For protecting themselves and the greater community, five Huskers are the first to earn prizes through the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s voluntary COVID-19 Vaccine Registry giveaway.

Held through Aug. 13, the drawings include eight weekly prizes — seven to students, one to faculty and staff. Five of the eight Huskers selected via the first random drawing on July 9 accepted their awards by a July 12 deadline. Those winners, their college(s) and awarded prizes are:

Students

• Nikita Mansinghani, Architecture ($250 in Husker gear)
• Shelby Crays, Journalism and Mass Communications/Arts and Sciences ($250 in Housing Dining Dollars)
• Emma Hansen, Education and Human Sciences (Campus Rec All-Access Bundle)
• Nathan Stastny, Arts and Sciences (smart watch)

Faculty/Staff

• Bonnie Martin, Engineering (reserved parking space for one year)

Other student prizes yet to be claimed in the inaugural week of the giveaway include a semester of monthly 60-minute massages at Campus Recreation; a one-year membership to Nebraska Innovation Studio’s Makerspace; and weekly free Dairy Store ice cream for two for an entire academic year.

Announced June 23 by Chancellor Ronnie Green, the registry allows all vaccinated undergraduate, graduate and professional degree-seeking students, as well as faculty and staff, to record their status and earn an entry for prize giveaways. Participants also earn an exemption from university plans for regular saliva-based COVID-19 testing in the fall.

Participants are eligible for weekly prize drawings, as well as grand prizes — which include (for undergraduates and graduate students) five awards worth a year of resident undergraduate tuition and fees ($9,872), and (for faculty/staff) a trip for two to watch the Husker football game in Ireland in August 2022.

Overall, the six weekly drawings for smaller prizes (including meal plans, Husker gear, massages, free parking and Husker ticket packages) will continue through Aug. 13. The grand prize drawings will be held after Aug. 15. A full list of prizes is available here.

Winners are notified every Friday afternoon via email at the address provided via the voluntary vaccine registry. Those selected have 72 hours to respond to accept the prize award.

The registry allows users to submit name, NUID number, preferred email, affiliation with the university, details on vaccine type and dates received, and upload documentation. The registry is open to all students, faculty and staff who are fully vaccinated. All vaccines approved by the World Health Organization and recognized by the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department are accepted for the registry and the prize drawing. Details are available in the registry.

Details on vaccination availability can be found here.

To help monitor for the virus in the fall, the university is requiring weekly saliva-based testing for all students, faculty and staff who will be active on campus. Exemptions are available.

The university will continue to use the Safer Community app in the fall semester to allow individual access to campus buildings. Students, faculty and staff who do not have an exemption, must complete a first saliva-based test by Aug. 19 to ensure access for the first day of classes on Aug. 23.

Individuals who are exempt from the testing will have a continuous “Access Granted” notification on the app.

More details on the university’s plans to return to primarily in-person, full-capacity instruction, the voluntary vaccine registry and weekly prize drawings are available on the university’s COVID-19 website.