination requirements were also standardized. With two students required to nominate a peer, a common question was whether they could co-sign one nomination letter or submit two. The committee allowed either option. As well, nomination letters were limited to two pages, using 12-point Times New Roman font and standard margins.
The package will also include a new standardized application template focused on community involvement and Queen’s activities, whereas in the past applicants were asked to submit a resume and a list of Queen’s activities.
“Resumes are typically very work experience related, and a lot of times people put, along with what degree they’re taking, their GPA,” Boytchuk Hale said. “This isn’t an academic award, and we don’t want to see your GPA. That hopefully will eliminate any bias that could happen with a committee member seeing it and just make the process a little bit a bit easier,” Boytchuk-Hale said.
The committee also clarified in policy that feedback on awards can’t be given to candidates.
“This isn’t a job interview where we want students to change their answers and come back another year and try to improve. This is a very prestigious award […] and we wanted it to be as authentic as possible.”
Nominations for the 2026 ABTA will open at the end of October and close on Dec. 31.
Tags
Niki Boytchuk-Hale, Policy Change, Tricolour award
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