Beth Southwell Practical Implications Award

The Beth Southwell Practical Implications Award (BSPIA) recognises high-quality mathematics education that produces insights for the teaching profession and/or student learning.

The award consists of $500 and a plaque to be presented at the Conference.

The award recipient/s will be invited to present a plenary at the Conference and share a blog-style post about their work via the MERGA website and newsletter.

If you have any questions about the award, please contact Vice President (Development) Kristen Tripet: [email protected] 

Recent Winners

Applying for entry into the BSPIA 

In 2022, a new nomination process is being trialled:

Nomination via peer-review: Anyone who submits a Conference paper for peer-review will be considered for nomination by the reviewers. 

Self-nomination: When you submit your conference paper, you can also include a note to the Conference organisers that you would like to self-nominate.

Single and co-authored papers are eligible for consideration.

When you write your paper, please ensure that you observe all general paper submission requirements including the maximum page length. We are no longer requiring the submission of an additional two-pages.

Judging of the BSPIA

Submissions must be deemed eligible for publication in the Conference proceedings by the initial reviewing panel. Submissions accepted for presentation only will be excluded from consideration.

The Conference Organisers and VP Development will shortlist up to five nominations for judging. 

The judging panel will consist of two MERGA members and two AAMT nominees and will be chaired by the VP Development.

The judging criteria are:

• Identification of a persistent and significant research problem
• Synthesis of recent research literature and relevant policy initiatives
• Robust methodology producing valid, reliable findings
• Insightful discussion of practical implications for the teaching profession and/or student learning
• Clear, succinct style of academic writing

Winners are notified four weeks prior to the Conference.

History of the Award

The Beth Southwell Practical Implications Award was initiated and sponsored by the National Key Centre for Teaching and Research in School Science and Mathematics, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia. Curtin sponsored the "Practical Implications Award", as it was known for the first ten years. The Award is now sponsored by the Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers (AAMT). In 2008, MERGA was honoured to be able to rename the PIA as the Beth Southwell Practical Implications Award, in honour of MERGA's and AAMT's esteemed late member, Beth Southwell.