COLUMBUS, Ind. – Nominations are now being accepted for the 2026 Edna V. Folger Outstanding Teacher Award. The deadline to nominate is 4 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. The winner will be announced at the 2026 Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting.
This annual award is designed to raise awareness about the immeasurable influence educators have on their students, and to recognize educators as important community role models. SIHO Insurance Services, the Community Education Coalition, and the IU Columbus Center for Teaching and Learning are the sponsors.
Any full-time elementary or secondary school teacher or educator working in a public, private, or parochial school in Bartholomew County is eligible to receive the award. Classroom, special education teachers, certified educators, counselors, and administrators are all eligible.
Nomination instructions are available from the IU Columbus Center for Teaching and Learning, the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation Administrative Offices, and in the main office of schools throughout Bartholomew County. Nomination forms may also be downloaded here.
Individuals or groups may nominate a classroom teacher or educator to receive this award. Nominations should include biographical information, reasons for nomination, letters of recommendation, and support materials.
For more information, contact Marsha VanNahmen at 812-375-7576 or mvannahm@iu.edu or visit columbus.iu.edu/ctl/folger-award.
