2025 Leading Edge - Organizational Award Nomination

2025 Organizational Award Nomination
Please complete and submit this form to submit an organizational award nomination for the 2025 Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge Awards from the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC).

The ASTC Awards Committee seeks to recognize achievements in areas that explicitly align with ASTC's strategic framework:
- Support Lifelong Science Learning
- Engage a Wide Range of Audiences
- Connect Science and Society and Partner to Tackle Local and Global Issues
- Strengthen the Organization to Thrive as a Community Leader
In addition, the 2025 awards cycle will include two additional areas of focus:
- Achievements relevant to the conference theme of Connectivity
- Achievements relevant to Natural History Settings
Nominations will be judged according to how the achievement aligns with one or more of the priority areas listed above; the creativity of the program or activity described; the nature of any relevant partnerships and collaborations; and the potential to serve as a model of creative thinking and best practices for the field as a whole.

The committee will separately consider nominations from smaller science centers and museums, larger science centers and museums, and allied members so that they are evaluating organizations of similar scale and resources on comparable terms. New for 2025 is the opportunity to include more than one organization in the nomination to recognize achievements that represent a collaboration between multiple ASTC members.

In addition, the committee welcomes nominations at all stages of development and will separately consider nominations of established efforts, completed projects, and emerging efforts or early-stage innovation.

Eligibility

Leading Edge Awards may be presented to ASTC-member organizations in good standing—and their staff and volunteers. This includes both Science and Museum Members and Allied Members. Organizations may submit nominations on behalf of their own achievements or for another ASTC-member organization. Nominations describing collaborations among ASTC-member organizations—including partnerships between science centers and Allied Members—are also eligible and encouraged.

Nominations should describe an achievement that has occurred since January 1, 2023.

Submitter Information

In this section, please let us know who is submitting the nomination.
Your name*

First NameLast Name
Your email address*
example@example.com
Your organizational affiliation
Your position or title

Primary Nominee Information

In this section, please let us know who is being nominated. If the nomination involves more than one organization, you will have the opportunity to include additional organizations below.
Name of primary organization being nominated*
Select ASTC-member from the pull-down list.
Which best describes this nominated organization's membership in ASTC?

Science center or museum member with annual operating revenue LESS than $3 millionScience center or museum member with annual operating revenue MORE than $3 millionAllied memberNot sure
The Primary Contact is the individual most knowledgeable about or responsible for the nominated achievement. It can be the same as the submitter and/or chief executive, but can also be distinct.
Primary contact*

First NameLast Name
Primary contact email*
example@example.com
Primary contact title
Chief executive name*

First NameLast Name
Chief executive email*
example@example.com
Before submitting your nomination, you will be asked to upload a completed Chief Executive Nomination Acknowledgement Form.

You may download the blank form here: Chief Executive Nomination Acknowledgement
Is there another ASTC-member organization that should share credit with the organization listed above. For example, a science center or museum that worked closely with an Allied Member to develop or deliver a new program or a collaboration between multiple ASTC members.*

Yes, I'll add information about another organization.No, just the organization listed above.

Partner Nominee Information

In this section, please let us know who else is being nominated.
Briefly describe the nature of the partnership or collaboration. For example, you might describe the areas of responsibility for each partner.
Name of partner organization being nominated*
Select ASTC-member from the pull-down list.
Which best describes the partner organization's membership in ASTC?

Science center or museum member with annual operating revenue LESS than $3 millionScience center or museum member with annual operating revenue MORE than $3 millionAllied memberNot sure
The Primary Contact is the individual most knowledgeable about or responsible for the nominated achievement. It can be the same as the submitter and/or chief executive, but can also be distinct.
Partner primary contact*

First NameLast Name
Partner primary contact email*
example@example.com
Partner primary contact title
Partner chief executive name*

First NameLast Name
Partner chief executive email*
example@example.com
Before submitting your nomination, you will be asked to upload a completed Chief Executive Nomination Acknowledgement Form.

You may download the blank form here: Chief Executive Nomination Acknowledgement
If there are additional organizations that should also share in this award nomination, please provide the organization's name—and the name and email address for each organization's primary contact and chief executive.

Nominated Achievement

In this section, you will describe the achievement that is being nominated for a Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge Award.
Nomination name*
Add a few words to identify the achievement being nominated, such as the name of the nominated project or activity. This is mostly used to help track nominations during the review process.
What is the stage of development for the nominated achievement?*
Briefly describe the achievement that is being nominated. In THIS response, just tell us what the project is; below, you will tell us why it is important.*

Up to 250 words.0/250
For the next two questions, please consider the following definitions of these elements drawn from ASTC’s strategic framework:
- Support Lifelong Science Learning: Efforts that demonstrate effective, evidence-based approaches to learning, including learning at all life stages, intergenerational opportunities for learning, and activities to better understand what works.
- Engage a Wide Range of Audiences: Efforts that reach or invite participation from a wide range of audiences, especially those who have not traditionally participated in science and science engagement opportunities and/or that respond to shifting community demographics. Note that nominations and the selection process should account for institutional and community contexts.
- Connect Science and Society and Partner to Tackle Local and Global Issues: Efforts that involve members’ activities to act on an issue of local or global importance, including equitable partnerships with other organizations, groups, or communities.
- Strengthen the Organization to Thrive as a Community Leader: Efforts that contribute to the organization’s operations and administration so that it is adaptable, supported by a diverse and skilled staff, sustainable finances, and collaborative relationships, and that is recognized as a leader in its community.
This year's nominations may also draw upon the theme for the ASTC 2025 Annual Conference:
- Connectivity: Efforts that underscore the critical role science centers and the science engagement field plays in our communities, helping people connect to knowledge, with each other, and across our society.
Nominations are NOT expected to address each of these elements, but to focus on the most relevant. Which one (or two) of these elements is MOST relevant for your nomination?*

Support Lifelong Science LearningEngage a Wide Range of AudiencesConnect Science and Society and Partner to Tackle Local and Global IssuesStrengthen the Organization to Thrive as a Community LeaderConnectivity (ASTC 2025 Annual Conference theme)
Please describe how the nominated achievement reflects excellence in the element(s) identified in the previous question. We encourage you to discuss how the nominated work is important to the nominated organization and its strategic goals.*

Up to 750 words.0/750
Does the nominated achievement have a specific focus on issues uniquely or especially relevant to natural history museums or other natural history settings (e.g., relating to collections, research, or authenticity)?

YesNo
If yes, please describe.

0/200
You may optionally include one or two supporting items to provide additional context to reviewers. This may include—but is not limited to—presentations, videos, articles, illustrations, or photographs.
Supporting documents

Upload up to two files.
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Evidence of Impact
Please provide evidence of impact for the nominated achievement. For example, this might include letters of reference from key partner organizations or individuals, evaluation data, research publications, news clippings, and other documentation. The aim is for nominators to provide available evidence, not necessarily to conduct additional research and evaluation.
Impact Upload

Upload up to five files.
Cancelof

Consents
I understand that information in this nomination will be shared with members of the ASTC Awards Committee for the purposes of review. In addition, selected elements of the nomination may be subsequently shared with the ASTC community and the broader science engagement field, but rest assured that the nomination itself will remain confidential.*

YesNo
In order for this nomination application to be considered for an award and reviewed by the Awards Committee, chief executive officer (or equivalent) of EACH nominated organization MUST review and sign the Chief Executive Nomination Acknowledgement form.

Download the blank form: Chief Executive Nomination Acknowledgement.

If your nomination includes a partnership between multiple ASTC-member organizations, please remember to upload the Chief Executive Nomination Acknmowledge for each partner.
Chief executive acknowledgement upload

Upload the completed Chief Executive Application Acknowledgement form (PDF preferred(
Cancelof
Signature of individual submitting the nomination*

Clear

	1	2	3	4	5
Support lifelong science learning
Engage a wide range of audiences
Connect science and society and partner to tackle local and global issues
Strengthen the organization to thrive as a community leader
Connectivity (ASTC 2025 conference theme)

	1	2	3	4	5
Support lifelong science learning
Engage a wide range of audiences
Connect science and society and partner to tackle local and global issues
Strengthen the organization to thrive as a community leader
Connectivity

	1	2	3	4	5
Support lifelong science learning
Engage a wide range of audiences
Connect science and society and partner to tackle local and global issues
Strengthen the organization to thrive as a community leader
Connectivity

	1	2	3	4	5
Support lifelong science learning
Engage a wide range of audiences
Connect science and society and partner to tackle local and global issues
Strengthen the organization to thrive as a community leader
Connectivity

2025 Organizational Award Nomination

Submitter Information

Primary Nominee Information

Partner Nominee Information

Nominated Achievement

Evidence of Impact

Consents

Reviews