Awards for Teaching Excellence (ATE)

There are three ATE nomination categories:  

Early Career 

• An applicant with no more than five years of experience teaching in a higher education institution, may apply for an Early Career ATE by selecting this nomination category in the application form. The five years can be non-sequential and are counted on a semester basis.
• Applications are welcomed from academic staff with Teaching Associate, Clinical Academic, Teaching Focussed, or Teaching and Research appointments at Levels A – C, who have a minimum of two years of academic teaching-related employment at The University of Queensland.

Indigenous Educator 

• An eligible Indigenous staff member or a team of Indigenous staff members may apply for an Indigenous Educator ATE by selecting this nomination category in the application form. Applicants in this nomination category must ordinarily have a minimum of two years of employment at The University of Queensland. 

General  

• All other eligible staff.

Under all nomination categories, individual and team applications are encouraged (teams may include up to ten members). All teams must provide a team name. If submitting a team application under the Indigenous Educator or Early Career nomination categories, all members of the team must comply with the definition of that category (e.g. in a team application under the Indigenous Educator nomination category, all members of the team must be Indigenous). 

Individuals and Teams should only select a nomination category if it is directly applicable to their circumstances. Those who do not fall into either the Indigenous Educator or Early Career nomination categories should select the General nomination category in the application form.  

Applicants are advised that the eligibility criteria and assessment criteria is differentiated for each nomination category, and this is outlined in the Application Information and Instructions (PDF, 906.3 KB).  

All applicants should nominate both a Nomination Category and a Discipline Category. The full list of discipline categories is also available in the Application Information and Instructions.  

Please pay particular attention to the eligibility and assessment criteria – which are different depeneding on your nomination category – as you proceed with your application and contact the team if you have any questions about your eligibility to apply, or the most suitable nomination category for your circumstances.  

Please refer to the Application Information and Instructions (PDF, 906.3 KB) for guidance when preparing your application.

Stage 1: Expression of Interest (EOI)

Applicants must submit an Expression of Interest and Summary of Evidence by 5pm, 27 April 2026.

The EOI online form will prompt you for the following information:

• Application form:
  • Applicant details including name, school, faculty, email and team details (if applicable)
  • Nomination category
  • Discipline category
  • Synopsis (200 words)
  • Overview of your teaching and its context (max. 300 words).
• File uploads:
  • summary of evidence addressing all 4 assessment criteria provided in dot point format (maximum one A4 page)
  • Reference list on a separate page (n.b. this is not your publication history, and should only include a list of the works cited in your EOI). 
  • SECaT Teaching Summary Report for the last 3 years (i.e., if applying in 2026, this report must provide data for 2023, 2024 and 2025). You can also include a short explanation appended to and supporting this document if desired.

Stage 2: Full Application

A Shortlisting Committee will appraise expressions of interest according to the published criteria, and will invite eligible applicants to provide a detailed application by 24 July 2026.

To download previous ATE applications, browse through our Exemplar award application library (staff login required).

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to a workshop facilitated by ITaLI where advice and guidance will be given on the format and content of their ATE application.

A Selection Committee will appraise applications according to the published criteria and make recommendations for awarding commendations and citations to the University Teaching, Learning and Student Experience Committee for endorsement and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) for approval.

1:1 Consultations

Applicants who need 1:1 support are recommended to request a consultation with ITaLI staff. 

Information session

27 March 2026 at 10am, 11A-131 (ModWest Building, Saint Lucia)

This session will provide an overview of the Teaching and Learning Award schemes offered at UQ, and tips for structuring an effective expression of interest.

Register for the session

Writing a Teaching and Learning Award application workshop

This session is open to shortlisted applicants only, and will be held on 24 June 2026.

The purpose of this workshop is to provide applicants with guidance on the format and content of their application and discuss tips for a successful application.

Mentored award writing session

This session is open to shortlisted applicants only, and will be held on 8 July 2026.

The purpose of this session is to provide applicants with time and space to work on their draft application, with ITaLI staff and previous UQ award winners available to provide advice and clarification.

• View previous ATE award winners