Official Site of The State of New Jersey

• Each school is strongly encouraged to participate by selecting one 2026-2027 Teacher of the Year and one 2026-2027 Educational Services Professional (ESP) of the Year and registering the recipient(s) in the GEOY online system by December 4, 2026.
• Participation in educator recognition programs promotes a culture that recognizes excellence, creates a sense of pride, and brings public attention to the work of outstanding educators.
• Every Teacher of the Year and Educational Services Professional of the Year registered by the school registration deadline will receive a state awards certificate from their County Office of Education as part of local recognition activities.
• Refer to the GEOY Program Materials webpage for the following program documents and resources:
  • Timelines
  • Eligibility Criteria
  • Teacher of the Year Responsibilities
  • Online Form Instructions
  • School Level Instructions
  • Nomination Form
  • Nomination Form Scoring Guide
  • County Teacher of the Year Online Application Components
  • County Teacher of the Year Application Rubric

New for 2026-2027: Enhanced GEOY Online Registration

The enhanced GEOY online registration system streamlines the registration process. The School Information Form is now built directly into the system and no longer needs to be completed separately and uploaded. Complete this section first; the Teacher/ESP recipient section will then become active. Watch this video to familiarize yourself with the enhanced school-level online registration system. 

• Before beginning registration, review the Online Form Instructions so you know what panel, nominee, recipient, and administrator information to gather in advance.

Before the school-level panel scores nominees, verify that each nominee meets all GEOY eligibility requirements. Refer to the Eligibility Criteria on the GEOY Program Materials webpage for the complete requirements and the current list of eligible ESP enrollment areas.

IMPORTANT: Schools should review and adjust their local nomination and selection timelines as needed to align with the GEOY Timelines and ensure recipients are registered by the December 4, 2026 deadline. Recipients who are not registered by the deadline may not receive a GEOY state awards certificate. If extenuating circumstances prevent your school from meeting the registration deadline, contact your County Office of Education as soon as possible to explain the circumstances and determine whether the registration system can be reopened to allow your recipient(s) to be registered.

To select your Teacher of the Year and Educational Services Professional of the Year, the principal should:

1. Solicit nominations from the entire school community, including administrators, staff members, students, parents, and community members, using the required Nomination Form. Ensure nominations are considered fairly and in accordance with program requirements.
2. Set a school nomination deadline that allows enough time for the selection panel to review and score nominees and select recipients by November 27, 2026.
3. Verify that all nominees meet the GEOY Eligibility Criteria before forwarding nomination materials to the selection panel.
4. Form a selection panel of at least four members representing a cross section of administrators, board members, teachers, educational services professionals, parents, and local education association representatives. The panel should reflect the diversity of the school community and be refreshed every four years.
5. If applicable, include the outgoing Teacher of the Year and Educational Services Professional of the Year on the selection panel.
6. Have the selection panel score nominees using the required Nomination Form Scoring Guide and select the highest-scoring eligible Teacher and Educational Services Professional by November 27, 2026.
7. Register the selected Teacher of the Year and/or ESP of the Year in the GEOY online registration system by December 4, 2026. Follow the Online Form Instructions on the GEOY Program Materials webpage.

1. 1. Complete the School Information Form section now built into the GEOY online system. This section must be completed before the Teacher/ESP recipient section becomes available. Refer to the Online Form Instructions for the information to gather before beginning.
   2. Enter the required recipient information. Verify the recipient's name carefully and enter it exactly as it should appear on the GEOY awards certificate to help avoid corrections and reprints.
   3. Complete principal certification and submit the registration. Confirm the status shows Submitted and retain the recipient's GEOY ID for your records. 

8. Notify all school nominees of their Teacher or Educational Services Professional of the Year status no later than December 11, 2026.
9. If your school selected its 2026-2027 recipients in spring 2026, those recipients must still be registered through the new 2026-2027 GEOY online registration system by December 4, 2026.

• Provide the Teacher of the Year with their GEOY ID. They will need it if they choose to apply for County Teacher of the Year.
• NJDOE will contact registered Teachers of the Year with information about the County Teacher of the Year opportunity.
• Refer to the GEOY Timelines for the current County Teacher of the Year application window and deadline.
• Encourage the Teacher of the Year to review the County Teacher of the Year Online Application Components and County Teacher of the Year Application Rubric before deciding whether to apply.
• Only Teachers of the Year may apply for County Teacher of the Year. Educational Services Professionals of the Year are recognized at the school level and do not move forward in the county/state Teacher of the Year pathway.
• County Offices of Education receive submitted County Teacher of the Year applications through the program process; schools do not need to send application documentation separately to the County Office of Education.

For the Educational Services Professional of the Year

To be eligible for Educational Services Professional (ESP) of the Year, the nominee must be classified in one of the eligible enrollment areas below and meet all GEOY eligibility requirements:

• Anti-Bullying Specialist 
• Athletic Trainer 
• Behavior Specialist 
• Child Study Team 
• Cooperative Education Coordinator/Hazardous Occupations 
• Educational Interpreter (Cued Speech, Transliteration, Oral Interpreting, Sign Language Interpreting) 
• Guidance / School Counselor 
• Learning Disabilities Teacher Consultant 
• Library Media Specialist 
• Mathematics Specialist / Mathematics Coach 
• Nurse (Instructional & Non-instructional) 
• Occupational Therapist 
• Paraprofessional (Instructional only) 
• Physical Therapist 
• Psychologist 
• Reading Specialist / Reading Coach 
• Social Worker 
• Speech Language Specialist 
• Student Assistant Coordinator 
• Technology Coach 

Evaluation Rating: Educational Services Professional nominees must have a most recent summative rating of at least Effective. If an ESP does not receive a formal NJ summative evaluation, for example, because the individual is a contracted service provider, the school should translate the individual's most recent year’s observation or performance rating to the equivalent NJ evaluation rating for purposes of GEOY registration.

Staff Member ID: If an ESP does not have a state-assigned 8-digit Staff Member ID (SMID), enter the staff identification number assigned to the individual by the district.

Refer to the GEOY Timelines for the complete program calendar. Schools should pay particular attention to the deadlines for selecting recipients, completing GEOY registration, and notifying nominees.

• Electronic copies of GEOY forms, instructions, timelines, and other resources are available on the GEOY Program Materials webpage.
• For questions about GEOY or the registration process, contact your County Office of Education or the NJDOE Educator Recognition team at educatorrecognition@doe.nj.gov.