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Horizon Prizes for Education

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Horizon Prizes for Education

Celebrating ground-breaking innovations and initiatives that mark a step change in 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 and teams
Nominee location Global
Career stage All career stages

Winners

About this prize

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

Our Horizon Prizes for Education celebrate the ground-breaking innovations and initiatives that mark a step change in education.

This could include teaching programmes or techniques, research breakthroughs or innovative technology.

  • Run annually
  • Up to three prizes are available    
  • Winners are selected by the Education Prize Selection Panel
  • These prizes are open to groups, teams and collaborations of any form or size, and individuals.
  • Winners will receive:
    • A professionally produced video showcasing the prize-winning work and its importance, and supporting others in the education community to apply the work in their own context.
    • A trophy recognising the whole team.
    • All team members will receive a certificate and a token of recognition for their contribution.

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

    • These prizes are open to nominees based in the UK or Ireland, or internationally
    • Nominees do not need to be members of the RSC
    • Nominated teams 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 team, only one nomination will go forward to judging.
    • Teams containing members who have been nominated for one of our individual Education prizes in the same year will be considered, however the nominations should be for substantially different bodies of work
    • Initiatives led by the ÍâÍøÌìÌà are not eligible to be nominated.

Nominators

  • Nominators do no need to be members of the RSC
  • Self nomination is permitted and encouraged
  • Please remember that the RSC will not award more than one prize 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
    • Details of a primary contact for the team
    • A list of all individuals who contributed to the initiative. The primary contact for the team will be asked to confirm the list and if necessary add additional team members at the point of nomination
    • A short citation describing what the nominee should be awarded for. This must be no longer than 250 characters (including spaces) and no longer than one sentence
    • Details of any publically available outputs, e.g. journal articles, reports, conference abstracts, blog posts or pieces of software. The outputs should typically be from the last five years
    • A short citation describing what the prize should be awarded for. This must be no longer than 250 characters (including spaces) and no longer than one sentence.
    • Supporting statements, written for a general education audience, addressing the selection criteria below:
      • Quality of initiative and its evaluation/dissemination activities: A summary/description of the initiative (300 words)
      • Originality: Description of the originality of the initiative (150 words)
      • Impact within education: Summary of the significance and potential impact of the initiative within the education sector, and why it should be recognised. Include any potential for broader applicability within education (for example, within different education settings) (300 words)

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.

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

  • Quality of initiative and its evaluation/dissemination activities
  • Originality
  • Impact within education

These prizes were created in 2020, as part of a series of changes introduced following an independent review of the ÍâÍøÌìÌÃ’s recognition programmes.

These prizes belong to our new family of Horizon Prizes, which highlight the most exciting, contemporary developments in the chemical sciences at the cutting edge of research and innovation, celebrating those who are opening up new directions and possibilities in their field.

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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Amir Ali

London Nautical School, 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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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)