Lavender Celebration of Graduates is a nation-wide event held by colleges and universities in recognition of LGBTQ+ graduates. These exemplary students will be cheered on by family and friends, and each graduate will be honored using their correct name and pronouns. Dr. Ronni Sanlo created this event at the University of Michigan in 1995. The annual celebration was created to recognize LGBTQ+ students and acknowledge their achievements and contributions to the university.

Lavender Celebration has occurred annually at NC State since the formation of the LGBTQ Pride Center in 2008, with the first celebration held in the spring of that year. 2026 marks the 17th Lavender Celebration at NC State.

Lavender Celebration 2026 will take place on Thursday, April 16, 2026

Registration will close when we reach maximum capacity or on April 2, whichever comes first. RSVP early in the spring semester to guarantee your spot! We ask that graduating students AND their guests all RSVP for the event through the RSVP form.

Are you interested in being a part of this year’s festivities? 

Who: LGBTQIA2S+ graduating students, their friends, families, and any and all supporters across NC State

What: Celebrating the hard work that comes from moving through college, uplifting and motivating students for the future, and honoring all identities

When: Thursday, April 16, 2026 | 6–8 p.m.

Where: Talley Student Union’s Piedmont/Mountains Ballroom (3rd Floor)

Know someone who deserves to be recognized for their work with the LGBTQ+ community?

Three awards and their corresponding trophies are given out annually at Lavender Celebration. Winners will be contacted before the event and announced during the program. They will be asked to come onto the stage to accept a rainbow trophy. You are encouraged to nominate yourself or someone else you believe embodies the spirit of each award. You can view the complete rubric for each award here. The deadline to submit a nomination is Friday, March 13, 2026. See below for the names and descriptions of each award.

Stafford Leadership Award

• Who: Undergraduate and graduate students 
• Location: North Carolina State University
• What: The Thomas H. Stafford Leadership Award recognizes an undergraduate or graduate student who has demonstrated service to the LGBTQ+ community through peer education, peer mentoring, community building, and/or community outreach or service.

Reiman Social Change Award

• Who: Undergraduate and graduate students
• Location: North Carolina State University
• What: The Evelyn Q. Reiman Social Change Award recognizes an undergraduate or graduate student who has worked to increase awareness, identify strategies for community engagement, connect to peers in social change efforts, and/or foster collaboration across communities in order to address campus or community climate.

Spitz Community Leadership Award

• Who: Faculty, staff, and other non-campus affiliated members of the Triangle area.
• Location: Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel-Hill and the Surrounding Areas)
• What: The Bill Spitz Community Leadership Award recognizes a Triangle community member who has demonstrated service to the LGBTQ+ community through peer education, mentoring, community building, and/or community outreach or service, with an emphasis on broader community impact.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who should fill out the RSVP form?

Everyone! Anyone who plans to attend Lavender Celebration should fill out the RSVP form, including: graduating students, non-graduating students, friends and family of graduates, volunteers, faculty and staff, and all other community members.  This helps us make sure our catering order is correct, and it helps us stay within the room capacity for our space.

Can non-graduating students still attend?

Yes! In addition to Winter 2026 Graduates being eligible to walk the stage alongside other graduating students, non-graduating students are welcomed to attend in support of their friends. Non-graduating students should fill out the RSVP form (scroll up on this webpage to find it) and select the appropriate attendee option.

Can non-graduating students be nominated for an award?

Yes! For more information, please see the award rubric for detailed guidelines on what criteria our panel of judges will be looking for when selecting award winners. Winners will be contacted before the event and announced during the program. They will be asked to come onto the stage to accept their rainbow trophy.

Will Lavender Celebration be recorded?

No. In order to best preserve the privacy of our graduating students names and pronouns, the event will only occur in-person with no recording, live-streaming or other mass publicization. Some ‘lavender’ graduates may not be ‘out’ in all spaces, and recording or streaming the celebration in any way puts us at a greater risk for potentially outing students than we feel comfortable with.

We will have an in-house photographer taking pictures of our graduates (provided that the graduate has consented to photographs), as well as a photobooth service that anyone can use to create takeaway mementos of the event. Graduates are welcome to have a guest record their onstage procession during the event.

Will my name, pronouns, or other information be published anywhere?

For Graduates: Your first and last name, alongside your major, will be printed on the Lavender Celebration program, which is given to all attendees. Your name, photo, and senior quote will also display on a slideshow during select parts of the event. This information will not be published outside the Lavender Celebration space. However, it is not considered confidential. Please contact the Pride Center at pride-center@ncsu.edu if you are concerned about being outed through your Lavender Celebration participation.

For All Other Attendees: Our guest list is not published anywhere. Your name, pronouns, and other identifying information will not be shared outside the Pride Center Staff planning team. However, it is not considered confidential. Please contact the Pride Center at pride-center@ncsu.edu  if you are concerned about being outed through your Lavender Celebration participation.

Photography: All graduates will receive a photo of themselves with their new diploma if they gave photo consent on the RSVP form. This photo is taken one-on-one with a staff photographer at the event. These photos will not be shared with anyone other than the graduate. Staff photographers may take additional images at the event, but will always ask permission before taking a picture that includes faces or distinct features of an individual. Individual, personal photography is permitted, and we encourage consent, permission, and community care when using a personal camera or recording device that could capture other attendee information.