COLLEGE PARK, MD – May 11, 2026 – National History Day® (NHD) is proud to announce the teachers honored as the 2026 National History Day Teacher of the Year Award nominees. Teachers from all NHD affiliates could self-nominate or be nominated by community members for the award, which honors one teacher in the junior division and one in the senior division. NHD staff worked with local programs to select up to one middle school teacher and one high school teacher to represent each affiliate for this prestigious award. In addition to celebrating outstanding history scholarship and innovative classroom instruction, the 2026 Teachers of the Year will each receive a $5,000 cash prize.
Each nominee for the National History Day Teacher of the Year Award is a teacher who demonstrates a commitment to engaging students in historical learning through the innovative use of primary sources, implementation of active learning strategies to foster historical thinking skills, and participation in the National History Day Contest. 78 educators are up for the award this year.
“Teachers play a fundamental, and often undervalued, role in guiding the next generation of civic-minded leaders and change-makers,” said National History Day Executive Director, Dr. Cathy Gorn. “We are excited to celebrate the accomplishments of these 78 outstanding educators and their impact on students, their local communities, and history education.”
One national winner in the junior division and one in the senior division will be selected by a committee of experienced teachers and historians and announced on Thursday, June 18, 2026, at the National History Day National Contest Awards Ceremony in College Park, Maryland. The Awards Ceremony will begin around 9 a.m. and will be livestreamed at nhd.org/awards-ceremony.
Congratulations to this year’s National History Day Teacher of the Year Award nominees:
| Affiliate | Teacher | Division |
| Alabama | Mrs. Blakeney Lewis | Junior |
| Mrs. Alana Barrett | Senior | |
| Arizona | Mrs. Donna Gustafson | Junior |
| Mr. Jeron Velasco | Senior | |
| Arkansas | Ms. Jean Hill | Junior |
| Mrs. Kylie Crosskno | Senior | |
| California | Mrs. Lisabet Nepf | Junior |
| Colorado | Mrs. Lindsey Gomez | Junior |
| Mr. Michael Storer | Senior | |
| Connecticut | Ms. Nancy Barlow | Junior |
| Mrs. Chelsea Schonvisky | Senior | |
| Delaware | Mr. Brent Freccia | Senior |
| Florida | Ms. Emily Funston | Junior |
| Ms. Natalie Smith Williams | Senior | |
| Georgia | Dr. Katherine Johnson | Junior |
| Dr. Yi’Sheika Lawrence | Senior | |
| Guam | Mrs. Valerie Tanayan | Junior |
| Ms. Joanna Payumo | Senior | |
| Hawaiʻi | Mr. Jaimy Valerio | Junior |
| Ms. Janyce Omura | Senior | |
| Idaho | Mr. Tyler Schwarzbach | Junior |
| Ms. Calista Houdek | Senior | |
| Illinois | Mr. Eric Haak | Junior |
| Indiana | Mr. Lawney Francis II | Junior |
| Iowa | Ms. Ann Jackson | Junior |
| Kansas | Ms. Jasmine Puderbaugh | Junior |
| Kentucky | Mrs. Tracy Saylor | Junior |
| Louisiana | Ms. Katelyn Muro | Junior |
| Maryland | Mrs. Amie Dryer | Senior |
| Massachusetts | Ms. Kierstyn Bohl | Junior |
| Mr. Mike Lee | Senior | |
| Michigan | Mrs. Shana Ransford | Junior |
| Mr. Brett Sidle | Senior | |
| Minnesota | Mrs. Zoe Kourajian | Junior |
| Ms. Courtney Major | Senior | |
| Mississippi | Mr. Craig Wood | Senior |
| Missouri | Mrs. Kelly Patterson | Junior |
| Mr. Mack Williams | Senior | |
| Montana | Ms. Jacqueline Marshall | Junior |
| Mrs. Taylor Olsen | Senior | |
| Nebraska | Mrs. Amy Diegel | Junior |
| Mr. Noa Craft | Senior | |
| Nevada | Mrs. Kelly Smith-Nott | Junior |
| Ms. Jessica Eichstedt | Senior | |
| New Hampshire | Mrs. Valerie Custeau | Junior |
| Mr. Christopher Quirke | Senior | |
| New Jersey | Mrs. Christy Marrella | Junior |
| Ms. Tracey Prince | Senior | |
| New Mexico | Mrs. Wendy Dove | Junior |
| Mr. Lee Wilson | Senior | |
| New York | Ms. Kristen Waterman | Junior |
| Mr. Jonathan Kyriacou | Senior | |
| NHD China | Mr. Oleksiy Luchyk | Senior |
| NHD Korea | Mr. Steven Hanson | Junior |
| Ms. Savannah Bamburg | Senior | |
| North Carolina | Ms. Michelle Rutledge | Junior |
| Mr. Wesley Young | Senior | |
| North Dakota | Mr. Zach Hochhalter | Senior |
| Ohio | Ms. Allison Edler | Junior |
| Mr. Kenneth Clark | Senior | |
| Oklahoma | Mrs. Carrie Walker | Junior |
| Pennsylvania | Dr. Brad Testa | Junior |
| Mr. Josh Elders | Senior | |
| Rhode Island | Mrs. Mary Meehan | Junior |
| Mr. Chris Stanley | Senior | |
| South Carolina | Mr. Cameron Lentz | Junior |
| Tennessee | Mrs. Nicole Whitecotton | Junior |
| Texas | Ms. Jeanaline Celis | Junior |
| Mr. Rhett Carter | Senior | |
| Utah | Mrs. Julia Winslow | Junior |
| Mr. Taylor Brooks | Senior | |
| Virginia | Mrs. Erica Harris | Senior |
| Washington | Mr. John Buchinger | Junior |
| Ms. Sabrina Shaw | Senior | |
| Washington, D.C. | Mr. Andrew Grover | Senior |
| Wisconsin | Ms. Krystal Klemme | Junior |
| Ms. Kari Nuszkiewicz | Senior | |
| Wyoming | Mrs. Michelle Stebner | Junior |
