The Thinkerer Award is an educational leadership award presented to an individual whose deeds and actions have shown consistent selfless service towards the promotion of learning, community, and educational practices, and who exemplifies the spirit of cooperative development within immersive environments.

The award is for lifetime achievement in community development and leadership rather than for a single contribution.

Recipients of this award are not simply outstanding professionals in their field. Award recipients must embody transformational leadership qualities necessary to:

• lead by example in building communities dedicated to lifelong learning;
• envision and guide change;
• enhance the motivation, morale, and performance of both peers and pupils;
• promote best practices and continuous improvement; and
• inspire others through their words and actions.

The Thinkerer Award is presented in honor of Dr. Selby Evans, Prof. of Psychology at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas from 1964-1990, specializing in research design, statistics, and computer applications. Dr. Evans, our first Thinkerer Award recipient, has been an inspiration to many within the field of immersive environments and continues to this day to inspire, guide, and enhance opportunities for change-seeking educators to meet, collaborate, and experiment. Other past recipients are honored in the VWBPE Archives.

If you know of someone who deserves to be recognized for their contribution to the field of education and immersive environments, we encourage you to submit them as a nominee for the 2022 Thinkerer Award. Nominations are currently open until Monday, January 31, 2022.

Nomination criteria and the submission form can be found on our website at https://vwbpe.org/conference/vwbpe2022-thinkerer-award-nomination.

Final selection of the award recipient will be conducted by the VWBPE Organizational Committee by Sunday, February 13, 2022 and will be announced publicly during the conference closing ceremonies on Saturday, April 2, 2022.