The nomination window for ACSA’s 2026 Administrator of the Year and special awards is now open. If you plan to nominate a colleague this year, you can get started immediately and give yourself plenty of time before the January deadline.

Through its annual awards program, ACSA honors outstanding students, administrators and community organizations for their achievements and dedication to public education.

This year’s program will debut a new category, Middle Grades Co-administrator of the Year, which was approved by ACSA’s board in May. The additional category will more closely align to the national administrator recognition program run by the National Association of Secondary School Administrators, which began honoring a co-administrator at the middle grades level this year.

ACSA’s awards program seeks administrator nominations for the following awards:

• Administrators of the Year in 22 job-alike categories (superintendent, secondary principal, etc.).
• Marcus Foster Memorial Award for Administrator Excellence (statewide award).
• Ferd. Kiesel Memorial Distinguished Service Award (statewide award).
• Partners in Educational Excellence Award.
• Robert E. Kelly Award for Outstanding Community Service.
• Valuing Diversity Award.

Visit www.acsa.org/awards to use the online portal to submit a nomination. The deadline for submitting nominations in all regions is Jan. 22, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Regions will then select their region winners and state finalists, which are forwarded to the statewide awards committee.

Online support includes tips for successful nominations, frequently asked questions, and checklists and criteria for each award.

The Every Student Succeeding award recognizes 19 pre-K-12 students, one from each ACSA region, and two California adult education students for overcoming the odds and achieving success. Students receive a stipend, as well as recognition during Leadership Summit.

The PDF nomination form for this award is available online at www.acsa.org/ess and must be submitted to region leadership. Check with your region leadership for the region submission deadline and process.

For questions regarding these awards programs, contact statewide awards coordinator Emily Agpoon at eagpoon@acsa.org.