The National Teachers Hall of Fame 2025 Nomination

Nominations for 2025 are now closed.

All applications are due from the nominees by 11:59pm CST on December 1, 2024.

Once we have received your nomination, we will send an application link to you to share with your nominee. The NTHF will also contact your nominee. 

Please read this page thoroughly before submitting your nomination.

NTHF Selection and Application Information

Please note that there are significant changes for the 2025 application process.

The National Teachers Hall of Fame, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, was founded in 1989 as a tribute to our nation’s most important profession – teaching. It is the mission of the NTHF to recognize and honor exceptional teachers. The Board of Trustees of the NTHF shall be responsible for taking such actions that are necessary to fulfill this mission. 

Since the first class was inducted in 1992, the NTHF has brought attention to the profession through an annual recognition program which honors five of the nation’s most outstanding teachers.

The process for NTHF selection:

  1. Applications will be reviewed and scored by a screening committee. Semi-finalists are chosen by the screening committee through scoring and discussion.
  2. The semi-finalists will participate in individual recorded Zoom videos that will provide the candidates with an opportunity to respond to several additional questions.
  3. A national selection committee will review the applications and videos and choose up to five NTHF inductees and up to five finalists.

Additional inquiries about the nominees may be made beyond the written application by designated NTHF staff or leadership.

Formal induction ceremonies take place in June of each year in Emporia (June 16-21, 2025); attendance at all functions is required for all inductees with expenses paid by the NTHF.

Teachers inducted into The NTHF serve as ambassadors both for the NTHF and the teaching profession and are expected to uphold the standards of excellence set forth by the educational community. 

The NTHF is located on the campus of Emporia State University in Visser Hall 114-115.

For more information, please contact the NTHF at hallfame@emporia.edu  (620) 341-5660.

Instructions, Guidelines and Requirements

A. Nomination Requirements

  • The nominee must have completed a minimum of twenty (20) years of full-time preK-12 teaching experience.
  • The nominee must hold or have held a valid teaching certificate or license from the state in which he or she is teaching or has taught.
  • The nominee must hold a minimum of a bachelor’s degree.
  • All nominations must be submitted on the official nomination form. Information on the nomination can be found on our website or by emailing hallfame@emporia.edu .
  • The finished application must be submitted by 11:59pm CST on December 1, 2024.  If you need assistance, please call the NTHF office at 620-341-5660.
  • If selected for induction, the nominee must attend induction activities which are generally held in Washington, DC in early May, and will be in Emporia, KS June 16-21, 2025. 
  • The NTHF strongly suggests that if you have a fellowship for the spring or if you have another honor requiring participation (such as a state teacher of the year) you wait to apply until your duties are completed to avoid any conflicts.

B. The person making the nomination will need to send the nominee the link to the application; the NTHF will also notify the nominee. The Nominator should encourage the nominee to complete the nomination packet by the deadline. They may wish to assist with editing or obtaining letters of recommendation, but it is the sole responsibility of the nominee to complete the application process. 

C. Self-nominations and family nominations are not accepted.

D. A previously nominated individual who was not selected may be renominated, but they must complete a new application in its entirety.

D. The announcement of inductees may be done in several ways, but all nominees will be notified of the final selection by May of the induction year.

E. The Application Packet

  • The application must be filled out completely with all required information, essays and letters.
  • Acronyms should NOT be used in the text, unless they are preceded by what they represent (example: the National Teachers Hall of Fame, NTHF)
  • The completed application packet will contain the following components:
    1. Nomination Form
    2. Nominee’s Information Sheet
    3. The NTHF Nominee’s Permission and Verification Statement
    4. Nominee’s Education, Teaching Experience and Special Recognition
    5. Nominee’s Professional/Personal Statements
    6. Letters of Support/Recommendation
    7. Media

Note: Follow all instructions exactly and completely. Send ONLY the information requested and do NOT exceed the maximum length allowed for each item.