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Milken Educator Awards Will Honor America’s Top Teachers with $25,000 Prizes and Membership to Network Shaping the Future of K-12 Education

The Awards, created by Lowell Milken, recognize educators who advance students, support colleagues, and have long-range potential to “Celebrate, Elevate and Activate” the profession

October 06, 2025

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — This 2025-26 school year will change the lives of 30 exceptional educators across America. The annual Milken Educator Awards Tour kicks off this week to shine a spotlight on educators who represent the top 1% of the teaching profession. At exciting all-school assemblies, recipients will be surprised with $25,000 unrestricted cash prizes before local and state dignitaries, an entourage of news media, proud colleagues and cheering students. Veteran Award recipients will stand ready to welcome new members into the Milken Educator Network, a group of more than 3,000 distinguished professionals, whose expertise serves as a valuable resource to fellow educators, legislators, school boards and others shaping the future of education. 

The Awards, created four decades ago by philanthropist and education visionary Lowell Milken, have become the nation’s preeminent teacher-recognition program and are hailed by media as “The Oscars of Teaching.” Recipients are K-12 teachers, principals and specialists who demonstrate high-quality teaching, professional leadership, family and community engagement, and a potential for even greater contributions to the personal and academic development of children. 

“Talented educators play a critical role in preparing students to move successfully to the next stage of learning and life,” said Milken Educator Awards Founder Lowell Milken. “For 39 years, the Milken Educator Awards have been calling attention in a very public way to the essential work of educators—all in an effort to attract and retain high-quality talent to the teaching profession.” 

This season will reach more than $76 million in individual cash prizes since the Awards’ first presentation in 1987 and over $146 million invested in the Milken Educator Award national network overall, empowering recipients to broaden their impact and encouraging young, capable people to consider a career in education. 

The Milken Educator Award is not a lifetime achievement honor. Recipients are sought out while early to mid-career for what they have achieved – and for the promise of what they will accomplish given the resources and opportunities afforded by the Award. 

The Milken Educator Award Reaps Lifelong Benefits

• The $25,000 cash Award is unrestricted. Recipients have used the money in diverse ways. Some recipients have spent the funds on their children’s or their own continuing education, financing dream field trips, establishing scholarships, and even adopting children.
• Honorees receive powerful mentorship opportunities for expanded leadership roles that strengthen education practice and policy. Milken Friends Forever (MFF) pairs a new recipient with a veteran Milken Educator mentor; the Expanding MFF Resource and Explorer Program fosters individual veteran Milken Educator partnerships around specific topic areas; and Activating Milken Educators (AME) promotes group collaboration in and across states to bring solutions to pressing educational needs. Milken MeetUps abound across the nation to deepen learning and connection and expand innovation in education.
• The honorees will attend an all-expenses-paid Milken Educator Awards Forum in Washington, D.C., from June 12-14, 2026, where they will network with their new colleagues, as well as veteran Milken Educators and other education leaders, about how to further develop their voice into roles that lead to real change.
• Veteran Milken Educators demonstrate a wide range of leadership roles at state, national and international levels. 

The Milken Educator Award might come to a community near you! Who will be next? Join us as we surprise these remarkable individuals and celebrate their dedication to excellence in education! Follow the tour and use the #MilkenAward hashtag on: YouTube (MilkenAward)| Facebook (MilkenEducatorAwards)| Instagram (MilkenFamilyFdn)| TikTok (MilkenAward)| X (Milken)| LinkedIn (MilkenFamilyFdn). 

Visit MilkenEducatorAwards.org or call the Milken Family Foundation at (310) 570-4772 for more information.

About the Milken Educator Awards: “The Future Belongs to the Educated”
The first Milken Educator Awards were presented by the Milken Family Foundation in 1987. Created by philanthropist and education visionary Lowell Milken, the Awards provide public recognition and individual financial rewards of $25,000 to K-12 teachers, principals, and specialists from around the country who are furthering excellence in education. Recipients are heralded in early to mid-career for what they have achieved and for the promise of what they will accomplish. The Milken Family Foundation celebrates more than 40 years of elevating education in America and around the world. Learn more at MFF.org.

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