Svenska Kemisamfundet - Gunnar Starck Medal

Gunnar Starck Medal

You will receive a honorary medal from the Swedish Chemical Society (Svenska Kemisamfundet) in recognition of outstanding teaching achievements in the field of chemistry. This is an honour and not a cash prize. It recognises achievements such as outstanding teaching, the writing of textbooks or media appearances that inspire people to study chemistry, chemical engineering and related disciplines, and to pursue careers in these fields. The Society’s Section for Chemistry Education presents the award each year at a ceremony in Stockholm.

Who can apply

• What you do: You have extensive experience in teaching or educational work in the field of chemistry, for example in the classroom, in writing textbooks, or in communicating chemical concepts on the radio, on television or via other media.
• Field: Chemistry, chemical engineering and related disciplines.
• Level: Include teaching roles at all levels, from school to university.
• Nationality: Applicants of all nationalities are welcome to apply; previous winners have worked in Sweden.
• Not a student grant: This award is intended for people who are already teaching or writing about chemistry; it is therefore not intended to fund your own studies.

How realistic are your chances?

This is an award presented once a year to an outstanding chemistry educator; the field is therefore small, but the bar is set high. Only one person is selected each year, and the laureates can usually look back on a long and distinguished career in teaching, textbook writing or science communication. Awards of this kind are generally not awarded on the basis of self-nomination, but through nomination by the chemistry community. Your chances depend on whether you have a clear, well-founded body of educational work to which others can refer.