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Airdrie's George McDougall High School teacher Glyn Hughes was presented with an Excellence in Teaching award in June 2011. The nomination period for this year's awards is now open.

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Nominations open for 2013 Excellence in Teaching Awards

If you know of an outstanding teacher that deserves to be recognized for their dedication and devotion to educating our youth, now is the time to get your nominations in for the 2013 Excellence in Teaching Awards.

Currently celebrating its 25th anniversary, the awards were created to pay tribute to those educators who go beyond expectations and truly make an impact in the lives of their students.

“To be nominated for an Excellence in Teaching Award is a great honour, because nominations come from the nominees’ own students, parents, colleagues and community members,” said Education Minister Jeff Johnson. “Over the years, the stature of these awards has grown and we are proud to continue the tradition of recognizing excellent educators in this way.”

Since its inception in 1989 close to 9,000 teachers have been nominated and more than 500 teachers and principals have been awarded a certificate of excellence and access to $4,000 for professional development.

Last year, George McDougall High School teacher Glyn Hughes was given the prestigious award for his 27 years of exemplary teaching and innovative use of multi-media platforms to instruct and inspire his social studies students.

“I want the kids to understand there’s more to learning than the four corners of the classroom,” said Hughes, after receiving his award.

This year award winners will be treated to a formal ceremony and dinner that will be held in Edmonton in May 2013.

“Quality teachers in our classroom are very important to our children’s success,” said Johnson. “The Excellence in Teaching Awards provides a great opportunity to showcase the many effective teachers we have and promote examples of innovative teaching practices.”

Nomination packages, selection criteria and eligibility details are currently available online at education.alberta.ca and will be accepted until Feb. 8.

Once nominations are closed, applications will be reviewed and 130 semi-finalists from across the province will be selected. Twenty of those semi-finalists will then be chosen and awarded the top honours.