Initiative of the Year Award

This award is presented to recognize an initiative that most contributes to the mission of the QUAA.

A prize of free tuition to the annual Alumni Volunteer Summit is awarded to the lead individual for the initiative (i.e. Branch president, director, reunion coordinator, etc.) or designate.

Award Eligibility & Criteria

Candidates should be:

  • From an active and officially recognized Queen’s Branch, Reunion group or Chapter
  • An initiative that aligns with and embodies the mission of the QUAA to engage members in the life and work of the university, and to serve the alumni community in all its diversity
  • Not limited to social events but include initiatives to engage alumni with the life and work of Queen’s University in unique and meaningful ways

No nominations were submitted for the 2024 Initiative of the Year Award. There will be no 2024 recipient of this award. 

2026 Recipient

Somewhat Reunion

photo of a group of people outside, people are standing, sitting or kneeling

The Somewhat Reunion brought together Queen's alumni from Drama, Musical Theatre, and Players from the early 2000s for a Victoria Day Weekend in Kingston that took them back to where it all began: residence floors, downtown Kingston, and of course - Theological Hall, home of Queen's Drama and Music.

The initiative grew from a simple idea into a full weekend of performances, shared meals, and rediscovery culminating in raising $5,000 for Queen's Musical Theatre to support the next generation of creative graduates. That fundraiser has since become an annual tradition.

Queen's taught us that the arts build more than performers: they build people. In the words of alumna Sheanna Beau James (class of '05): "I couldn't have guessed what a sense of unspoken support and encouragement I would feel reconnecting with friends who knew me as I was exploring what it meant to be myself."