Deadline: 30-Nov-2026
The Ray Y Gildea Jr Award supports educators in the UK and US who want to research, develop, or pilot innovative geography teaching projects. The annual grant is open to secondary school and higher education educators, with higher education applicants required to hold a PhD. Grants are typically up to £1,500 and are intended to improve geography teaching practice and student learning outcomes.
Overview
The Ray Y Gildea Jr Award provides annual grant support for educators working in geography education.
The award helps teachers and academic educators research, develop, or pilot new approaches to teaching geography in secondary schools and higher education institutions.
The grant reflects the Society’s commitment to strengthening educational practice and encouraging innovation in geography teaching.
Key Focus Areas
The award focuses on geography education and teaching innovation.
Key focus areas include:
- Innovative geography teaching
- Secondary school geography education
- Higher education geography teaching
- Student learning outcomes
- Teaching methods and pedagogy
- Research-based education practice
- Development of new teaching approaches
- Pilot projects in geography classrooms
- Practical learning activities
- Educational impact in geography
Purpose of the Award
The purpose of the Ray Y Gildea Jr Award is to support educators who are developing new ways to teach geography.
The award encourages projects that test, improve, or introduce teaching methods that directly benefit geography students.
Funded projects should aim to create practical improvements in how geography is taught and learned.
Grant Amount
Grants are typically up to £1,500.
Larger amounts may be considered in exceptional circumstances.
Applicants requesting higher amounts should provide a strong justification and clearly explain why additional funding is necessary for the project.
Who is Eligible?
The award is open to educators currently employed in eligible education settings in the UK or USA.
Eligible applicants include:
- Secondary school geography educators in the UK
- Secondary school geography educators in the USA
- Higher education geography educators in the UK
- Higher education geography educators in the USA
- College-level educators working in geography education
Higher education applicants must hold a PhD at the time of application.
What the Grant Can Support
The grant supports projects that improve geography education through research, development, or piloting.
Supported projects may include:
- Testing new geography teaching methods
- Developing classroom resources
- Piloting digital geography learning tools
- Creating fieldwork-based teaching models
- Improving student engagement in geography
- Researching teaching approaches
- Developing new assessment methods
- Piloting inclusive geography education practices
- Improving learning outcomes through practical innovation
Projects should clearly show how they will benefit students of geography.
Why It Matters
The Ray Y Gildea Jr Award matters because geography education helps students understand places, environments, societies, landscapes, climate, resources, and global change.
Innovative teaching can make geography more engaging, practical, and relevant for students.
By supporting educators directly, the award helps improve classroom practice and encourages teaching approaches that can strengthen student learning and interest in geography.
How to Apply or Prepare a Strong Application
Applicants should prepare a clear proposal that explains the teaching challenge, proposed innovation, student benefit, and expected outcomes.
Step 1: Define the Teaching Need
Applicants should explain the geography teaching problem or opportunity their project will address.
This may include:
- Low student engagement
- Need for better fieldwork learning
- Limited use of digital tools
- Gaps in geography teaching resources
- Need for more inclusive teaching methods
- Difficulty connecting theory with real-world geography
- Need to improve assessment or learning outcomes
Step 2: Describe the Proposed Innovation
The application should clearly explain the new teaching approach, resource, activity, or method.
Applicants should describe what they plan to research, develop, or pilot and why it is innovative.
Step 3: Show Student Benefit
The proposal should explain how the project will directly benefit geography students.
Expected benefits may include:
- Improved understanding of geography concepts
- Better engagement in lessons
- Stronger fieldwork skills
- Improved critical thinking
- Better use of geographic data
- Greater confidence in geography learning
- Improved academic performance
- More inclusive learning experiences
Step 4: Explain the Project Method
Applicants should describe how the project will be carried out.
The proposal may include:
- Teaching activities
- Research methods
- Pilot testing process
- Student feedback collection
- Resource development
- Evaluation approach
- Timeline for implementation
Step 5: Prepare a Clear Budget
Applicants should prepare a realistic budget, usually up to £1,500.
The budget should explain how each cost supports the project and contributes to student learning or teaching innovation.
Step 6: Show Wider Value
A strong application should explain how the project may contribute to geography teaching beyond one classroom or course.
This may include sharing resources, presenting findings, publishing results, or helping other educators adopt the approach.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Applicants should avoid weak or unclear proposals.
Common mistakes include:
- Not clearly explaining the teaching innovation
- Failing to show direct benefit for geography students
- Submitting a project that is not focused on geography education
- Providing an unclear project plan
- Not explaining how student learning outcomes will improve
- Submitting a vague or unrealistic budget
- Applying from an ineligible education setting
- Higher education applicants applying without holding a PhD
- Not showing how the project advances teaching practice
- Requesting more than £1,500 without strong justification
Tips for a Strong Application
A strong application should be practical, student-focused, and clearly linked to geography teaching.
Useful tips include:
- Clearly define the geography teaching challenge.
- Explain what makes the project innovative.
- Show how students will benefit directly.
- Include a realistic plan for piloting or testing the approach.
- Describe how learning outcomes will be measured.
- Keep the budget clear and reasonable.
- Explain how the project could influence wider geography teaching practice.
- Highlight practical classroom or course-level impact.
- Use specific examples instead of broad claims.
- Make sure the project fits secondary or higher education geography teaching.
FAQ
1. What is the Ray Y Gildea Jr Award?
The Ray Y Gildea Jr Award is an annual grant that supports educators in the UK or US to research, develop, or pilot innovative geography teaching projects.
2. Who can apply?
Educators currently employed in secondary schools or higher education institutions in the UK or USA can apply.
3. Do higher education applicants need a PhD?
Yes. Higher education applicants must hold a PhD at the time of application.
4. How much funding is available?
Grants are typically up to £1,500. Larger amounts may be considered in exceptional circumstances.
5. What types of projects are supported?
The award supports projects that research, develop, or pilot innovative approaches to geography teaching in secondary or higher education.
6. What should the application demonstrate?
The application should clearly demonstrate how the project will benefit geography students and contribute to improved teaching practice.
7. Can the grant support pilot projects?
Yes. The grant specifically supports pilot projects that test new approaches in geography education.
Conclusion
The Ray Y Gildea Jr Award provides valuable support for educators who want to improve geography teaching through innovation, research, and classroom practice.
With grants typically up to £1,500, the award helps secondary and higher education educators in the UK and USA develop projects that directly benefit geography students. Strong applications should clearly explain the teaching need, proposed innovation, student learning benefits, project method, budget, and wider contribution to geography education.
For more information, visit Royal Geographical Society.