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EnglishWhat Golden Apple teaching awards are there and how do I nominate an educator?
Updated
Golden Apple’s awards recognize outstanding educators in Illinois, and nominations are submitted through separate online forms depending on who you are nominating. The site lists nomination options for a Pre-K–12th grade teacher, a high school teacher, and a Pre-K–12th grade school leader. The flagship recognition named on the site is the Excellence in Teaching & Leadership Award, and the 2026 recipients in Illinois are already featured. Nominations are an Illinois-focused process; the site does not describe a nomination route for Michigan or New Mexico, where Golden Apple instead operates teacher-preparation programs.
Award and nomination options
| Who you are nominating | Nomination entry on the site | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K–12th grade teacher | “Nominate a Teacher” | General classroom teacher nomination |
| High school teacher | “Nominate a High School Teacher” | Separate form for high school educators |
| Pre-K–12th grade school leader | “Nominate a School Leader” | For principals and other school leaders |
The site also highlights the Excellence in Teaching & Leadership Award as its named award, with a published list of 2026 recipients in Illinois. Recipients are publicly celebrated: the site’s news section describes surprise announcements to individual teachers, such as Nita Sengupta of Salazar Elementary Bilingual Center, Shavon Brewer of Northwest Elementary School, Matthew White of Scullen Middle School, Joshua Veath of Mascoutah Elementary School, and Sara Mazhary of Marvin Camras Children’s Engineering School.
How to nominate an educator
- Go to goldenapple.org and find the “Honor an Educator in Illinois” section.
- Choose the form that matches the person you are nominating: teacher, high school teacher, or school leader.
- Complete the nomination through that form. The site presents these as the official entry points, so use the one tied to the nominee’s role rather than a general contact form.
- Submit before the relevant cycle closes. The site does not publish deadline dates in the available material, so check the nomination page itself for the current window.
Expected result: your nomination is routed to the correct award category for review. If you pick the wrong form, the nomination may not reach the right reviewers, so match the form to the nominee’s role first.
What to check before you start
- Location: Nomination is framed for Illinois educators. If the person teaches in Michigan or New Mexico, the site’s relevant offering is its aspiring-teacher preparation programs, not awards nomination.
- Role accuracy: A high school teacher has a dedicated form; other Pre-K–12 teachers use the general teacher form. School leaders use the leader form.
- Public recognition: Award recipients are announced publicly and listed on the site, so nominees should be comfortable with public recognition.
Common sticking points
- Using the general “Nominate a Teacher” form for a high school teacher or a school leader instead of the role-specific form.
- Assuming the awards program covers every state where Golden Apple works. The site ties nomination to Illinois, while Illinois, Michigan, and New Mexico are listed for teacher preparation.
- Looking for award deadlines on the homepage. The available page content does not include dates, so confirm the cycle on the nomination page before submitting.
For context on the organization itself, Golden Apple describes its mission as inspiring, developing, and supporting teacher and school leader excellence, especially in schools-of-need, and it runs teacher preparation programs in Illinois, Michigan, and New Mexico.