Nominations sought for Lottery’s Excellence in Education Awards
Parents, students, school staff members and others are encouraged to nominate outstanding public-school educators for the Michigan Lottery’s 2025-26 Excellence In Education awards.
All public-school employees may be nominated for the Excellence In Education awards, which recognize educators who go “above and beyond” to make a difference in the lives of children.
To nominate a public-school educator, click here.
Honoring phenomenal work
“The Excellence in Education awards are our way of honoring the phenomenal work being done by educators in communities throughout Michigan,” said Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli.
“These dedicated professionals do so much more than teach; they are a constant, supportive presence who instill lifelong skills and inspire students to believe in themselves.”
The Michigan Lottery established the Excellence in Education awards in 2014 to recognize outstanding public-school educators across the state during the school year.
$10,000 cash prize up for grabs
One outstanding educator will be selected each week and will receive a $2,000 cash prize. At the end of the school year, one of these weekly award winners will be selected to receive the Lottery’s Educator of the Year award and will receive a $10,000 cash prize.
Winners of the weekly award are featured in a news segment on the Lottery’s media partner stations: WXYZ-TV in Detroit, FOX 17 in Grand Rapids, FOX 47 in Lansing, WNEM-TV in Saginaw, WWTV-TV in Traverse City, and WLUC-TV in Marquette.
The winner of the 2025 Educator of the Year award was Kelly Herberholz, a science teacher and administrative intern with Dakota High School in Macomb.
Hundreds of educators were nominated during the 2024-25 school year, which was the 11th year of the Excellence in Education awards program. Thirty-four of these nominees, including Herberholz, were selected to win a weekly award.
