2025 KY Teacher of the Year nominations are open

FRANKFORT, Ky. (KBSI) – Nominations are open for 2025 Kentucky Teacher of the Year awards.

The Kentucky Department of Education presents the awards to celebrate some of the Commonwealth’s outstanding teachers.

Full-time certified public school teachers in the state with at least 10 years of experience are eligible. Nominations may be submitted via this Kentucky Teacher of the Year Google Form.

Nominations can be made by students, parents, teaching peers, principals, superintendents or anyone in the community.

Nominated teachers will be invited to submit a formal application by Feb. 1, 2024.

According to the Kentucky Department of Education, nominees should:

• Be an expert in their field who advances growth for students of all backgrounds and abilities
• Build collaborative relationships with colleagues, students and families to create a school culture of equity and success
• Deliberately connect the classroom to the community to impact student growth and learning
• Be a lifelong learner and teacher leader and use innovative learning experiences in and out of the classroom
• Express themselves in an engaging and clear way that conveys the lived classroom experience to a variety of audiences

A blue ribbon panel of education professionals will judge all completed applications. Advancing candidates will receive additional review and evaluations.

The highest-scoring educators in the elementary, middle and high school divisions will receive the Kentucky Teacher Achievement Award and the overall top score will be named the Kentucky Teacher of the Year for their division, according to Kentucky Department of Education. One teacher will be selected as the state’s overall Teacher of the Year.

Recipients will be announced later in 2024 and honored with cash prizes and other awards. The overall 2025 Kentucky Teacher of the Year will represent the state in the National Teacher of the Year competition.

This is the 24th year of the Kentucky Teacher of the Year awards program collaborating with private industry and public education.

For more information, email awards@education.ky.gov or call (502) 564-2000, ext. 4616.