CS Teaching Excellence Awards
The CS Teaching Excellence Awards are designed to recognize outstanding teaching by K–12 computer science teachers. Winners excel in inspiring students to explore the computer science field, engaging students in learning rigorous standards-aligned computer science content, and broadening the participation of underrepresented students in computing. CSTA will select at least three K-5 CS teachers and three 6-8 teachers of the ten national winners. These awards were made possible by a grant from Infosys Foundation USA.
The Award
Thanks to funding from the Infosys Foundation USA, CSTA can expand this award to recognize fifteen individuals this year. Applicants will apply and be evaluated at the national level. Those applicants not selected for an award at the national level will be eligible to win our regional-level prizes. Applications will be reviewed amongst eight regions in the United States; chapter membership is not required, although we strongly encourage applicants to join their local chapter if they have not done so already. Up to ten winners will receive:
- A $7,500 cash prize
- Complimentary registration for the virtual CSTA 2023 Annual Conference
- A featured article that shares their work published on CSTA’s The Voice, an interview in the CSTA+ newsletter, which will also run on The Voice, and/or will be featured in a video at the CSTA Annual Conference.
- One year of CSTA+ membership
Up to five runner-ups will receive:
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A $2,500 cash prize
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Complimentary registration for the virtual CSTA 2023 Annual Conference
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Recognition on CSTA’s website
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Recognition from the CSTA chapter region of the applicant
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One year of CSTA+ membership
28 Regional Awards to applicants who were not selected as finalists or runners-up:
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a $500 cash prize
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Recognition on CSTA's website
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Recognition via a regional awards ceremony
Regions
This year, thanks to the continued support of Infosys Foundation USA, we are now expanding the 2022-2023 CS Teaching Excellence Awards awards regionally! Please see the eight regions below:
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New England: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont
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Four Corners: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah
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CSTA Arizona
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CSTA Indiana
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CSTA Iowa
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CSTA Miami
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CSTA South Carolina
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CSTA Wyoming
Eligibility Requirements
To apply for the CS Teaching Excellence Award, you must:
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Live in the United States
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Teach K–12 Computer Science
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Be a CSTA+ member
*Current CSTA Board Members, staff, and their immediate family are not eligible for awards with prizes attached.
*If you are not currently a CSTA+ member, please visit csteachers.org/join. If you currently have a CSTA Basic membership and would like to upgrade your membership, please log into your member dashboard and locate the module titled “My Membership.”
*While we require CSTA+ membership if someone wants to apply, is not an active CSTA+ member, and shows demonstrated need, we have membership scholarships available to offer on a case-by-case basis.
If you are in need of financial support to become a CSTA+ member, we encourage you to register for Amazon Future Engineer, which provides a variety of curricular resources in addition to a scholarship for CSTA+ membership. If you have questions about this process, please contact our Membership Experience Manager at jen.manly@csteachers.org.
Getting Started/The Submittal Process
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Go to the application website.
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Select "submit an application."
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Create a Cvent account, using a personal email address.
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Follow application prompts and fill out all required information.
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You will receive a confirmation message after you submit your application. If you have any questions regarding the process, please reach out to awards@csteachers.org.
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Please know there are two parts to this award application. Part One asks for demographic information and three short written responses. Applicants will receive notice if they are selected for Part Two in mid-January.
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Part Two will require a teaching artifact and four written responses. All Part Two candidates will receive notice of their application status in April 2023.
Do you know someone who would be an excellent candidate for this award? We welcome you to nominate them by filling out this form. The nominee will receive an email with additional information on how to apply.
These awards were made possible by a grant from Infosys Foundation USA.Past Awards for CS Teaching Excellence Winners:
2021-2022
National Winners
Nicholas M. Bousquet
Yolanda Kol
Adam Lueken
Melanie Haley Olson
Khamphet Pease
Samuel K. Puich
Agustin Sarmiento
Devon Senneseth
Timothy Clifford Swick
Catherine Tabor
Honorable Mentions
Tonya Coats
Taghrid El Meliguy
Annie Kelly
Mark Nechanicky
Adam S. Riazi
Regional Winners
Minnesota
Tina Kude
Whitney Determan
Josephine Winter
Arizona
Jill V. Jones
Pradip Misra
Jessie L. McKinley
Indiana
Mark Snodgrass
Amy Fletcher
Genevieve McLeish-Petty
Wyoming
Melissa Price
Sharon Seaton
James Cunningham
South Carolina
Sarah Tooley
Denise Wright
Robin L. Jones
New England
Nicole (NJ) Rivilis
Allison Braley
Laura Peters
2020-2021
National Winners
Mary Ann Cassidy
Kathleen Effner
Dr. Tamika Grizzle
Benadette Manning
Monika Moorman
Regina Nadbielny
Kyle Pierre
Jeremy Schwartz
Sonia Spindt
Barbara Teterycz
Honorable Mentions
Michele Cislo
Diniah Dean
Jennifer Manly
Amy Wright
Heather Wright
Regional Winners
Illinois
Anita Debarlaben
Anita Debarlaben
Adam Lueken
Daniel Ravury
Georgia
Lakeisha Fuller
Victor Hicks
Victor Hicks
Philip Peavy
Kentucky
David Lane
David Lane
Jonathan Lowe
Chad Niedert
New Jersey
Gary Hull
Nancy Ricca
Danielle Vandenberg
Massachusetts
Ruth Farmery
Kara Hass
Eleanor Richard
2019-2020
National Winners
Maria Camarena
Daryl R. Detrick
Vivienne Forrester
Mary Heishman
Visa Thiagarajan
Honorable Mentions
Elizabeth A. Dierker
Jennifer Jones
Carolyn A. Petite
Brian Downing Smith
William Warren
2018–2019
Nimmi Arunachalam
Michelle Cannon
Elaine Griggs
Jonathan LoPorto
Laura Ramirez
Honorable Mentions
Michelle G. Lee
Lanna Mack
Andrea Salas
Kristie Steinlicht
Leon Tynes
2017-2018
National Winners
Sandra Czajka
Martin Fish
Bobby Oommen
Ryan Robidoux
Dylan Ryder
2016–2017
National Winners
Eric Allatta
Jacqueline Corricelli
Jacqueline Corricelli
Karen Donathan
Farrah Falco
Steven Floyd
Steven Floyd
Ray Kinne
William Lau
Robert Luciano
Daniel Moix
Jared O’Leary