FFLA members and their students may apply for a variety of awards and scholarships. The full list of awards are listed below, and all awards will be presented at the 2024 FFLA Conference, "Building Belonging through Language, Culture, and Connections" to be held September 26-28 at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Lake Buena Vista South in Kissimmee.

All award applications must be submitted by an FFLA member in good standing.

Click on an award title or underlined link to apply.

The award for the National Language Teacher of the Year (TOY) is intended to elevate the status and the public profile of the language profession at the state, regional, and national levels by creating opportunities to recognize best practices and excellence in the teaching and learning of world languages among accomplished members of our profession. The goal is to promote the language teaching profession through increased visibility with the media, policymakers, and the general public.

The ideal candidate for this award is an experienced world language educator who is completely familiar with the National Standards of Foreign Language Education as well as the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL) Proficiency Guidelines and applies this knowledge on a daily basis in the classroom. All TOY nominees from Florida will submit a reflective essay and undergo an in-person interview during the 2026 Conference to be held October 23-25 at the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort. Interviewed candidates will be asked to explain the integration of the standards and modes of communication as well as what their platform might be as a national advocate. The 2026 FFLA Teacher of the Year will be announced at our awards ceremony on Saturday, October 24th.

By submitting an application, candidates agree to participate in the Southern Conference on Language Teaching (SCOLT) portion of the ACTFL TOY competition and continue to the national competition, if selected at the regional level. These competitions require the state-level TOY winners do develop an extensive portfolio with multiple letters of recommendation and exemplars of student work with reflective commentary. The ACTFL TOY is the national voice for the organization and will spend a year promoting language study and advocating for language learning at the national level.

Either the nominator or nominee may submit the supporting documents in one email message to our 2026 awards committee chairs, Tracie Carollo and Silvana Wilbur, at awards@ffla.us.

After completing the nomination application, either the nominator or nominee may submit the supporting documents in one email message to our 2026 awards adjudicator, by July 31, 2026. 

With the exception of the nominee picture, nominees/nominators may bundle the following elements into a single pdf file:

• A 250 to 500-word personal statement on the value of learning languages and developing cultural competence for all learners.
• A digital photograph / headshot of the nominee to be used in highlighting candidates on social media and elsewhere prior to, during, and after the conference.
• One letter of recommendation from a professional colleague, supervisor, parent, or student.
• A curriculum vitae of no more than three (3) pages.

Please double check the application to make certain it includes all required components. To reiterate, send all supporting documents, artifacts, and pictures to our awards adjudicator, in one email message with the TOY--nominee's name as the subject heading.

All applications must be received by July 31, 2026.

The Teacher of Promise (TOP) is a program developed by FFLA, Inc. to recognize outstanding teachers who are new to the profession. This award is designed for teachers who have completed their first, second, or third year of teaching and who show promise to be exceptional teachers and leaders in world language education. Two Teachers of Promise for each of the 16 regions will be selected from the applications received. Teachers of Promise winners are encouraged to apply to SCILL, the leadership development program organized by SCOLT.

Please note the following submission guidelines:

All applications must be received by June 30, 2026.

The FFLA Most Valuable Teacher (MVT) Award recognizes the successes and achievements of Florida's world language, dual language, and ESOL educators. Members may nominate their colleagues based on merit and contributions the nominee made to benefit second-language education during the past year.

A description of 50-250 words must accompany the nomination and delineate the reasons why the colleague should be nominated as an MVT.

Nominees must be willing to become FFLA members and must attend the conference to receive the recognition. Members who have been recognized as an MVT five times will be inducted into the FFLA Hall of Fame, but Hall of Fame members may be recognized as MVTs, as well.

All nominations must be completed by July 31, 2026.

Teachers who have been recognized as a Most Valuable Teacher (MVT) on five different occasions are inducted into the FFLA Teacher Hall of Fame; however, Hall of Fame members may continue to be recognized as an MVT.

In memory of the late Irving Wershow's distinguished career as a professor of Spanish & Portuguese at the University of Florida from 1938-1977, Director of the Center for Latin American Studies, Director of the Center for African Studies, and Director of the Graduate Programs in Linguistics, the Irving Wershow Award for Excellence in Leadership in the Profession is awarded annually at the FFLA conference to a member who has:

1. Demonstrated leadership at the regional, state and/or national level,
2. Served as a quality educator in his/her own right, and
3. Promoted the teaching and learning of world languages, bilingual/bi-cultural education, and/or English as a second language.

The nominee must be a member of FFLA in good standing. Language teachers and administrators from all levels, K-12, and post-secondary are eligible. Please DO NOT inform the nominee of this nomination. As FFLA's highest recognition, it is the intent of the FFLA Board and the Awards Committee that candidates take no part in the nomination process and have no knowledge of their nomination. This anonymity in the process allows the honoree to be surprised by the award.

SUBMISSION PROCESS

Include a narrative with the reasons for your nomination. The narrative must include examples that the nominee has:

1. Demonstrated leadership at the regional, state and/or national level,
2. Served as a quality educator in his/her own right, and
3. Promoted the teaching and learning of world languages, bilingual/bi-cultural education, and/or English as a second language.

Some topics you should address in your narrative nominating a colleague for the Wershow Award are: 

Each language association affiliated with FFLA has the opportunity to nominate a teacher of the year. Leaders from each league select these individuals, who must be a member of both FFLA and their respective language affiliate. Association presidents or their designees present this honor to the teacher during the FFLA conference each year. Please reach out to our Awards Committee chairperson to submit the name and photo of the teacher being honored during our awards ceremony.