The Maine Department of Education, on behalf of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is seeking nominations for the History Teacher of the Year Award. This recognition is part of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History’s commitment to K-12 education. Each year, the award honors an exceptional K-12 history teacher in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Department of Defense Schools, and US Territories. The National History Teacher of the Year is chosen from among the state winners. Since 2004, this award, co-sponsored by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and Preserve America, has celebrated nearly 750 outstanding American history teachers at the state and national levels
State award winners receive: a $1,000 cash prize; certificate of recognition; an archive of books and other resources, given in honor of the state winner, for use in the school library or resource center; recognition at a ceremony in their state; and the winner’s school will become a Gilder Lehrman Affiliate School.
Eligibility
- Any full-time educator of grades K-12 who teaches American history (including state and local history). American history may be taught as an individual subject or through social studies, reading, language arts, and other subjects.
- Nominees must be planning to teach for at least one year following the award year.
- Past state and national winners are not eligible and self-nominations are not accepted.
Ready to Nominate?
- Nominations must be submitted on the Gilder Lehrman website at A teacher can be nominated at any point during the year but must
be nominated by March 31, 2023, to be considered for the current year’s award.
- Nominators are asked to provide contact information for themselves and information about the nominee, including a short statement about why the nominee should be honored. Nominations can be made by any individual who is familiar with the teacher’s work, including students, parents of students, colleagues, etc.
For more information please visit: gilderlehrman.org/nhtoy