Horizon Prizes for Education

Guidelines for nominators

• Nominations open 27 March
• Nominations close 21 June, 17:00 BST
• Nominees do not need to be members of the RSC.
• Nominators do not need to be members of the RSC.
• Self-nomination is permitted and encouraged.
• These prizes are open to nominees based in the UK or internationally.
• These prizes are open to groups, teams, collaborations of any form or size, and individuals.
• Initiatives led by the Royal Society of Chemistry are not eligible to be nominated.
• 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.
• Starting from the 2023 cycle, unsuccessful nominations for this prize will automatically rollover to the next prize cycle. We encourage nominators to update their nomination between cycles when the nomination window is open. Nominations will be considered for two consecutive prize cycles.
• Individuals named in any of the following roles during the nomination and judging period are not eligible to nominate or be nominated:
  • Education Prize Committee members
  • RSC Subject Community Presidents
  • RSC Prize Committee members
  • Trustees of the Royal Society of Chemistry
  • Royal Society of Chemistry staff

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

• Your name and contact details.
• If not a self-nomination, details of a contact for the team. The RSC will correspond with this individual regarding the nomination and the outcome, and will work with them regarding acceptance of the prize if the nomination is successful.
• 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 supporting statement (up to 750 words), 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).

The RSC reserves 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. 

Selection Criteria and Judging Panel

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 initative and its evaluation/dissemination activities
• Originality
• Impact within education

Education Prize Committee

• Niki Kaiser, Notre Dame High School (chair)
• Thandiwe Banda, The Beacon School
• Rebecca Lamb, Stalham Infant & Junior Schools
• Ryan Mewis, Manchester Metropolitan University
• Bhavik Patel, University of Brighton
• Katharine Pemberton, Modbury Primary School
• Jacquie Robson, Durham University
• John Sandford, Andrews Memorial Primary School
• Sharon Smith, The Pilgrim School
• Holly Yu, University of Glasgow

History of the prize

These prizes were created in 2020, as part of a series of changes introduced following an independent review of the Royal Society of Chemistry’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.