You can help find Iowa’s next Teacher of the Year! The nominating period for the 2025 Iowa Teacher of Year is now open through April 16.
Anyone is welcome to submit a nomination form to honor the outstanding teacher in their life. Colleagues, administrators, students, parents and community partners, among others, can complete the nomination form to enter the name of a deserving teacher who is making an impact in an Iowa school.
For this year’s Teacher of the Year selection process, each nomination will be reviewed by a team and nine semi-finalists representing teachers from all regions of the state will be selected as Regional Teachers of the Year. Each of the nine Regional Teachers of the Year will interview in-person with educational leaders for the honor of being selected as Iowa's 2025 Teacher of the Year.
Established in 1958, the prestigious Teacher of the Year award recognizes an Iowa teacher who motivates, challenges and inspires excellence and takes teaching beyond textbooks and classrooms. The honored Iowa Teacher of the Year serves as an ambassador for the Iowa Department of Education and a liaison for elementary and secondary schools.
For the 2024 Teacher of the Year award, the Department received a record number of over 100 nominations. Des Moines Herbert High School English Language Learner educator Ann Mincks was named as the 2024 Teacher of the Year.
For more information on the Teacher of the Year program, visit the Department’s website or contact administrative consultant Gwen Nagel at gwen.nagel@iowa.gov.