Help us find Iowa’s next Teacher of the Year! Iowans can now submit a nomination for an outstanding K-12 teacher to serve as the 2027 Iowa Teacher of the Year. Nominations will be accepted through Feb. 27.
Championed by the Iowa Department of Education, the prestigious Iowa Teacher of the Year award celebrates a K-12 teacher for their exemplary instructional practices and significant contributions to education in Iowa. Educators, administrators, students and families, organization members and other community partners are highly encouraged to submit a nomination for an exceptional teacher in their area. Self-nominations or nominations by a teacher’s family are currently excluded from the Iowa Teacher of the Year selection process.
All nominees are required to be a career teacher with a valid Iowa teaching license and currently employed by a public school district or accredited nonpublic school within the state.
Nominated teachers will be invited to submit an application and additional information for further consideration for the award. Each nomination will be reviewed by a selection committee, and nine finalists representing teachers from all education regions of the state will be named as Regional Teachers of the Year. Through an interview process with education leaders, one of the Regional Teachers of the Year will be selected as the 2027 Iowa Teacher of the Year.
Recent Iowa Teacher of the Year awardees include Melanie Bloom, a 17-year agriculture teacher from Sioux Central Community School District who is serving as the current Iowa Teacher of the Year and Prairie Lakes Regional Teacher of the Year. Additionally, Stephanie Pritts, a 23-year elementary teacher and instructional coach from Sheldon Community School District, was named as the 2026 Iowa Teacher of the Year and Northwest Regional Teacher of the Year and will begin her year of service in July.
The Iowa Teacher of the Year award was established in 1958 and recognizes a teacher who motivates, challenges and inspires excellence. During their year of service, the Iowa Teacher of the Year steps away from the classroom to serve as an ambassador for the Department and a liaison for elementary and secondary schools, at both the state and national levels.
Additional information can be found on the Department’s Iowa Teacher of the Year webpage. Visitors can find a full list of the 2026 Regional Teacher of the Year, past Iowa Teachers of the Year and details on the nomination process.
Questions regarding the Iowa Teacher of the Year designation can be directed to Stefanie Rosenberg Wager, administrative consultant, at stefanie.wager@iowa.gov.