NOMINATE a teacher

The Hall of Fame annually honors five teachers who have demonstrated commitment and dedication to teaching our nation’s children. After a rigorous nomination/application process Hall of Fame inductees will receive:
  • A permanent display in The National Teachers Hall of Fame
  • Signet ring and lapel pin presented by Herff Jones, Inc.
  • $1,000 in materials for their school district presented by Pearson Education
  • A cast bronze bell tower award designed by Lyon County artist, John Forsyth.​
Nominations for the class of 2020 are now closed! ​​

Inductee criteria

Each nominee must meet the following criteria:
  • Twenty (20) or more years of full-time pre-K-12 teaching experience
  • May be retired, or no longer teaching. 
  • Must hold/have held a valid teaching certificate/license from the state in which they are teaching or taught.
  • Bachelor’s Degree or higher
  • Be living and able to attend the induction ceremonies in Washington D.C. in May and in Emporia, KS in June. 

the nomination process

1
Initial Nomination
  • Complete and submit the official nomination packet. Anyone can nominate an educator. Self-nominations are encouraged and welcomed! ​
  • The local screening committee will examine each submission packet to determine eligibility and adherence to criteria (see above) and narrow the submission list to twenty or twenty-five semi-finalists. ​​

2
Semi-finalist Round 
  • Semi-finalists will be notified and asked to submit a 3-minute DVD of pre-determined content and a photo of themselves to be forwarded to the National Selection Committee (NSC), which includes former inductees, representatives from educational organizations, and corporate sponsors.
  • In late January the NSC will review the nomination packet of each semi-finalist, and then meet in late February to watch the DVD presentations, discuss candidates, and determine the top ten finalists and the final five inductees for the year.​

3
Induction
  • Inductees will all be announced on the same day in late March/ early April at surprise assemblies in the inductees’ schools or communities. This will be the official notification of selection as an inductee. Finalists will be notified of their status on that same day.
  • Inductees must join us in Washington D.C. in May to be honored at the National Education Association, and again in Emporia, KS during the 2nd week of June to officially be inducted.

Inductee responsibilities

New members of the National Teachers Hall of Fame continue in their current endeavors and serve students and the field of education by becoming lifelong ambassadors. This includes participating in webinars, workshops and in a speaker’s bureau, as well as representing and marketing the NTHF through public appearances and educational endeavors.
Nominations for the class of 2020 are now closed! ​

January 2022

Postmark deadline for mailed submissions.

January2020

Deadline for electronic submissions.