Honors and Awards

The cultural icon and former UW student will be seen by even more people on envelopes carrying their mail.

Anis Bawarshi, professor of English, was recently honored by the Conference on College Composition and Communication for representing “the highest ideals of scholarship, teaching, and service to the entire profession."

Recent awards celebrate Arts & Sciences faculty for their research, outreach, lifetime achievements, and more. 

Kristine Matthews, Professor of Visual Communication Design and principal of Studio Matthews, continues to earn national and international recognition for her work. She founded the Seattle-based design practice in 2008, building a studio of designers, teachers, and makers known for award-winning projects, elegant solutions, and a deep commitment to environmental responsibility.

From the thousands of undergraduate students at the University of Washington, three are selected each year for the prestigious President’s Medalist Award.

Kaytlin Rose Vanderhorst (Psychology; Education Studies: Wellness and Social Emotional Learning), Carilyn Brandt (English: Creative Writing) and Luna Crone-Barón Drama: Performance; English) are the medalists for 2024–25, selected by a committee for their high GPAs, rigor of classes and number of Honors courses. All three Honors students are pursuing the Interdisciplinary Honors track, a unique academic opportunity that challenges students to explore connections across disciplines and prepares them to address complex societal challenges.

The USA Fellowship is a highly prestigious award with a two-decade history of supporting artists. USA Fellows are selected based on their artistic visions and unique perspectives within their fields. Anthony Sonnenberg (MFA 2012) is among this year's 50 artists awarded the USA Fellowship.

Lydia Berhanu is her own mentor. That’s not to say the University of Washington senior didn’t grow up in a supportive household (she did) or wasn’t surrounded by supportive educators (she was). But when it comes to illuminating her path forward, she’s been the one holding the flashlight.

According to the Jacob Lawrence Gallery, allegra was chosen for their unique approach to conceptual practice, interdisciplinary research, and community engagement. Allegra will spend January working with student assistants as well UW academic departments and resources to further develop their artistic work.

A bilingual educator with 18 years of experience at both the college level and in K–12 public schools, Whitemarsh hopes to give back to her hometown of Pasco.

The Bainbridge Island City Council approved to have local resident and writer Erin Malone, affiliate associate professor of English at the UW, be the citys new poet laureate through 2027. Malone is the author of Sight of Disappearance, a full-length collection of poems.

Recent awards celebrate Arts & Sciences faculty, staff, and alumni for their research, social justice work, lifetime achievements, and more. 

On October 22, the Department of Communication recognized outstanding alumni who have made a difference in their communities at our annual Alumni Hall of Fame and Alumni of Distinction awards dinner.

American Indian Studies professor Dian Million received a Freedom Scholar Award, which honors leading academics whose visionary work advances social and economic justice.

Seattleite Mary Brunkow said she was astonished when she learned she and two scientist colleagues had won the 2025 Nobel Prize for medicine or physiology. But based on her career accomplishments in medical research, she shouldnt have been. Brunkow earned a bachelors degree in molecular and cellular biology from the UW.

Mary Brunkow, a Seattle scientist who earned a bachelors degree in molecular and cellular biology from the UW, is one of three scientists awarded this years Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.