2026 Every Champion
Introduction
We are proud to recognize educators, paraprofessionals, and school-related service providers who excel in building strong relationships with students and families, ultimately enhancing student success. We seek K-12 professionals who help students with learning disabilities thrive by personalizing learning, supporting mental health, celebrating neurodiversity, creating inclusive spaces, believing in every student’s potential, and engaging students in creative ways. The Everyday Champion Awards (ECA) will award $5000 to two educators and one educator team who make a positive impact on the lives of students with learning disabilities
Description
The National Center for Learning Disabilities is excited to recognize educators who prove that building strong relationships with students and families improves student success in the classroom and beyond. We are looking for general and special educators and educator teams working in K-12 settings who are committed to helping students with learning disabilities thrive. These Everyday Champions demonstrate their skills as relationship-builders by:
Personalizing learning
Supporting student mental health
Celebrating neurodiversity
Creating inclusive and welcoming spaces
Believing in the potential of all students
Finding creative ways to get students engaged in learning
The Everyday Champion Awards (ECA) will award $5000 to two educators and one educator team who makes a positive impact on the lives of students with LD. NCLD will celebrate award winners during our annual benefit in late 2026.
Nominations can be made by:
Current or former students
Parents and/or caregivers of students
Fellow teachers or coworkers
Family members
Community member
School administrator
Self-nominations are welcome!
The nomination form includes multiple-choice questions and 3 essay questions.
Please allow 20-30 minutes to complete the nomination form.
This nomination platform uses tools to detect AI usage in essay responses.
AI tools can be helpful for organizing ideas or editing, and are often useful when learning a language. AI tools can also be a valuable form of assistive technology.
AI tools may be used for idea generation and light editing assistance, but should not be used to entirely replace your own writing.
NCLD values your unique ideas, thoughts, and stories more than perfect spelling or grammar.
If your essays are detected for plagiarism or are found to be mostly written by AI, this may negatively impact your application during the review process.
Nominations open April 1, 2026.
Qualifications
K-5 Educator Award
This award will recognize one educator working with Kindergarten through 5th grade students.
Criteria
General education teacher or special education teacher.
Must currently work in a K-5 public school, charter school, private school, or specialized learning environment.
The nomination must include specific examples of how this educator has built relationships with and supported students with LD and/or ADHD.
Has not, to the best of their knowledge, received a similar national award within the past 18 months.
Award amount: $5,000
6-12 Educator Award
This award will recognize one educator working with middle or high school students.
Criteria
General education teacher or special education teacher.
Must currently work in a 6-12 public, charter, private, or specialized learning environment.
The nomination must include specific examples of how this educator has built relationships with and supported students with LD and/or ADHD.
Has not, to the best of their knowledge, received a similar national award within the past 18 months.
Award amount: $5,000
Educator Team Award
This award will recognize one Educator Team working with students in K-12 settings.
For the purposes of this award, a team is defined as a pair or small group of education professionals who are consistently working together to support 1 or more students with learning disabilities.
Examples include:
Co-teaching classrooms
Special educator and general educator
Educator and paraprofessional
General educator, special educator, and paraprofessional
Criteria
All team members must be currently working in a K-12 public school, charter school, private school, or specialized learning environment.
The nomination must include specific examples of how this team has built relationships with and supported students with LD and/or ADHD.
The “team” must include a minimum of 2 education professionals that work together on a daily basis to support students with learning disabilities.
The winning team can be any size, but the prize amount will not increase based on the number of team members.
Has not, to the best of their knowledge, received a similar national award within the past 18 months.
Award amount: $5,000
Questions
Questions about criteria and award categories may be directed to [email protected]. For technical support questions, please use the help beacon in the bottom right corner or reach out to [email protected].