Victoria Irons Walch Leadership Award

Overview

The Victoria Irons Walch Leadership Award recognizes sustained leadership and outstanding contributions by an individual or institution to the development of state and territorial archives or to CoSA. Named after CoSA’s first Executive Director, this award honors vision, innovation, and exemplary service in archival leadership.

Why the Award Matters

Celebrates long-term leadership that strengthens state and territorial archives.
Encourages collaborative, forward-thinking approaches that serve the archival community.
Highlights role models whose work exceeds ordinary expectations and inspires others.
Reinforces CoSA’s mission to grow and connect archives across U.S. states and territories.

2026 Nomination Schedule

May 1, 2026: Deadline for nominations
June 2026: Announcement of award recipients
September 2026: Awards presented at the CoSA Annual Meeting in Columbia, NC

Return to Awards Home Page

Nomination form available soon

Any questions may be directed to awards@statearchivists.org

Award Criteria & Eligibility

Nomination Process

Recognition & Benefits

How to Participate

Award Criteria & Eligibility

Nominees (individuals or institutions) are evaluated based on:

Creative and effective leadership - especially in the face of challenges and opportunities.
Collaborative and innovative approaches - working effectively with others, building partnerships, and developing new ideas.
Service to their constituency - this could be their state archives, their region, CoSA, or the broader archival community.
Model behavior - exceeding expectations and serving as a role model for peers.

Nomination Process

Who can nominate: Anyone - individuals, organizations, or CoSA members. Self-nominations are welcome.
What to submit:
- Brief biography (up to one page): Describe the nominee’s accomplishments, ongoing work, and CoSA involvement.
- Letter of support: At least one; from someone familiar with the nominee’s leadership and impact.
- Optional supporting materials: Resume/CV, examples of work, promotional materials, press releases, etc.
How to nominate: Submit via the online nomination form (coming soon).
Selection committee: The CoSA Awards Committee (chaired by the Immediate Past President) reviews all nominations.
Number of awards: The committee determines how many awards to give; it may also choose to not give an award in a particular cycle.

Recognition & Benefits

The recipient receives a custom-designed award.
The winner is publicly recognized at the CoSA Annual Meeting Awards Ceremony and via CoSA’s communications channels (website, newsletter, social media).
CoSA can provide a press release template to help the awardee announce their achievement.

How to Participate

Nominate a colleague, peer, or institution - consider individuals or programs that demonstrate leadership above and beyond.
Spread the word - share the nomination form with your networks.
Celebrate winners - once recipients are announced, help promote their work by sharing their stories.
Support CoSA’s mission - recognizing leadership helps build a stronger community of state and territorial archives.

Stephanie Clark, 2026