Program Excellence Award

Awarded by ITEEA and sponsored by Paxton/Patterson for decades, The Program Excellence Award is one of the highest honors given to technology and engineering education programs at the elementary, middle, and high school levels and is presented in recognition of outstanding contributions to the profession and their students. 

 Congratulations to ITEEA's 2025 Program Excellence Winners!

REVIEW PROGRAM EXCELLENCE QUESTIONS BEFORE SUBMISSION

APPLY FOR PROGRAM EXCELLENCE AWARD

Deadline: November 1st

What is the Program Excellence Award?

The Program Excellence Award program is designed to recognize superior K-12 technology and engineering education programs from around the world that serve as a standard for comparison and models for the development of other programs. Program Excellence Awards are available for elementary, middle, and high school teachers in each US state or territory and international regions, countries, or provinces. 

Who is Eligible to Apply?

All programs at the elementary and secondary levels that meet the following eligibility criteria:

• The teacher(s) and/or the school must be (or become) a member of ITEEA and their respective state/provincial affiliate or International Center.
• The program must reflect a high quality technology and engineering education and/or integrative STEM education philosophy and curriculum structure with effective teaching strategies clearly demonstrated.    

The Awards Process:

STEP 1: NOMINATION

Scenario 1. If you have a State Champion/Affiliate Association, the nomination process takes place through the state association.

Scenario 2. If you are in a state without a State Champion/affiliate association, anyone—principals, teachers, parents, students, or members of the general public—may nominate exceptional technology and engineering programs in Grades K-12. Nominations may be submitted for more than one teacher if multiple teachers are involved in the program. Teachers may also nominate their own program.

Click on the red button above to nominate your program or another program. The deadline to submit a nomination form and supporting materials is November 1 of each year.

STEP 2: SELECTION

All applications will undergo the following review process:

Scenario 1. For all states/territories with a State Champion/state affiliate, a committee will review received application and select the program that provides the best overall Technology and Engineering/STEM education experience while utilizing contemporary teaching strategies. The State Champion will forward all final award nominations to ITEEA.

Scenario 2. Applications from states without an affiliate or State Champion will be reviewed by the national Program Excellence Committee. 

International school programs at the elementary, middle, or high school levels may submit the nomination form from any region, country and province outside the USA and its territories. Once the submission is received, a representative from the ITEEA Awards Committee, along with an authorized local representative, will review their application and notify the applicant of the results.

ITEEA will recognize all winning programs from the elementary, middle school, and high school levels at its Annual Conference.

All applicants will be notified as to the status of their application by mid-November.

Thanks to our long time sponsor: