Deadline: 24-Nov-2025
The Novo Nordisk Foundation’s Science Upper Secondary School Teacher Award aims to recognize and highlight special efforts within science education in secondary education.
Eligible subjects include Astronomy, Biology, Biotechnology, Physics, Geoscience, Mathematics, Physical Geography, Engineering, and Technology. The main criterion for this prestigious award is that candidates must have delivered a special teaching effort within one or more of these subjects.
The award carries a total of DKK 350,000, which includes a personal honorary prize of DKK 50,000 and DKK 300,000 allocated to the high school. If awarded to a team, each member receives DKK 25,000. The share awarded to the high school must be used to develop science education, such as purchasing experimental equipment, upgrading premises, organizing excursions, or providing further training. The prize also includes participation and accommodation at the Big Bang Conference 2026, where the awards will be officially presented.
Students, parents, and colleagues may suggest candidates, but nominations must be officially submitted by the teacher’s principal or school board. Both individual teachers and teams of up to three people from the same school can be nominated, provided the nominated teacher has agreed to the nomination. Importantly, teachers from a high school that has previously received the award cannot be considered again for the following four years. However, teachers who have been nominated in the past without winning are welcome to be re-nominated.
In the selection process, emphasis is also placed on teachers who create interest and motivation for science and technology among young people, develop, apply and share inspiring science teaching methods, actively participate in extracurricular science activities and/or collaborations across subjects or educational levels, and contribute to promoting a stimulating scientific environment that qualifies colleagues. Not all criteria need to be met for a teacher to be considered, making the award accessible to a broad pool of deserving candidates.
The deadline for submitting nominations is November 24, 2025, at 12:00 noon. Award recipients will be selected by the Novo Nordisk Foundation Teaching Awards Committee and contacted directly in February 2026.
For more information, visit Novo Nordisk Foundation.