This Recognition Program honors our commitment to recognize the outstanding work of educators in the FIRST® community and is inspired by the powerful ethos of “Teacher in Space” Christa McAuliffe who famously said, "I touch the future. I teach."
Educators who are recognized will have the opportunity to participate in a Year of Inspiration. During this tenure, they may:
To be eligible for nomination, educators must be:
FIRST inspirational educators will be chosen from multiple areas of study and by various age ranges that they teach including:
September 29, 2021 | Nominations Open
December 17, 2021 | Nominations Close
January 17, 2022 | Teacher Applications Open for Nominees
February 4, 2022 | Teacher Applications Close
Thanks for your interest in nominating an educator for the FIRST Educators Recognition Program. Nominations for this year are currently closed.
Educators will be formally invited to apply in January 2022. The application will consist of a series of written responses and an optional opportunity to provide a short video along with the application. If you have any questions about this process, please contact firsteducation@firstinspires.org.
Stay tuned to see this year’s nominees and join us during Teacher Appreciation Week 2022 to find out the awardees.
"We are prioritizing the FIRST educators who impact and inspire their learning communities. We could not further the mission of FIRST without them."
— FIRST Education Director Libby Simpson