NSTA Opens Submissions for the 2025–2026 Shell Science Teaching Award and Shell Urban Science Educators Development Award

Cash Prizes and Expense-Paid Trip to Attend NSTA’s National Conference to be Awarded for Outstanding Science Teaching

MCLEAN, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) invites applications for the Shell Science Teaching Award and the Shell Urban Science Educators Development Award, for which cash prizes and an expense-paid trip to attend NSTA’s National Conference on Science Education in Anaheim, California, next spring will be awarded for exemplary science teaching.

The Shell Science Teaching Award recognizes one outstanding classroom teacher (grades K–12) who has had a positive impact on their students, school, and the community through exemplary science teaching. The award is open to all K–12 teachers, who must have a minimum of eight years of experience (not including the current school year) as a teacher of science, and who teach in a public or private school located in the United States, U.S. territories, Department of Defense schools, or in Canada.

The Shell Urban Science Educators Development Award provides support to K–12 classroom science teachers in urban settings who are pursuing professional development and serves to increase the science educator talent pool in STEM to meet the education workforce challenges of the future. Designed to help strengthen quality science teaching and enhance teacher content knowledge, the award is open to classroom science teachers at the elementary, middle, or high school level.

Three Shell Science Teaching Award finalists will receive an expenses-paid trip to attend NSTA’s national conference, taking place April 15–18, 2026, with the awardee also receiving $10,000. Winners of the Shell Urban Science Educators Development Award will receive $1,800 in expenses to attend the conference. All Shell Award recipients will be honored during the Shell reception at the conference.

For more information about the Shell Science Teaching Award or the Shell Urban Science Educators Development Award, visit https://www.nsta.org/shell. In addition, an NSTA Web Seminar about the Shell Awards will take place on September 22; learn more and register at https://my.nsta.org/event/fa25-developing-a-competitive-application-for-shell-science-teaching-awards-sep. The deadline for submissions is December 19.

About NSTA

The National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) is a vibrant community of 35,000 science educators and professionals committed to best practices in teaching science and its impact on student learning. NSTA offers high-quality science resources and continuous learning so that science educators can grow professionally and excel in their careers. For new and experienced teachers alike, the NSTA community offers the opportunity to network with like-minded peers at the national level, connect with mentors and leading researchers, and learn from the best in the field. For more information, visit https://www.nsta.org/, or follow NSTA on X, formerly known as Twitter; Facebook; Instagram; YouTube; and LinkedIn.