Awards

Nominations for NCSTA Awards

Criteria for NCSTA Award Categories are listed below.

NCSTA Nomination Process:

Helpful Suggestion: Nominators prepare your nomination letter and request a nomination letter from the nominee's principal/supervisor in advance of completing the nomination form. 

If you aren't able to upload two letters at the time of your online nomination, then upload the nominator's support narrative/letter and send the Principal/Supervisor letter directly to admin@ncsta.org.

It is the nominator's responsibility to assemble a nomination packet to include:

• A completed nomination form.
• Two letters of support.
  One narrative/letter from the nominator describing the nominee's experience and/or contributions. Limit to one page. Submit online at time of online nomination.
  One letter of support must be from the educator's principal or supervisor (for the student teacher, from his/her mentor teacher). Ideally, submitted online at time of nomination. Or the letter may be emailed directly to admin@ncsta.org.

NCSTA membership is not a requirement for nomination for district awards.

Deadline for nominations is May 31.

Outstanding Student Teacher in Science Award

Outstanding Student Teacher in Science Awards are presented to recognize undergraduate teacher education students seeking certification from a North Carolina college or university who have demonstrated outstanding ability as well as promise in the teaching of science during the student teaching process. The nominees must have completed student teaching within a year before the award presentation at the annual conference.

Three awards may be given:

1. One for elementary grades
2. One for middle grades
3. One for high school.

You will receive an award and one year's membership in NCSTA.

Criteria for this award:

The student exhibits and has demonstrated the promise of excellence in science teaching as evidenced during the student teaching experience. The student demonstrates through the student teaching experience knowledge in understanding scientific processes, attitudes, and experience of teaching science through the manipulative process.

Past Award Winners

District Outstanding Science Teacher Awards

These Awards are presented to recognize excellence in science teaching in North Carolina, to teachers who exemplify excellent, creative, innovative teaching of science. The award is open to teachers at the elementary, middle and high school grade levels.  The winners will receive an award and one year's membership in NCSTA.

Criteria for this award: 

The nominee shall be an educator in North Carolina who has been in his/her present position for at least 3 years and has demonstrated exemplary teaching in the following ways: creativity in use of science teaching materials; design and use of innovative teaching plans and ideas; development and implementation of department, school, and/or school-community programs for the improvement of science instruction or the stimulation of interest in science and the learning of science; high performance in the use of supplementary materials in an exemplary manner to integrate science with other subjects; and fostering student, school, and school-community instruction programs in science.

Past Award Winners - Prior to 2000
Past Award Winners - 2000 to Present

Distinguished Service in Science Education in North Carolina Awards

Distinguished Service in Science Education Awards are presented to recognize excellence of contributions to science education in North Carolina. They recognize service to science education in the individual's school, school system, NCSTA district and at the state level.

Contributions in seven categories are recognized:

1. Elementary
2. Middle/junior high
3. Senior high
4. College/university
5. Administrator/supervisor
6. Non-school setting
7. Commercial

The number of awards to be given each year will be determined by the Awards Selection Committee based on the qualifications of the nominees. The winners will receive an award and one year's membership in NCSTA.

Criteria for this award:

The nominee exhibits leadership in science education beyond the local administrative unit or position; has contributed to improvements in science education beyond the local administrative unit or position; has been associated with science education for at least five (5) years and has worked in a position related to the category in which nominated for at least two (2) years; and has excelled in the aspects of science education relative to the category in which nominated.

Past Award Winners - Prior to 2000

Past Award Winners - 2000 to Present

Vi Hunsucker Award

This award is named in honor of NCSTA's founder and first president. Vi Hunsucker helped start the organization in 1969 and continued to provide leadership as it grew and expanded. The award recognizes an outstanding science educator who has gone above and beyond the call of duty to serve the students and teachers of North Carolina.

Vi Hunsucker Information Page

Before completing the nomination form for this award, please download a copy. You may want to collect information from multiple sources before starting.

Vi Hunsucker Award Winners