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Excellence in Higher Education Prize

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Excellence in Higher Education Prize

Recognising inspirational, innovative and dedicated people working in higher education.

Details

Status Opening soon
Nominations opening date 15 April 2026 9:00am (BST)
Nominations closing date 23 June 2026 5:00pm (BST)
Nominator eligibility Anyone
Nominee eligibility Individuals
Nominee location UK and Ireland
Career stage All career stages

Winners

About this prize

Nominations are open now until 17:00 on Tuesday 23 June 2026

This prize recognises inspirational, innovative and dedicated people working in higher education.

  • Run annually.
  • The winner receives £3000, a medal and a certificate.
  • The winner will complete a series of lectures or workshops.
  • The winner will be chosen by the Education Prize Selection Panel.

Individuals named in any of the following roles during the nomination and judging period are not eligible to nominate or be nominated:

  • Education Prize Selection Panel members
  • RSC Subject Community Presidents
  • RSC Prize Committee members
  • Trustees of the ÍâÍøÌìÌÃ
  • ÍâÍøÌìÌà staff

Nominees

  • The prize is open to nominees working in the higher education sector in the UK or Ireland
  • Nominees do not need to be members of the RSC
  • We will not consider nominations of deceased individuals
  • Nominations for individuals can only be considered for one of our Education prizes in any given year. In the case where an individual is nominated for more than one prize independently, RSC staff will ask the nominee which prize they would like to be considered for
  • Nominees should only be nominated once for this prize in any given prize cycle. In cases where we receive more than one nomination for the same nominee, only one nomination will go forward to judging

Nominators

  • Nominees may not nominate themselves
  • Nominators do not need to be members of the RSC
  • When nominating previous RSC prize winners, please remember that a person cannot be awarded twice for substantially the same body of work
  • All unsuccessful nominations from the previous cycle will be retained on our nomination system ahead of the next cycle. To be considered again, nominators must log in, update details, and resubmit the nomination for the following cycle. Please note that reconsideration is no longer automatic
    • RSC staff will write to nominators and nominees to confirm when the nomination window has re-opened. Nominators will receive instructions on how to log in and update the nomination

To make a nomination, please use our online nominations system to submit the following information:

    • Your name and contact details
    • Your nominee’s name and contact details
    • Any information related to career breaks taken by your nominee - for example, a period of parental or adoption leave, caring responsibilities, long-term illness, family commitments, as well as any other circumstances including long-term conditions or disabilities. We understand that these can impact a nominee's career in different ways, and encourage nominators to use the space provided on the nomination form to explain the nature and impact of the nominee's individual circumstances. This information will be shared with the committee, but before doing so RSC staff will always seek consent from the nominee in cases where special category data is mentioned. 
    • A short citation describing what the nominated individual should be awarded for. This must be no longer than 250 characters (including spaces) and no longer than one sentence
    • A supporting statement (up to 750 words) addressing the selection criteria
    • References are not required for this prize and will not be accepted

We reserve the right to rescind any prize if there are reasonable grounds to do so. All nominators will be asked to confirm that, to the best of their knowledge, their nominee's professional standing is such that there is no confirmed or potential impediment to them receiving this prize. All winners will be asked to sign the RSC's Code of Conduct Declaration for Recognition. 


Our selection committees base their evaluations primarily on the overall quality of relevant contributions made by nominees and not on quantitative measures. In your nomination, you should show how the nominee demonstrates impact in one or more of the selection criteria below. While nominees for this prize should be working in higher education, they may demonstrate evidence of the criteria within any stage of education. Nominees do not have to demonstrate all of the selection criteria in order to be considered for the prize.

The selection committee will consider the following aspects of nominations for this prize:

  • Demonstrating effectiveness in delivering or supporting teaching and/or assessment of chemistry
  • Contributing to the design of an innovative and effective chemistry curriculum
  • Enthusing students through practical chemistry
  • Raising the profile of chemistry in the curriculum and through extracurricular activities so that students are inspired to become more aware of chemistry and its relevance to society
  • Inspiring and encouraging students to take chemistry further, in study or in their career choice
  • Championing inclusion and diversity in chemistry education
  • A commitment to continuing professional development
  • Supporting the development of colleagues and encouraging wider collaboration
  • Contributing to the evidence base for teaching and sharing of good practice
  • Other indicators of esteem indicated by the nominee/nominator

This prize was created in 2020, as part of a series of changes introduced following an independent review of the ÍâÍøÌìÌÃ’s recognition programmes.

Excellence in Education prizes

Our Education Prizes celebrate educators in primary, secondary, further education and higher education – including teachers, technicians and more. These prizes recognise a wide range of skills – from curriculum design to effective teaching, and from personal development to working culture. This category includes specific prizes for teams and for those in the early stages of their career, and well as prizes that celebrate ground-breaking innovations and initiatives that mark a step-change in education.

Selection panel

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Jacquie Robson

Durham University, UK

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Benjamin E Arenas

University of Edinburgh, UK

Mr Niall Begley

Niall Begley

Our Lady and St Patrick's College, Knock

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Amir Ali

London Nautical School, UK

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Amie Langford

Manchester Metropolitan University, UK

Headshot of Colin McGill

Colin McGill

Edinburgh Napier University, UK

Stuart Naismith

Stuart Naismith

Gartcosh Primary School, UK

Mrs Caroline Skerry

Caroline Skerry

St Joseph's School

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Emma Spacey

Swansea University, UK

Mrs Maureen Wade

Maureen Wade

The Victory Academy (TSAT)