EURECA-PRO
Teaching Excellence Awards (TEXAs) 2027
Celebrating Outstanding Educators in EURECA-PRO
Call for nominations, 2nd edition
Deadline for nominations: 15 December 2026, midnight (CET)!
Universidad de León (ULE) will host the second official EURECA-PRO Teaching Excellence Awards. As part of the EURECA-PRO Teaching Forum 14–15 April 2027 at Universidad de León, we are pleased to announce the second edition of the TEXAs. These awards recognize and celebrate exceptional educators within EURECA-PRO who demonstrate innovation, impact, and leadership in teaching and learning.
Key Dates
Call opens: 19 October 2026
Nomination Deadline: 15 December 2026, 23:59 CET
Jury assessment: January 2027
Runner-up notified: by 15 February 2027
Runner-up confirm attendance: by 1 March 2027
Award ceremony: 13/14 April 2027, day 1/2 of the Teaching Forum (13–14 April 2027), Universidad de León.
The awards aim to:
- Recognize and reward educators who excel in innovative teaching that enhances student learning.
- Stimulate and share best practices that strengthen the appreciation of teaching within EURECA-PRO.
- Highlight the integration of research, innovation, and education across our European University Alliance.
Award Categories
Candidates may apply in one category only!
Before the assessment starts, the jury may move an application to another category if it fits better, with the candidate’s agreement. You need to have a google account to apply trough the forms. If you cannot access the form please write to: eurecapro@unileon.es.
The three categories are:
Award Categories
Candidates may apply in one category only!
Before the assessment starts, the jury may move an application to another category if it fits better, with the candidate’s agreement. You need to have a google account to apply trough the forms. If you cannot access the form please write to: eurecapro@unileon.es.
The three categories are:
Rising Star Award
For PhD candidates and early-career researchers who have made an outstanding contribution to teaching innovation. You are eligible if you are a PhD candidate, or if you were awarded your doctorate on or after 15 December 2021. Career breaks (for example, parental leave or long-term illness) extend this period by their length. State them in the form.
Global Teaching Excellence Award
For educators who incorporate global perspectives and international case studies into their teaching, while keeping the content relevant to the local context and the regional community.
Innovative Teaching Practice Award
For educators who make creative use of technology, digital tools or distinctive teaching methods to improve student learning.
Nomination process
Assessment Criteria
All submissions will be evaluated according to the criteria below:
| Award | Criteria | Weight | Guiding Questions |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Rising Star Award |
Innovation in Teaching |
40% |
What problem does the practice address, what is new about it in this context, and is the design based on evidence or literature? |
|
|
Impact on Student Learning |
30% |
What evidence shows that the practice improved student engagement or learning, and how strong is it? |
|
|
Development and Potential |
30% |
How has the candidate developed as a teacher, and are there concrete plans to develop the practice further? |
|
Global Teaching Excellence Award |
Integration of Global & Local Perspectives |
40% |
Are European, global and/or local perspectives connected in the learning outcomes, activities and assessment? |
|
|
Impact on Student Learning |
30% |
What evidence shows that students developed the global or intercultural learning outcomes described in Section 1? |
|
|
Teaching Leadership |
30% |
What evidence shows that the practice has influenced colleagues, curricula or policy beyond the candidate’s own course? |
|
Innovative Teaching Practice Award |
Creative/Innovative Use of Methods |
40% |
What is new in the method or use of technology in this context, and why does it help students learn better than the usual approach? |
|
|
Impact on Student Learning |
30% |
What evidence shows that the practice improved student engagement or learning, and how strong is it? |
|
|
Scalability & Transferability |
30% |
What do others need to adopt the practice, and is there evidence that it has been sustained or adopted? |
| Award | Criteria | Weight | Guiding Questions |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Rising Star Award |
Innovation in Teaching |
40% |
What problem does the practice address, what is new about it in this context, and is the design based on evidence or literature? |
|
Rising Star Award |
Impact on Student Learning |
30% |
What evidence shows that the practice improved student engagement or learning, and how strong is it? |
|
Rising Star Award |
Development and Potential |
30% |
How has the candidate developed as a teacher, and are there concrete plans to develop the practice further? |
|
Global Teaching Excellence Award |
Integration of Global & Local Perspectives |
40% |
Are European, global and/or local perspectives connected in the learning outcomes, activities and assessment? |
|
Global Teaching Excellence Award |
Impact on Student Learning |
30% |
What evidence shows that students developed the global or intercultural learning outcomes described in Section 1? |
|
Global Teaching Excellence Award |
Teaching Leadership |
30% |
What evidence shows that the practice has influenced colleagues, curricula or policy beyond the candidate’s own course? |
|
Innovative Teaching Practice Award |
Creative/Innovative Use of Methods |
40% |
What is new in the method or use of technology in this context, and why does it help students learn better than the usual approach? |
|
Innovative Teaching Practice Award |
Impact on Student Learning |
30% |
What evidence shows that the practice improved student engagement or learning, and how strong is it? |
|
Innovative Teaching Practice Award |
Scalability & Transferability |
30% |
What do others need to adopt the practice, and is there evidence that it has been sustained or adopted? |
Each criterion is scored from 0 (no evidence provided) to 4. Each level describes what the application must show. The weighted score is out of 100. For the Rising Star Award, the jury takes the candidate’s career stage into account: one cohort of students can reach the highest level of the impact criterion.
The full rubric is in Annex 2, published with this call.
Selection Process
A multidisciplinary jury of management representatives, experienced educators and experts in educational innovation assesses the applications in four steps:
- The organisers check eligibility.
- At least two jury members score each application with the rubric in Annex 2. No jury member assesses a candidate from their own institution or with whom they have a close working or personal relationship.
- The jury meets and selects up to three finalists per category.
- The jury chooses one winner per category. It may decide not to give an award in a category if no application scores at least 50 out of 100.
The jury’s decision is final. Winners will be announced and honoured during the Teaching Excellence Awards Ceremony of the EURECA-PRO Teaching Forum.
Each category will award one winner and one runner-up (accésit). The jury reserves the right to declare any award or runner-up prize void.
Each category winner will receive:
- A trophy and certificate of recognition
- A financial award of EUR 3,000 (gross) to support the further development or scaling of the practice. Tax is withheld as required by Spanish law and the winner’s tax residence. To receive the payment, winners will be required to submit the necessary administrative documentation upon request.
- An invitation to attend the Teaching Forum (held in León on 13–14 April 2027) to present their innovation in a 30-minute symposium mini-conference. Attendance is encouraged but not mandatory. Registration fees, accommodation, and the gala dinner are fully covered by the organizers. If attendance is not possible, winners will be asked to submit a thank-you video as well as a video presentation explaining their innovation. This does not affect the award.
Runner-up (accésit) will receive:
- An official certificate of recognition.
- An invitation to attend the Teaching Forum (held in León on 13–14 April 2027) to present their innovation in a 30-minute symposium mini-conference. Attendance is encouraged but not mandatory. Registration fees, accommodation, and the gala dinner are fully covered by the organizers. If attendance is not possible, runner-up will be asked to submit a thank-you video as well as a video presentation explaining their innovation. This does not affect the award.
Ethics, data protection and publication
Evidence about students must be anonymized or aggregated. Do not include names, photographs or other data that identify students unless they have given written consent. You are responsible for following the ethics rules of your institution.
The Universidad de León is the controller of the personal data in this call. We use your data only to manage the awards and, for runner-up and winners, to publish the information described below. We keep the data for six years. You can exercise your data protection rights at dpo@unileon.es. Full information: Data protection.
If you become a runner-up, the organizers may publish your name, institution, category and public summary, and photographs of the ceremony. You may also choose to share materials from your practice under a Creative Commons Attribution license (CC BY 4.0).
The organizers may use AI tools to support administrative checks. All scores and decisions are made by jury members.
Contact
For questions or additional information, please contact: eurecapro@unileon.es
Teaching Excellence Awards: Jury Scoring Rubric
Instructions for Jury Members: Each nomination should be assessed against the criteria below. Use the 1–5 scale to score each criterion, with 5 = Excellent and 1 = Weak/Absent. Provide short comments noting the evidence (or lack thereof) for the overall score. Weighted percentages ensure balance across criteria.
1. Rising star award
| Criteria | Weight | 1 – Weak | 3 – Adequate | 5 – Excellent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Innovation in Teaching |
40% |
No clear innovation, conventional approach |
Some originality but limited novelty |
Highly creative, new pedagogy or curriculum design |
|
Impact on Student Learning |
30% |
No evidence of improved learning/engagement |
Some qualitative or quantitative evidence of impact |
Strong, documented evidence of enhanced engagement, critical thinking, and problem solving |
|
Early Career Potential |
30% |
No sign of trajectory in teaching innovation |
Some evidence of future potential |
Clear demonstration of strong long-term potential for excellence and impact in teaching |
2. Global Teaching Excellence Award
| Criteria | Weight | 1 – Weak | 3 – Adequate | 5 – Excellent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Integration of Global & Local Perspectives |
40% |
Perspectives absent or tokenistic |
Some integration, limited contextualisation |
Strong evidence of global perspectives embedded and connected to local context |
|
Impact on Student Learning |
30% |
No evidence of student gains |
Some evidence of deeper engagement |
Clear evidence that students develop intercultural awareness, systems thinking, and glocal understanding |
|
Teaching Leadership |
30% |
No influence beyond own teaching |
Some influence on colleagues/program |
Clear leadership role shaping colleagues, curriculum, or policy around glocal teaching |
3. Innovative Teaching Practice Award
| Criteria | Weight | 1 – Weak | 3 – Adequate | 5 – Excellent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Creative/Innovative Use of Methods |
40% |
No clear innovation, conventional teaching |
Some originality, limited impact |
Strong, original methods with clear examples of effectiveness |
|
Impact on Student Learning |
30% |
No evidence of impact |
Some evidence of engagement or improved learning |
Strong, documented impact on student engagement, critical thinking, or problem solving |
|
Scalability & Transferability |
30% |
Not adaptable or sustainable |
Some potential for adaptation |
High potential for sustainability, scaling, and adoption across courses/institutions |