NZMS Award for Teaching Excellence

Each year one Teaching Excellence Award will be presented at the NZMS Colloquium. The awardee will be invited to give a presentation on their work at the Colloquium and write a short classroom note for the NZMS Newsletter. A call for applications will be made each year and they will close on 31 August of the year of the award.

Eligibility criteria

The applicant should

• be a current member of the New Zealand Mathematical Society and have been a member for the consecutive twelve-month period immediately prior to the closing date for the application
• reside in New Zealand
• have carried out the teaching in the mathematical sciences at one or more New Zealand tertiary institution(s) where they held a permanent, fixed term or sessional appointment(s) with a teaching component, on a full-time, fractional or casual basis
• be able to demonstrate sustained contribution to excellent teaching that supports learning for a period of no less than three years
• not have previously won this award

Guidelines

Applicants are encouraged to select one or more of the five focus areas listed below, and include clear and consistent forms of evidence addressing this focus area(s). Applicants should demonstrate that their contribution has gained recognition supported by evidence. The focus areas are:

• approaches to teaching and the support of learning of mathematics that influence, motivate and inspire students to learn
• development of curricula, resources or services that reflect a command of the field including current mathematics education research
• evaluation practices that bring about improvements in teaching and learning of mathematics
• innovation, leadership or scholarship that has influenced and enhanced learning and teaching of mathematics and/or the student experience
• excellence in student supervision

An additional pointer

There is a range of evidence that can be used to prepare a good application, including peer review by colleagues or students. Applicants might like to consider including their Teaching Profile (or Teaching Portfolio) which is often required for university promotions.

Application process

Applicants self-nominate for the award. All documents must be on A4 pages with margins of at least 2cm, using 11-point font. The application (items a-d given below) should be submitted as one document (PDF or Word); letters of reference may be submitted separately. Excess pages will not be provided to the Award Committee.

The application should consist of:

1. a completed standard cover sheet
2. a proposed citation (maximum 100 words) to describe the work of the applicant
3. a statement addressing the selection criteria of no more than two A4 pages, arguing the case for offering the award to the applicant and providing evidence of the contribution in the chosen focus area(s)
4. a Curriculum Vitae of no more than four A4 pages, summarising the applicant’s professional career and highlighting any achievements in learning and teaching of mathematics which add support to the application
5. two references of no more than one A4 page each, provided by people able to comment on the applicant’s contribution to student learning in mathematics in the chosen focus area against the selection criteria. One referee should be in a relevant formal role in the applicant’s faculty, department, school or administrative body, who can comment on the applicant’s teaching, such as the Head, Deputy Head, Academic Head, Director of Teaching, Director of First-Year Studies or Associate Dean of Learning and Teaching. The references must be signed, with electronic signatures acceptable.

Your application should be sent by email to the NZMS President, Bernd Krauskopf by 31 August 2026. It should state clearly that it is for the NZMS Award for Teaching Excellence. The receipt of applications will be acknowledged via return email.

An Award Committee will be appointed by the NZMS President and it will make recommendations to the President for the Award.