OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence is seeking submissions for its 2024 Academic Awards, which honor five exceptional educators and 100 outstanding high school seniors in Oklahoma’s public schools. Awards criteria and online nomination/ application forms can be accessed on the foundation website at www. ofe.org.

Founded in 1985, the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence is a statewide nonprofit organization that recognizes and encourages academic excellence in Oklahoma’s public schools. Awards totaling $175,000 will be presented at the foundation’s 38th annual Academic Awards Banquet on May 4, 2024, at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center in Norman. The celebration has been described as the “Academy Awards for public education in Oklahoma.”

Nominations are now being accepted for Oklahoma Medal for Excellence Awards, which recognize public school educators for their passion and innovation, commitment to professional development, and extraordinary impact on student learning. Medal for Excellence Awards will be presented in each of the following categories: Elementary Teaching, Secondary Teaching, Elementary/Secondary Administration, Regional University/Community College Teaching, and Research University Teaching. Each recipient will receive a $5,000 cash award and etched glass Roots and Wings sculpture.

Anyone – including colleagues, parents, students, former students or community members – can nominate a public school educator for an Oklahoma Medal for Excellence Award. Nominations must be completed

Nov. 3.

The foundation is also accepting applications for $1,500 Academic All-State Awards, which recognize 100 exceptional public high school seniors for academic achievement, leadership and community service. To apply, students must meet any one of the following criteria: a composite ACT score of at least 30, a combined SAT evidence-based reading & writing and math score of at least 1370, or be selected as a National Merit Scholarship Program semi-finalist. Academic All-State applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 28.

“Oklahoma public school educators and students need and deserve our recognition and encouragement,” said Elizabeth Inbody, executive director of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence. “We are calling on Oklahomans to help recognize extraordinary educators in their communities by nominating them for Medal for Excellence Awards and to encourage eligible students to apply for Academic All-State. Together, we can shine a bright light on students and educators who go above and beyond to achieve academic excellence in our public schools.”

Awards recipients are chosen by an independent selection committee comprised of business, education and civic leaders, as well as former Academic All-Staters and Medal for Excellence winners. Since 1987, the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence has awarded more than $5.4 million in academic awards.

For more information, visit the foundation’s website at www. ofe.org or call (405) 2360006.