Save the Date for Florida Alliance for Arts Education’s 2025 Annual Summit!

AWARD CATEGORIES, CRITERIA & ELIGIBILITY

1. Excellence in Arts Education
Eligible: educational institutions, arts organizations or individuals located in the state of Florida. 

This award recognizes leadership in school and/or community arts education to ensure inclusion of the arts in the basic curriculum (e.g., equal time and access for all children, maintaining high-quality preK-20 arts education programs), raise public awareness leading to the advancement of arts education, and/or increase use of “best practices” in educational processes.

2. Business Leader
Eligible: businesses or individual business persons within the state of Florida.

This award recognizes businesses for outstanding partnership efforts, local and/or statewide advocacy for arts education, local network partner support, and/or financial support of arts education.

3. Community Volunteer
Eligible: individuals who support arts education through volunteerism in Florida schools and communities.

This award recognizes volunteers who give significant support to arts education through work with Florida schools, nonprofit arts education programs, and/or a network partner coalition.

4. Elected Official
Eligible: individuals who have been nominated to serve office during the current term in the state of Florida.

This award recognizes elected officials who provide leadership in school and/or community arts education issues to ensure inclusion of the arts in the basic curriculum (e.g., equal time and access for all children, maintaining high-quality preK-20 arts education programs).

5. School Administrator

Eligible: individuals who hold an administrative position in a school district in the state of Florida.

This award recognizes leadership in school or district decision-making to ensure the inclusion of arts education in the basic curriculum (e.g., equal time and access for all children, maintaining high-quality preK-12 arts programs) and demonstrating strong support for use of “best practices” in educational processes.

6. School District Leadership Award
Eligible: superintendents, school board members or other school district leaders in the state of Florida.

Strong leadership within a school district has a large impact on developing and maintaining strong arts education programs. This award recognizes leadership in district decision-making to advance arts education, including but not limited to ensuring the inclusion of arts education in the basic curriculum (e.g., equal time and access for all children, maintaining high-quality preK-12 arts programs) and demonstrating strong support for use of “best practices” in educational processes.

7. Doris Leeper Award
Eligible: artists-in-residence, arts lecturers, and professional artist-educators who have worked in, or contributed significantly to, K-12 arts education for at least five (5) years and who currently reside in the state of Florida.

This award, created in 2001 in memory of artist, educator, and visionary, Doris Leeper (1929-2000), honors an artist as educator for outstanding contributions to K-12 arts education in Florida via work which advances arts education through advocacy and arts education development efforts with students, teachers, and interested others. The award is presented to a Florida artist who has had a significant and unique impact on arts education in K-12 educational settings in Florida.

8. The Dr. Mary Palmer Legacy Trailblazer Award

Eligible: individuals who have contributed significantly to elevating arts education for at least five (5) years and who currently reside in the state of Florida.

The award is named after Dr. Mary Palmer, Ph.D. (a founder of FAAE) who is Professor Emeritus of the UCF College of Education and whose tireless work on behalf of arts education – and specifically arts integration – has gained her a national reputation as not only an advocate for arts education, but also as an individual who recognizes the transformative power of the arts. This award honors individuals who have elevated arts education as their core mission. Awardees recognize the transformative power of the arts, have led change that will make significant short or long-term impact on arts education and have set a standard for others to follow.