STEM Inspiration Awards

The STEM Inspiration awards are a free award scheme, designed to celebrate individuals and organisations working to inspire young people in STEM subjects.  

What’s involved

Once you've completed our application form, a shortlist will be drawn up and you will be invited to attend our national award ceremony. The winners will be announced at a prestigious awards event at the Houses of Parliament. 

Winners of the STEM Inspiration Awards are also invited to attend an exclusive visit to CERN, the world-renowned research facility in Switzerland.

The closing date for applications is 30 July 2017, with successful nominees being informed in early September.

Making a strong application

Whether you are applying for yourself, your organisation or nominating an inspiring STEM Ambassador, we’ve designed a simple online application form, which guides you through creating a strong submission.

For more information please download our short guidance document:

• STEM Inspiration awards guidance

Apply now

STEM Inspiration Award categories

Outstanding STEM Ambassador

This award is aimed at those with a long-standing body of engagement with the STEM Ambassadors programme, recognising achievement over a prolonged period.

Outstanding New STEM Ambassador

This award is aimed at those who have joined the programme since June 2016 and have already displayed enthusiasm and commitment as a STEM Ambassador. 

Outstanding STEM Technician

This award recognises efforts to inform and inspire young people with apprenticeships and technician careers. It is aimed at those working in STEM who have a technical, non-graduate background and have used this to help inspire the next generation of technicians. 

Inspirational STEM engagement project

This is a new award that aims to draw together a number of supporters and is designed to reward sustained and long-term engagement through a single project or enrichment programme.

It may involve communities, schools, non-school groups, STEM Clubs, STEM Ambassador Hubs, employers, and other institutions and organisations such as learned societies.

Applicants can be individuals or organisations involved in the project, but we would recommend you coordinate with partners to ensure a single application is made.

STEM Employer – small and medium enterprises

This award is for those organisations classified by the UK government as small and medium sized enterprises (less than 250 employees). It aims to reward outstanding commitment to the STEM agenda, and how this is embedded within the culture of the organisation.

Outstanding commitment – please detail the commitment of the organisation to the STEM Ambassadors programme.

This may include the number of people working as STEM Ambassadors as a proportion of the workforce, the ways the organisation supports its Ambassadors, and evidence of sustained engagement over the long-term (200 words). 

STEM Employer – large companies

This award is for those organisations classified by the UK government as large (more than 250 employees). It aims to reward outstanding commitment to the STEM agenda, and how this is embedded within the culture of the organisation. 

The Joan Sjøvoll Award for STEM Leadership

This award recognises anyone employed in a STEM leadership role who has worked to foster an understanding of STEM subjects within their organisation, inspiring and leading others to actively promote STEM education and careers.

Nominees in this category need not necessarily be engaged in delivering to young people themselves, they may be in a role in which they enable and encourage others to do so.

The winners of the STEM Inspiration Awards 2016