Nominations can be made in the following categories:

Literacy – for teachers who:

• Instill an excitement for reading in their students;
• Use innovative and effective approaches to improve students’ reading, writing, and communication skills;
• Are recognized as an advocate for literacy programs, going above and beyond their regular job duties;
• Involve parents and encourage them to participate in their child’s learning;
• Actively participate in the development of teaching and learning resources and who share their literacy knowledge and expertise with colleagues, parents, and others.

Distributed Learning – for teachers who:

• Design and use innovative approaches to teaching in a pure or blended distributed learning environment;
• Motivate and communicate with DL students on a regular basis and inspire them to explore new learning opportunities;
• Use a variety of assessment strategies to evaluate student progress;
• Actively incorporate research on effective distributed learning into their teaching practice;
• Share their knowledge of distributed learning with colleagues, parents, and others.

Healthy Living and/or Physical Education & Coaching – for teachers who:

• Inspire students to be proactive about their health and well-being;
• Actively participate in extra-curricular coaching and/or sponsoring student activities;
• Find innovative ways to include healthy living into a variety of curricular opportunities;
• Actively initiate/support school-wide health initiatives (Healthy Schools Network, Action Schools BC, Skip Rope for Heart, etc);
• Model a healthy lifestyle for students;
• Involve parents and encourage them to participate in their child’s healthy/active lifestyle.

School Leadership – for teachers who:

• Actively find ways to collaborate with staff, parents and the community;
• Show initiative and innovation for developing ways to improve student success and achievement;
• Contribute to a supportive learning environment for their colleagues;
• Actively encourage professional learning opportunities through development, participation and leadership;
• Encourage the participation of parents and students as leaders in the school community;
• Share their knowledge and expertise with their colleagues.

Aboriginal Learning – for teachers who:

• Increase Aboriginal voices in the education system;
• Create programs or initiatives to improve school success for all Aboriginal students;
• Promote Aboriginal language, culture and history within the school system and community;
• Increase Aboriginal communities' involvement and satisfaction with the public school system.
• Share their knowledge and expertise with parents, colleagues and others.

Community Engagement – for teachers who:

• Increase students’ understanding of good citizenship by integrating community involvement into the classroom;
• Develop innovative ways to improve community life by linking students, parents, and the community;
• Create and promote opportunities to coordinate community services to be accessible to students and their families;
• Actively participate in their community.

Skills Training & Career Preparation – for teachers who:

• Teach students the attitudes and skills they need to succeed in a work environment;
• Inspire students to explore a diversity of career and training opportunities;
• Help students see that success includes many types of jobs, careers and occupations;
• Link classroom learning to the work world;
• Expand and contribute to opportunities for school to work training, and transitioning from school to work;
• Share their career education knowledge with colleagues, parents, and others.

Environmental Awareness – for teachers who:

• Lead or initiate a program that results in:
  • Reduced green house gas emissions
  • Increased understanding of environmental/sustainability issues
  • Positive impact on local environment.
• Find innovative ways to incorporate research and activities on environmental sustainability in the classroom and school activities;
• Encourage the participation of parents and students in school-based environmental activities;
• Share their knowledge and ideas on environmental sustainability with colleagues, parents, and others.

Lifetime Achievement

(For teachers with 20+ years of teaching experience, the past 10 of which must be in British Columbia).

For teachers who have shown a career-long dedication to:

• Encouraging the intellectual, social and physical growth of students;
• Developing and implementing innovative ways to create an exciting and engaging learning environment;
• Serving as a role model to inspire students and colleagues to be school and community leaders;
• Encouraging students to achieve their best and recognizing student success;
• Working collaboratively with colleagues to develop methods to increase student achievement;
• Sharing their knowledge and expertise with parents, colleagues and others;
• Making a difference to the school environment by supporting participation by students, parents and the community.

Beginning Teacher

(For teachers with up to 5 years of teaching experience, at least 3 of which must be in British Columbia).

For teachers who, in the initial years of service, have shown promise and dedication to:

• Fostering the intellectual, social and physical growth of students;
• Using innovative methods to create an exciting and engaging learning environment;
• Encouraging students to achieve their best and recognizing student success;
• Working collaboratively with colleagues to increase student achievement;
• Participating in professional development opportunities;
• Contributing to a healthy and productive school community by supporting participation by students, parents and the community.