Since the E³UDRES² alliance was founded, the alliance’s community has witnessed the initiation and development of numerous innovative projects, curricula, teaching formats, and student initiatives. In an effort to actively support and bring our creative minds to the spotlight, the E³UDRES² alliance has given away the E³UDRES² Awards of Excellence. With these awards, the alliance wishes to recognize and celebrate individuals who inspired change, engaged communities, and pushed the boundaries of knowledge through creativity and impactful concepts. From pioneering and innovative educational approaches to groundbreaking and engaging research outreach and communication, the E³UDRES² Awards of Excellence celebrate those who made an outstanding contribution within their respective field of expertise.
The Winners of the E³UDRES² Awards of Excellence 2025
All winners will receive cash prizes of 1.000€ for first place, 750€ for second place, and 500€ for third place, courtesy of the E³UDRES² Association, as well as a personalized award certificate. In addition, all winners will be offered extensive visibility of their projects and ideas and the opportunity to showcase their initiative to the E³UDRES² community and beyond. We are looking forward to sharing those fantastic initiatives with a wide audience!
Award Categories, evaluation and community response
At the beginning of April 2025, E³UDRES² opened the call for applications for the three categories of E³UDRES² Awards of Excellence:
Innovative Science Outreach
This award aspired to honor individuals who have creatively and effectively communicated their research and expertise to the public. This award celebrated innovation in outreach across all disciplines, including natural sciences, humanities, social science, culture, and the arts. The focus is on activities that engage and inspire the public, foster curiosity, and promote understanding in unique, interactive ways.
Innovative Teaching Methods
This award aimed to recognize exceptional educators who have demonstrated a transformative approach to teaching in higher education. This award was designed to honour educators who have gone beyond traditional teaching techniques, incorporating creativity, technology, and new methodologies that enhance learning experiences and student success.
Student Innovation “Local Pulse, Global Waves”
Following the motto of our E³UDRES² Science Festival at St. Pölten UAS “Local Pulse, Global Waves”, this award was intended to celebrate student-driven projects, research, or initiatives that address local challenges with global potential. This competition allowed students across the E³UDRES² Alliance to showcase their work through a creative and visually engaging poster, demonstrating innovation and global impact.
Submissions from across the alliance
All E³UDRES² Awards of Excellence categories were open to all lecturers, researchers, and students affiliated with all E³UDRES² institutions, as well as the Alliance’s associated partner universities. The response to the call was exceptional, with the outcome of 60 applications across all categories, coming from across the E³UDRES² alliance, as well as the associated partner universities. The submissions from the first two categories were evaluated by two dedicated judging panels consisting of six specialists in research and science outreach, as well as educators and experienced lecturers, each. The Student Innovation winners were determined by a public vote.
For the category of Innovative Science Outreach, the judging panel was asked to evaluate all submitted applications based on innovation, engagement and impact, inclusivity and accessibility, as well as evidence of success. For the category of Innovative Teaching Methods, the judging panel evaluated the submitted applications based on innovation and creativity, impact on student learning, description of effectiveness, adaptability and scalability, inclusivity and accessability, as well as student engagement. Lastly, for the category of Student Innovation “Local Pulse, Global Waves”, the public was requested to evaluate all submitted applications based on relevance to the theme, clarity, visual appeal, as well as creativity. The public response to the E³UDRES² Awards of Excellence was overwhelmingly positive: For the submissions in the Student Innovation category, the alliance received more than 1000 votes, while the judging panels accomplished the evaluation of all applications in time and with positive remarks about the submitted ideas and projects.
Celebrating excellence at the E³UDRES² Science Festival
On 21 May 2025, the winning submissions were finally revealed as the top three placements of each category were invited to make a short presentation during the E³UDRES² Awards of Excellence Ceremony held as part of the E³UDRES² Science Festival at St. Pölten UAS. In the ceremony moderated by Alex Xafis, Science Outreach Expert for E³UDRES² at St. Pölten UAS, the exact placement of each submission was revealed and the winners received their awards either on-stage or digitally as they joined online. Subsequently, the winners were celebrated extensively during the festival's closing party. The alliance congratulates all nominees and winners once again and looks forward to many further innovative projects to be brought to the spotlight in future E³UDRES² Awards of Excellence ceremonies.
Find more pictures of the E³UDRES² Awards of Excellence ceremony here.
Links
➝ E³UDRES² Science Festival: Local Pulse, Global Waves
➝ E³UDRES² Awards of Excellence
➝ St. Pölten UAS
Article created by: St. Pölten UAS
