Awards and Applications

CATA is reconstructing how award applications are submitted. We will be using Cognito Forms. All forms will be listed soon, please check back! An email will be sent when they are available.

Applications must be postmarked or emailed by February 15th.
Mail to: CATA, PO Box 186, Galt, CA 95632
Email to: [email protected]

Main Award Areas:

Outstanding Middle/Secondary Ag Program * (scoring rubric)

The purpose of this award is to promote outstanding middle and secondary programs in agricultural education and share their success stories.

Outstanding Ag Program - Post Secondary Division * (scoring rubric)

The purpose of this award is to recognize the value in continuing education in agricultural at outstanding post-secondary institutions.

Outstanding Ag Teacher * (scoring rubric)

The purpose of this award is to recognize outstanding agricultural education teachers who have taught at least twenty years for their participation and leadership in civic, community, agriculture/agribusiness, and professional activities.

Outstanding Young Member * (scoring rubric)

The purpose of this award is to encourage and recognize outstanding young agricultural education teachers for their participation and leadership in civic, community, agriculture/agribusiness, and professional activities.

Teacher of Excellence * (scoring rubric)

Recognition for CATA members who have demonstrated ten years of excellence as an agricultural teacher and contributing CATA member.

Teacher Mentor * (scoring rubric)

The purpose of this award is to encourage experienced teachers to become mentors for beginning teachers, and it will provide beginning teachers a way to say thank you to the experienced teachers who have influenced them through leadership and guidance.

Pathway Teacher of the Year * (scoring rubric)

This program distinguishes CATA members who emphasize concepts, principles and applications related to their pathway curricula. The award recognizes leadership in the teachers focus area, civic, community, and professional activities. Outstanding agriculture educators are innovators and catalysts for student success in all areas of agriculture education.

*Each application must include a separate statement of 150 words or less about yourself and/or your program along with three to five pictures (must be submitted electronically or on USB flash drive) for presentation purposes at the CATA awards banquet. Please save and label each picture as a separate file (i.e., John Smith Headshot, John Smith with CDE Team, John Smith and Family, etc.). This page will not be seen by the members of the scoring committee.

Other Award Areas:

CATA Hall of Fame Nomination Form

Application must be postmarked by February 15th.

CATA Hall of Fame Nomination Form Agriculture Industry

Application must be postmarked by February 15th.

Teacher of Teachers

The purpose is to identify and recognize teachers having former students teaching agriculture. The student teachers from the five universities have two nominations each to acknowledge the most influential person that encouraged them to enter the agriculture teaching profession.

Thirty Minute Club

The purpose is to encourage members to publicize activities of education in and about agriculture. A member must have spent a minimum of thirty minutes preparing an article or picture(s) for publication in farm, professional or other magazines, preparing scripts for use on radio or television stations, or producing video communication pieces.

Service Award

The purpose is to recognize teachers for their continuous service to the agricultural youth of California. Service awards are presented at fifteen, twenty, twenty-five, thirty, thirty-five, and forty years.

Founders Award

The purpose of this award is to honor a CATA member who has had an extremely important influence on CATA policies and/or activities. This award shall be considered the consummate award a CATA member may receive.

Past Winners:

H. H. Burlingham 1983
Larry Rathbun 1984
Donald E. Wilson 1987
Jerry T. Davis 1987
Warren D. Reed 1991
Kenneth Harris 1993
Ted Gregg 1999
Jim Aschwanden 2019

Idea Show Awards

This award highlights the creativity and imagination exhibited by agricultural educators that bring innovative teaching ideas, activities, and projects for use in agriculture classrooms need to be shared with others.
Selection: This award program recognizes new ideas in eleven areas:

1. Ag Production/Processing and Products
2. Ag Mechanics
3. Ornamental Horticulture/Plance Science
4. Natural Resources/Rural Recreation/Forestry
5. Ag Science/Farm Labs/UCCI Courses
6. Departmental Operations
7. FFA Operations
8. SAE
9. Working with Support Groups (i.e. Ag Advisory, Ag Boosters, etc.)
10. Floral Design
11. Ag Business/AET/Recordkeeping

Miscellaneous Applications:

CATA Agricultural Educator Relief Fund

All CATA active members are eligible to receive a one-time assistance stipend up to $1,000 to assist in an extreme time of need from the CATA Agricultural Educator Relief Fund. In the case of a deceased CATA active member, the surviving spouse or dependent(s) may receive the one-time assistance stipend. In extreme situations, such as the progression of a catastrophic illness, the same CATA member may receive one additional stipend up to $1,000 from this fund, with the second stipend granted at least 12 months after the initial stipend.

CATA Scholarship Application

Awarded to individuals completing teacher certification requirements. Applications due November 15th (spring applicants) and May 15th (fall applicants)

NAAE "Teachers Turn the Key" (Application)