Nominate a teacher – Prime Minister’s Awards

From: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

The Prime Minister's Awards for Teaching Excellence

Nominate elementary and secondary school teachers in all disciplines for their educational achievements and commitment to preparing youth for a digital and innovation-based economy.

The Prime Minister's Awards for Teaching Excellence in STEM

Nominate science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teachers at the elementary or secondary school level who keep students engaged in STEM learning and who help develop the culture of innovation that Canada needs today and in the future.

Prime Minister's Awards at a glance

Refer to the complete guidelines.

When is the nomination period?

The nomination period for the 2026 Prime Minister's Awards is closed.

Please sign up for email updates to stay informed about the nomination period and get event news and announcements.

Who is eligible?

  • Canadian citizens or permanent residents
  • Certified teachers at an elementary or secondary school in Canada
  • Teachers with a minimum of three years' teaching experience (at least 2.5 days per week) in a classroom setting

Who can nominate?

Any person or group with direct knowledge of the nominee's contribution, such as students, parents of students, colleagues, school principal or supervisor, and community leaders.

The following types of nominations are not allowed: self-nominations, nominations from immediate family members, and posthumous nominations.Footnote 1

What do award recipients get?

  • A certificate from the Prime Minister
  • National recognition for their teaching excellence and contribution to helping prepare their students for success

How do I nominate a teacher?

Submit a nomination package that includes:

  • A completed and signed nomination form
  • Detailed nomination text that shows how the teacher meets each of the five selection criteria
  • Three letters of support
  • A copy of the nominee's teaching certificate
  • A statement of employment signed by the principal of the school where the nominee teaches

Questions?

For more information, consult the frequently asked questions.

For general inquiries, please complete the contact form.

Prime Minister's Awards: Complete guidelines

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Awards

Teachers are eligible for two awards:

  • The national Certificate of Excellence
    • Recipients are traditionally invited to Ottawa to receive their award from the Prime Minister or his designate.
    • Recipients receive a certificate and letter of congratulations from the Prime Minister.
    • Each recipient's school also receives a certificate.
  • The regional Certificate of Achievement
    • Recipients are traditionally honoured locally at school events and receive their award from their Member of Parliament or a local leader.
    • Recipients receive a certificate and letter of congratulations from the Prime Minister.
    • Each recipient's school also receives a certificate.

Each year, the Prime Minister's Awards for Teaching Excellence recognize up to 10 teachers with Certificates of Excellence and up to 25 with Certificates of Achievement.

The Prime Minister's Awards for Teaching Excellence in STEM recognize up to 2 teachers with Certificates of Excellence and up to 15 with Certificates of Achievement.

The achievements of all recipients are promoted nationally and in the teachers' home communities. Certificate of Excellence recipients are profiled in videos highlighting their exemplary teaching practices and describing how they might be replicated by other educators. The videos may be posted online and shared on social media.

All recipients must follow the program's Code of Conduct.

Eligibility criteria for the Teaching Excellence and Teaching Excellence in STEM awards

At the time of nomination, all nominees must meet the following criteria:

Nominees must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents.

Evidence: Nominees must sign the nomination form, attesting that they are Canadian citizens or permanent residents.

Nominees must be certified to teach in a public or private school in a Canadian province or territory.

Evidence: A copy of the nominee's original teaching certificate must be provided.

A nominee's teaching certification must be in good standing with their provincial or territorial governing body.

Evidence: A statement of employment attesting that the teacher's certification is in good standing at the time of nomination is required.

Nominees must have taught youth (19 years of age and younger) in a school in Canada at the elementary or secondary level for at least 2.5 days per week in a classroom setting for a minimum of three years and must still be teaching at the time of nomination.

Evidence: A statement of employment confirming a minimum of three years' employment in an elementary or secondary school for at least 2.5 days per week is required. Separate statements of employment are required in cases where the teacher has worked in different schools over the three-year period.

Nominees must not be past Certificate of Excellence recipients.

Certificate of Achievement recipients can be nominated again to receive a Certificate of Excellence; however, they are not eligible to receive another Certificate of Achievement. Unsuccessful candidates are eligible for renomination.

Note: If the certification to teach is withdrawn between the time of nomination and the award presentation, the Prime Minister's Awards program office reserves the right to withdraw the candidacy. If the eligibility status of a nomination is compromised or changes, the nominator or the nominee has the responsibility to inform the program office in writing of the change in status.

For more information, consult the frequently asked questions.

How to prepare a nomination package

Once you decide the teacher meets the eligibility criteria above, you can start preparing the nomination package. A complete nomination package must include the following items:

  • Nomination form
  • Nomination text
  • Three letters of support
  • Teaching certificate
  • Statement of employment from the principal

You can nominate an individual teacher or a group of up to three teachers who work together. Each member of a team must meet the eligibility requirements described above.

Failure to provide any one of the required items may result in your nomination not being evaluated.

Documents sent with the nomination beyond the required ones itemized below will not be considered in the evaluation of the nomination.

1. Nomination form

  • Complete one nomination form for each nominee. If you are having trouble downloading the nomination form, you can use the PDF print only nomination form. For team nominations, complete one nomination form for each member of the team.
  • The form must be signed and dated by the nominator and the teacher. If you are using the PDF fillable form, print, sign and scan it, and attach the signed copy.
How to download the nomination form
  1. Use your computer. The form may not open on tablets or mobile phones.
  2. Save the form on your computer in a place you will remember.
    1. For most Internet browsers, clicking on the link above will automatically download the form.
    2. If the form doesn't automatically download, right-click on the link and select "Save as".
  3. After you download the form, open it using Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Open this form in Acrobat Reader
  1. Open Acrobat Reader version 10 or higher.
  2. Select "File" from the top menu.
  3. Click "Open".
  4. Find the location where you saved the form, click on the file, and click "Open".

2. Nomination text

Write a nomination text that illustrates the achievements of the nominee, and clearly explain why the individual should receive one of Canada's highest honours in teaching. Nominees are judged on their overall and ongoing merits as teachers. Additional information such as links, appendices and lesson plans will not be considered.

For a team nomination, the nomination text should reflect a true collaboration, not simply a collection of individual accomplishments. The nomination text should describe how the team worked together to meet each of the selection criteria.

Nominators should organize their text using each selection criterion as a separate heading:

  • Digital and creative literacy in the classroom
  • Innovative and exemplary teaching practices
  • Support of student success and skills development
  • Global citizenship and community involvement
  • Commitment and leadership

Use the nomination text template for formatting guidelines and suggestions.

3. Letters of support

Get three letters of support for the nomination. The letters should describe a nominee's positive impact on students and give evidence of the nominee's excellence and achievements in any or all of the five selection criteria.

A team nomination also requires three letters of support, not three letters for each member of the team. Letters of support should endorse the accomplishments of all team members.

Letters of support must meet the following requirements:

  • They must be written by individuals with direct knowledge of the nominee's accomplishments, for example:
    • students
    • parents of students
    • peers
    • representatives from professional associations
    • community leaders
  • Letters of support cannot be written by the nominator or any member of the nominee's immediate family.Footnote 1
  • One letter must be written by the school principal unless that individual is the nominator. If the principal is the nominator, the three letters of support can be written by individuals with direct knowledge of the nominee's accomplishments. If the principal is the nominee, one letter of support must come from the superintendent or school board.
  • Letters must be in English or French.
  • Each letter must not exceed two pages, with a minimum font size of 10 pt.
  • Each letter must be dated, signed and issued within six months of the nomination deadline.
  • A digital signature is acceptable.
  • Each letter must include contact information for its author (email, telephone number or both).
  • If more than three letters are received, only three will be selected for evaluation.

Use the letters of support template for formatting guidelines and suggestions.

4. Teaching certificate

Provide a copy of the nominee's original teaching certificate.

For a team nomination, a copy of each nominee's teaching certificate is required.

5. Statement of employment

Have the principal of the school where the nominee teaches write a statement of employment confirming that the nominee:

  • has worked for at least 2.5 days per week in a classroom setting for a minimum of three years
  • is still teaching at the time of nomination
  • has a teaching certification that remains in good standing

Separate statements of employment are required in cases where the teacher has worked in different schools over the three-year period.

For a team nomination, a statement of employment for each nominee is required.

How to submit a nomination

Submit your completed nomination package by email: primeministersawards-prixdupremierministre@ised-isde.gc.ca

If you are using the PDF fillable form:
  • Complete all required sections of the nomination form.
  • Print the nomination form for the nominee and the nominator to sign and date.
  • Scan the nomination form.
  • Include all required documents (signed nomination form, nomination text, letters of support, teaching certificate and statement of employment) by using the "Add Attachments" feature. If you are having difficulties, send an email with the documents as attachments.
  • The documents can be in any of the following file formats:.pdf,.doc,.docx,.jpg,.jpeg,.png,.rtf,.txt or.tiff.
  • Add the nominee's name in the subject line of the email.
  • Send the email.
If you are using the PDF print form:
  • Complete all required sections of the nomination form.
  • Scan the nomination form.
  • Include all required documents (signed nomination form, nomination text, letters of support, teaching certificate and statement of employment) as attachments to the email.
  • The documents can be in any of the following file formats:.pdf,.doc,.docx,.jpg,.jpeg,.png,.rtf,.txt or.tiff.
  • Add the nominee's name in the subject line of the email.
  • Send the email.

After submitting the nomination, you will receive an email confirming that your nomination was received. If you do not receive a confirmation within 72 hours, please email us at primeministersawards-prixdupremierministre@ised-isde.gc.ca.

Mail: If you would like to submit your nomination by mail, please let us know by email at primeministersawards-prixdupremierministre@ised-isde.gc.ca.

What are the next steps?

Regional evaluators review and rank the nominations. The National Advisory Committee recommends a final list of the top-ranked candidates to the Minister, who informs the Prime Minister. Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) publicly announces the award recipients. All nominees and nominators are informed of the results.

Contact information

Phone ISED's Citizen Services Centre:
1-800-328-6189 (toll-free in Canada)
613-954-5031 (Ottawa)
1-866-694-8389 (TTY, for individuals who are hard of hearing or deaf)
Business hours: 8:30 am to 5:00 pm (Eastern Time)

Email: primeministersawards-prixdupremierministre@ised-isde.gc.ca

Mail:
Prime Minister's Awards
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
C.D. Howe Building
235 Queen Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H5

Acknowledgments

ISED and Indigenous Services Canada, as partners in the Prime Minister's Awards for Teaching Excellence, gratefully acknowledge the volunteer contributions of numerous education organizations across Canada that take part in the award selection process. The program could not function without the participation of these volunteers.

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