Awards + Recognition

Meet our 2025 honorees

Other Recent Honorees:

2024 Honorees 2023 Honorees 2022 Honorees 2021 Honorees 2020 Honorees

Are you a Nominee?

Congratulations on your nomination! Please complete the Nomination Application Packet by the first Friday in January (or the first Friday in April for Preservice nominees). Nomination Packets will be emailed to you when you are informed of your nomination and are also linked below. All nominees — except Retired and Preservice Students — will also be considered for the “Maine Art Education Association Educator of the Year.” 

• ​Review the rubric specific to the award for which you are being nominated.

• Complete the Standardized CV Form. Located in the folders specific to the award for which you are being nominated.

• Compile and submit up to three letters of support.

• Preservice Student Art Educators will also be asked to submit images of artworks (20-200 second limit) and their Teaching Philosophy.

Incomplete packets will not be considered. 

Nominations

Do you know an educator or arts professional that has positively influenced your practice and career? Honor them with a nomination. Nominations are due annually on the first Friday in January and Nominee Application Packets (submitted by the nominee) are due February 1st. Preservice nominations are due the first Friday in April and Preservice Application Packets are due June 1st.

Check first to make sure the nominee is an MAEA Member. Need help with this? Contact the Awards Committee.

Scoring

All submissions are scored by the Awards Committee based on specific criteria. Click here for rubrics and forms.

MAEA Award Categories

Maine Art Educator of the Year

This awardee is the highest-scorer of the pool of nominees. Previous years’ nominees and awardees are strongly encouraged to update and resubmit their applications for consideration.

Elementary, middle, and high school Art Educator of the Year

These awards are for teachers with more than three years of art teaching experience who demonstrate excellence in teaching, artmaking, connecting with community, advocating for art education, and participating in professional organizations (including MAEA).

​Retired Art Educator of the Year

This award is for a teacher who has been retired for at least three years and demonstrates excellence in teaching, artmaking, connecting with community, advocating for art education, and participating in professional organizations (including MAEA) both before and after retirement.

Community Art Educator of the Year

This award is for a teaching artist, community arts organization, or other non-traditional visual, design and media arts community member that supports engagement in the arts.

​Supervision/Administration Art Educator of the Year

This award is for a superintendent, principal, assistant principal, district art coordinator, or other administrative or supervisory role that demonstrates excellence in support of visual art education at the school or district level through budgeting and scheduling decisions, participation in classes and events, and inclusion of art educators in leadership and decision-making.

Museum Art Educator of the Year

This award is for a museum educator who demonstrates excellence in developing and delivering innovative art education programming in a museum setting and facilitating connections with schools and the community.

Higher Education Art Educator of the Year

This award is for an educator teaching at the post-secondary level (associate, undergraduate, or graduate level) who demonstrates excellence in teaching visual arts, design, media arts, or art education; connecting with the community; advocating for art education; and participating in professional organizations (including the MAEA).

New to the Profession Art Educator of the Year

This award is for a teacher in their first three years of their art teaching career who demonstrates emerging excellence in teaching, artmaking, connecting with community, advocating for art education, and participating in professional organizations (including the MAEA).

Preservice Art Educator of the Year

This award is for a teaching candidate completing their student placements in the current school year who demonstrate emerging excellence in teaching, artmaking, connecting with community, advocating for art education, and participating in professional organizations (including the MAEA).

Outstanding Service With the Community

This award is for xcellence in involvement and participation in arts-related activities to connect with and benefit the school and/or local community

Awarded at the discretion of the Awards Committee

Outstanding Service In the Art Classroom

This award is given at the discretion of the Awards Committee to someone demonstrating excellence in quality instruction and programming.

Outstanding Service To the Profession

This award is given at the discretion of the Awards Committee to someone demonstrating excellence in service and participation in the MAEA.

Distinguished Art Educator

This award is given at the discretion of the Awards Committee to someone who has made a significant impact in the profession over the course of their career.