Nominations are now open: 2025 Smithsonian Education Awards

Deadline for submission is February 7

The Smithsonian Education Awards celebrate the outstanding achievements of Smithsonian educators who inspire lifelong learning and promote access to our exceptional programming, resources, collections, and research. These awards acknowledge excellence, creativity, and dedication to serving the nation through educational programming, distance learning, digital media, publications, and exhibitions. All active Smithsonian staff members are eligible for nomination.

The guidelines are available at https://s.si.edu/EdAwardsGuidelines.

The 2025 awards include the following categories:

• The Smithsonian Education ACHIEVEMENT Award honors an INDIVIDUAL’S consistent and outstanding performance in education.
• The ONE SMITHSONIAN Education Award honors an outstanding education project TEAM that celebrates the spirit of pan-institutional internal teamwork, engagement with our nationwide PreK-12 partners, or multi-unit collaboration within our vast Smithsonian spaces and grounds.
• *New in 2025* The Smithsonian Education IMPACT Award honors an exceptional TEAM project that enhances outcomes for PreK-12 learners, educators, and families across the nation.

The $5,000 cash awards are open to all Smithsonian employees and may be used to participate in national conferences (to make presentations or serve on committees), purchase professional journals or publications, make site visits to observe other programs, register in continuing education or university coursework, or develop new education initiatives.

This program is generously supported by the Smithsonian Women’s Committee and was endowed in honor of its 40th anniversary of service to the Smithsonian. The Smithsonian Office of the Under Secretary for Education (OUSE) manages the program, and an external committee of museum and education leaders makes the award selections.

Smithsonian employees may nominate themselves or their colleagues by filling out the form here: https://s.si.edu/CelebrateEdu. Submissions are due by Friday, February 7, 2025.  We will honor the 2025 Nominees and Awardees at an in-person ceremony and reception on Wednesday, March 27, 2025, so please save the date. If you have questions, do not hesitate to get in touch with Tracie Spinale, TSpinale@si.edu.

For more information please contact Tracie Spinale, Training Administrator, Office of the Under Secretary for Education, (OUSE), TSpinale@si.edu.