Nominations open for Science Upper Secondary School Teacher Award (Denmark)

Deadline: 16-Nov-2026

The Novo Nordisk Foundation Science Upper Secondary School Teacher Award recognises dedicated science teachers in upper secondary schools across the Danish Realm for exceptional contributions to science education. Each award provides a total of DKK 350,000, including a DKK 50,000 personal honorary prize and DKK 300,000 for the recipient’s high school to support the development of science education. The award is open to teachers working in natural science subjects such as Astronomy, Biology, Biotechnology, Physics, Geoscience, Chemistry, Mathematics, Natural Geography, Technical subjects, and Technology. Teachers may be nominated individually or as teams of up to three people from the same school. Students, parents, and colleagues can suggest candidates, but formal nominations must be submitted through the teacher’s principal or school board, and the nominated teacher must consent to the nomination. The Science Upper Secondary School Teacher Award is established by the Novo Nordisk Foundation to recognise teachers who make exceptional contributions to science education in upper secondary schools.

The award aims to:

The award focuses on teachers who demonstrate a special teaching effort in one or more eligible science subjects. Each prize has a total value of DKK 350,000.

The award is divided into:

When the award is given to a team: The school component must be used specifically for the development of science education. The funding provided to the high school is intended to strengthen science education.

Examples of eligible uses include:

The school should use its portion of the award to support science-related educational development rather than unrelated school activities. The award also includes participation and accommodation at the Big Bang conference in 2027 for the prize recipient. This provides an opportunity for the recognised teacher to participate in a major science education event as part of the award. The award targets teachers working in high schools within the Danish Realm. Eligible teachers should teach one or more recognised natural science or related subjects.

These include:

The central consideration is the teacher’s special teaching effort in one or more of these subjects. The main criterion for the award is a special teaching effort in one or more eligible science subjects. The award recognises teachers who have made notable contributions to science education through their teaching work. Not every possible criterion needs to be met for a nominated teacher to be considered. This means nominations can focus on the teacher’s particular strengths and contributions rather than requiring every listed characteristic. Students, parents, and colleagues are encouraged to suggest teachers who they believe have made a special contribution to science education. However, suggestions do not replace the formal nomination process. The official nomination must be submitted through: The nominated teacher must also provide consent to the nomination. The award allows both individual and team nominations.

Eligible nomination formats include:

For team nominations, the eligible recipients must be from the same school. When a team receives the award, each recipient receives DKK 25,000 as the personal component, while DKK 300,000 goes to the high school. Students, parents, and colleagues can identify and suggest potential candidates. For the formal nomination process, the nomination must be submitted through the teacher’s principal or school board.

The nominated teacher must:

Nominators should clearly describe the teacher’s contribution to science education and explain why the teaching effort deserves recognition. A strong nomination should focus on the teacher’s actual contribution to science education.

Important areas to highlight include:

The nomination should provide concrete examples rather than relying only on general descriptions of the teacher’s performance. Nominators and schools should remember the following requirements: The Science Upper Secondary School Teacher Award includes a restriction on repeat awards from the same high school. High school teachers from the same high school cannot receive the award during the four years following a previous award to that school. This restriction should be considered when schools identify and nominate candidates. However, candidates who were previously nominated but did not receive the prize may be re-nominated.

Nominators should avoid:

A nomination can be made more effective by: Science education plays an important role in preparing students to understand scientific developments, technology, and complex societal challenges. By recognising teachers who make special contributions to science education, the Novo Nordisk Foundation Science Upper Secondary School Teacher Award highlights the importance of dedicated teaching and gives schools additional resources to strengthen science education. The DKK 300,000 school award can support equipment, facilities, excursions, and further training, allowing the recognition to benefit both the teacher and the wider school community. It is an award recognising dedicated upper secondary school teachers in the Danish Realm who have made a special contribution to science education. Each award is worth DKK 350,000, including DKK 50,000 as a personal honorary prize and DKK 300,000 for the high school. For a team award, each recipient receives DKK 25,000, while DKK 300,000 is awarded to the high school. Eligible subjects include Astronomy, Biology, Biotechnology, Physics, Geoscience, Chemistry, Mathematics, Natural Geography, Technical subjects, and Technology. Students, parents, and colleagues are encouraged to suggest candidates. The formal nomination must be submitted through the teacher’s principal or school board. Yes. The nominated teacher must consent to the nomination. Yes. Teams of up to three people from the same school can be nominated. The school allocation must be used for the devel