Innovation in Education Award

About the Award

Nominations/Applications for all 2026 awards are now closed.

Self-Nominate

Nominate a Colleague

This award is given to an individual who has demonstrated innovation in education. Innovation is defined as a novel educational accomplishment that has significantly impacted progress in achieving ASCB’s mission on the basis of work done within 3 years prior to the nomination. The innovation should be aligned with the core tenets of the ASCB Declaration on Effective and Inclusive Undergraduate Biology Education.

Award Details

The winner will receive a $1,000 prize, a plaque, complimentary registration and abstract submission for the annual Cell Bio meeting, and an invitation to speak at the meeting.

Who is Eligible

This award is open to ASCB members who are either early career (within 7 years of appointment) or mid-career (7-15 years in an independent position) scientists. Candidates may be nominated or may self-nominate.

Selection Criteria

• Candidate’s innovative contributions to science education
• Candidate’s demonstrated commitment to ASCB’s vision and values

How to Apply

Candidates may either self-apply or be nominated.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION

If nominating someone

1. Letter describing the candidate’s background, contributions, and qualifications for receiving the award, no longer than 2 pages.
2. Letter of support also describing the above, no longer than 2 pages.

If self-applying, or once nominated

1. Narrative statement describing your background, contributions, qualifications for receiving the award, and demonstrated commitment to ASCB’s values, no longer than 2 pages.
2. A letter of support endorsing your application, no longer than 2 pages.
3. Biosketch (NIH format or similar) no longer than 5 pages.

Please Note

1. ASCB wants to ensure that the pool of award candidates is as diverse and inclusive as possible. The demographic questions are for internal reporting only and are not viewable by award reviewers. The questions are not mandatory, however we would appreciate your responses so that we can assess our level of inclusivity.
2. As a founder of the Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) ASCB does not use journal impact factors or other journal-based metrics in the evaluation process for its awards. ASCB looks at an individual’s research contributions and impact on the field, rather than the prestige of the journals where work is published.

All Recent Awardee Photos