Award Nominations
Nominators must be NCGE members at the time of submission. Nominees are not required to be an NCGE member; however, only one nominee per nominator in any award category will be accepted. NCGE reserves the right to not make an award in any given year. There may be more than one winner in any category. Self-nominations will not be accepted. Previous award winners in the same category are ineligible. Applicants should follow the application direction provided on the submission form.
Service and Teaching Awards
George J Miller Award for Distinguished Service to Geographic Education
Outstanding Support for Geography Education Award
Brunn Innovations in Geography Award
Higher Education Distinguished Teaching Awards
AP Human Geography Distinguished Teaching Award
K-12 Distinguished Teaching Awards
Research Grant Awards
E. Willard and Ruby S. Miller Grants for Research in Geographic Education
Deadline to Submit:
July 20, 2025 @ 11:59pm
Salvatore J. Natoli
Dissertation Award
Deadline to Submit:
July 20, 2025 @ 11:59pm
What Works in Geography (WWGE) Grant
NCGE is now accepting proposals for the "What Works in Geography” (WWGE) 2025 grant cycle. This grant supports empirical research on student cognition and learning behaviors in geography education. The goal of the program is not to "address big questions," "develop a new curriculum," or "restructure a course." The aim is to take a rigorous look at a multitude of “little” research questions focused on specific geography education materials being developed or already in use in classrooms across the country. Please carefully review the call for proposal eligibility criteria and submission guidelines before completing this form. We look forward to learning about your project and its potential impact on the field of geography education. All proposals are due by December 15, 2025 at 11:59pm (ET).
Congratulations to all of the outstanding NCGE award winning educators!
2025 Recipients
K-12 Distinguished Teaching Award
Faith Engel
McLoud Junior High School
K-12 Distinguished Teaching Award
Chris Turley
Lincoln Public Schools
K-12 Distinguished Teaching Award
Stephen Jacobson
Sturgeon Bay School District
AP Human Geography Teaching Award
Justin McCrackin
Jenks High School
Salvatore J. Natoli Dissertation Award
Lisa Elikan
Texas State University
E. Willard and Ruby S. Miller Geography Education Research Award
Kelly León
University of Wisconsin- Green Bay
George J. Miller Award for Distinguished Service
Paul Gray
Retired
NCGE Presidential Award
Larianne Collins
University of North Carolina – Charlotte
2023 - 2024 Article of the Year Award - Journal of Geography
Geography Teachers’ Pedagogical Content Knowledge: A Systematic Review -Eefj Smit, Hanneke Tuithof, Elwin Savelsbergh & Tine Beneker
2024 Article of the Year Award - The Geography Teacher
Coming in from the Cold: Arctic Council Debate Simulation and the Political Geographies of a Global Region – Jamey Essex
Past Recipients
George J Miller Award for Distinguished Service to Geographic Education
- Jerry Mitchell, Ph.D., SC - 2024
- Derek Alderman, Ph.D., TN - 2023
- Howard Johnson, Ph.D., AL - 2021
- Michal LeVasseur, Ph.D., AL - 2021
AP Human Geography Distinguished Teaching Award
- John "Chris" Bunin, VA - 2023
- Anna-Lisa Dahlgren, WI - 2023
- Laura Kmetz, TX - 2023
- Paula Woods, NV - 2022
- Alexandra "Ali" Hendrick, SC - 2021
- Rachel Hansen, IA - 2021
Higher Education Distinguished Teaching Award
- Michael Camponovo, Ph.D., TN - 2023
- Diana Casey, Ph.D., MI - 2023
- Susan Hume, Ph.D., IL - 2023
- Dr. David Rutherford, Ph.D., MS - 2023
- Tracey Norrell, Ph.D, TN - 2022
- Brian Cooper, Ph.D, TX - 2022
- George Lipscomb, Ph.D, SC - 2021
- Kelsey Ellis, Ph.D, TN - 2021
Brunn Innovations in Geography Award
- Jackie McCann, MT - 2022
- Joseph Miles, SC - 2021
Outstanding Support for Geography Education Award
- Annie Evans, VA - 2024
- Amy Logan, IA - 2024
- Heather Moll, Ph.D., VA - 2024
- Rebecca Theobald, Ph.D., CO - 2024
- John Finn, Ph.D., VA - 2024
- Edward Kinman, Ph.D., VA - 2023
- Barbara Trapido-Lurie, AZ - 2023
- Becca Castleberry, OK - 2022
- Kelly Swanson, MN - 2021
- Daniel C. Edelson, CO - 2021
K-12 Distinguished
Teaching Award
- Bethany Sanders, SC - 2024
- Sandra Makielski, RI - 2024
- Brielle Carlson, MI - 2024
- Andrea Barker, AZ - 2023
- Elizabeth Fuiava, AZ - 2023
- Tristan Lloyd, OK - 2023
- David Sweeney, AZ - 2023
- Lewis Zena, OK - 2022
- Kim Richter, OK - 2022
- Nedra White, AZ - 2022
- Charles Vaughan, SC - 2021
- Dawn M. Schmidt, AZ - 2021
E. Williard and Ruby S. Miller Grant for Research in Geographic Education
- Brian Griffiths Ph.D., VA - 2024
- Injeong Jo, Ph.D., TX - 2023
Salvatore J. Natoli
Dissertation Award
- Sojung Huh, Ph.D., TX - 2024
- Ashley Penir, Ph.D., CA - 2023
NCGE
Presidential Award
- Charlie Fitzpatrick, VA - 2024
- Donald Zeigler, Ph.D., VA - 2023
- Susan Hollier, Ph.D., SC - 2022