ISTE Home
About ISTE
Advocacy
Educator Resources
Membership
Affiliates
About Affiliation
Affiliates Newsletter
Directory of ISTE Affiliates
Affiliate Membership Committee
Outstanding Teacher and Leader Awards
Past Recipients
Pay Dues
Elections
Book Sales for Affiliates
Awards & Recognition
ISTE 100
Join or Renew
Member Campaigns
Member Central
Member Networking
My Profile
Podcasts
Premium
Special Interest Groups
Volunteer
ISTE 2010
NETS
Career Center
News & Events
Professional Development
Publications
Research
Store

Printer Friendly
Members Only Members Only

ISTE Outstanding Teacher & Leader Awards

These awards recognize and honor one leader and one teacher who have demonstrated outstanding achievement and leadership in implementing technology to improve education. ISTE offers its Affiliate members an opportunity to nominate one individual for each award annually. Award recipients are selected from a pool of nominations submitted by ISTE Affiliates from around the world. If you are interested in participating and do not currently represent an ISTE Affiliate, please locate the appropriate Representative in your region from the list of ISTE Affiliates and contact that individual to discuss your interest in participating in this important recognition opportunity.

The nomination process opens December 21, 2009 and closes March 22, 2010. Affiliate organizations are eligible to submit one nominee in each award category and are responsible for organizing and submitting the required nominations materials (below) to ISTE by the submission deadline. Each nomination undergoes evaluation by a review committee (below) comprised of education and technology professionals selected from within the ISTE membership. Nominees are evaluated using a set of selection criteria (below) for each award category. Winners are announced in April and ISTE showcases the Outstanding Leader and Teacher Award recipients at ISTE’s annual conference and exposition in Denver Colorado, June 27—June 30, 2010. ISTE publicize recipients’ achievement to more than 200 media outlets world wide. Review the list of past award recipients.

The educators selected to receive these awards will be:

  • Honored at ISTE’s annual conference and exposition in Denver Colorado, June 27—June 30, 2010.
  • Awarded up to $1000 in travel expenses to attend NECC and a plaque recognizing the recipient's outstanding achievement.
  • Issued a one year ISTE membership.
  • Featured in ISTE publications and in press releases provided to local media and on the Web site.

Nomination Materials

Nominations for the 2010 ISTE Outstanding Teacher & Leader Awards will open December 21, 2009.

Nomination Statement (excluding cover application, resume and letters of reference) is limited to the following size restraints: 1900 words, 2 pages in length, 10 pt. font, Arial or Times New Roman Style and 1” margins.  Organize all required nomination materials into a single Microsoft Word .doc or Adobe Acrobat .pdf electronic file in the following order: 

  • ISTE Affiliate Nomination Statement
    A narrative written by a representative of the ISTE Affiliate organization that provides the reason for nominating the individual as an outstanding leader or outstanding teacher
  • Nominee Resume or Vitae
    Outlining professional background and experience
  • Letters of Recommendation
    A minimum of two and a maximum of three letter per nominee

If nominations packet is received incomplete or past the deadline, the nomination will be disqualified and the Affiliate representative notified of the disqualification. There will be no opportunities to complete the packet once the representative has been notified of disqualification. Those responsible for submitting the nominations materials are strongly encouraged to submit well before the deadline and request that the Affiliate Awards Committee Chair review submission and confirm with the representative that all items are received and complete.

Review Committee

Selected by the Affiliate Membership Committee Award Co-Chairs. If you are interested in serving on the nominations review team, inform the Affiliate Program Director at affiliates@iste.org

  • 2 ISTE Affiliate Membership Committee Members (Awards Committee Co-Chairs)
  • 2 ISTE Board Members
  • 2 ISTE Affiliate Representatives
  • 2 ISTE General Members

Selection Criteria


  1. Required nomination materials are complete and submitted by deadline.
  2. The nominee is a PK–12, teacher* if nominated for the teacher award and not a PK–12 teacher if nominated for the leader award.
  3. The nominee’s work has had a significant positive impact on technology use in education locally, regionally, statewide, nationally, or worldwide.
  4. The nominee has involved the community in the initiative or program to facilitate partnerships with business and/or legislative initiations to advance  the use of technology in education. 
  5. The nominee works tirelessly to genuinely improve the quality of education.
  6. The nominee has demonstrated his/her ability to both deliberately plan for and incorporate in the use of technology for the purpose of  improving the educational setting.
  7. The quality of education and/or work experience has been significantly advanced in the nominee’s workplace as a result of the nominee’s efforts.
  8. The nominee is an active member of professional organizations.
  9. The nominee has contributed to the profession by presenting at professional conferences, seminars and/or workshops or publishing articles in print or through electronic media.
  10. The nominee’s work can be used as a model.
  11. The nominee’s work reflects the mission and purpose of ISTE.
  12. The nominee will represent ISTE well in all forums.

Download the Outstanding Teacher Rubric (Excel)
Download the Outstanding Leader Rubric (Excel)

* Definition of a teacher: It is the intent of the ISTE Outstanding Teacher Award to recognize those persons currently responsible for the day-to-day instruction of PK–12 students, regardless of subject matter. There is an assumption that under this scenario, there will be an articulated curriculum and some type of assessment of learning. Therefore, nominees for this award may also include such individuals as library media specialists, technology integration specialists, etc. for it is the duties and responsibilities of one’s job that define one’s role, rather than one’s title. Of note however, if more than seventy-five percent of one’s responsibilities do not include the direct instruction of PK–12 age students, then the nomination for Outstanding Teacher would not be appropriate.

We look forward to your participation in this important event.

Customer Service: iste@iste.org   1.800.336.5191   1.541.302.3777 (Int'l)   1.541.302.3778 (fax)
Visit the ISTE Career Center for educational technology jobs, resources, and listings. Copyright 1997-