What: UL Innovative Education Award 

Awards: One $100,000 award, two $50,000 awards, and two $25,000 awards

Eligibility: U.S. and Canadian nonprofit organizations, including after-school providers, with innovative environmental education programs

Apply by March 12, 2019

The UL Innovative Education Award  invests up to $250,000 annually in environmental and STEM education, sustainable communities, and youth empowerment. nonprofit programs that use the environment as a pathway to STEM Learning (E-STEM).

Designed in collaboration with NAAEE, the award program aims to empower the next generation of leaders to connect with the natural world, develop science-based sustainable solutions for local communities, and nurture a capacity for social responsibility. With the support of this award, these successful programs can scale up their efforts to reach more youth in their communities and share their innovations with other organizations.

Applicants should submit strong evidence (through writing, photos, videos, and supplementary materials) of how their program advances innovation in the field of E-STEM for each of the following criteria. Applicants should write ONLY about existing programs, instead of plans for future programs unless specifically asked.

Successful programs promote STEM learning for young people through research and investigative experiences, with an emphasis on creative approaches to problem solving and critical thinking. Successful programs also focus on environmental health and the fair treatment and involvement of all people and communities with respect to the environment Civic engagement is a hallmark, and successful programs can demonstrate how they have tackled environmental problems using STEM solutions, and promoted those solutions to others.

Download the official rubric here to learn how applications are assessed by judges. Click for application or view select past applications here for examples from our previous winners.

All applicants who are not finalists will be provided with brief written feedback from judges.

Cover photo shows participants in a 2017 youth climate summit hosted by The Wild Center of Tupperville, N.Y., a 2016 UL Innovative Education award winner.

Filed under: Grades 9-12, K-12 Outreach Programs, Special Features

Tags: Contest, Curriculum, Environmental Education, Environmental Engineering, Environmental science, STEM education, UL Innovative Education Awards