Each year, the Western Association of Graduate Schools, in partnership with ProQuest, solicits nominations for STEM, Non-STEM, and Capstone projects, and Innovations in Technology, from various institutions as an opportunity to showcase graduate innovation and creativity. Four nominees can be put forward by our campus - one from each of the competition categories listed below. If the UCSB nominee is selected by the Western Association of Graduate Schools (WAGS) and ProQuest, they will receive $1,000 from WAGS, a Certificate of Award, and travel expenses to attend the WAGS Annual Conference and Awards luncheon held from March 29 through April 1, 2026.
Important Dates
Nomination Materials Due
September 19, 2025
4 p.m. PST
Awards Luncheon
March 29-April 1, 2026
Departments may submit multiple students for consideration. All nomination materials must be submitted electronically to graddeans@graddiv.ucsb.edu by Friday, September 19, 2025 at 4 p.m. Eligibility for each competition can be found below.