Awards and Applications 

If you are interested in applying for the CATA awards, please see below for our NEW submittal process. All applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on February 15th!

 All applications will now be submitted through Cognito Forms.  No other form of submissions will be accepted.

  1. Click the link below to the award you wish to apply for.  The link is attached to the name of the award.
  2. All required items have an asterisk, and the form cannot be submitted until all items have been uploaded.
    1. You have the option to hit "Save" and come back to the application at another time.
    2. Once the form is complete and all required documents have been uploaded, be sure to hit "Submit".  Contact the CATA office if you have any questions as to whether or not your application was submitted.
  3. Signature Pages-There are two different Signature pages:
    1. NAAE Awards - You will need to fill out this signature page for the below awards:
      1. Outstanding Ag Program, Outstanding Post Secondary Ag Program, Outstanding Ag Teacher, Outstanding Young Teacher, Teacher Mentor, Ideas Unlimited
    2. CATA Only Awards - (Non NAAE) - You will need to fill out this signature page for the below awards:
      1. Pathway Awards

CATA Award Categories:

Outstanding Middle/Secondary Ag Program * (scoring rubric) 
NAAE Award Signature Page

  • 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)
NAAE Award Signature Page

  • 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)
NAAE Award Signature Page

  • 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 Teacher * (scoring rubric)
NAAE Award Signature Page

  • 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 Mentor * (scoring rubric)
NAAE Award Signature Page

  • 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.

**New Award**
Ideas Unlimited * (scoring rubric-will post as soon as it becomes available from NAAE)
NAAE Award Signature Page

  • The purpose of this award opens the doors to a world of boundless classrooms and limitless learning opportunities for active members at every age and in every stage of their careers.  Members have the opportunity to exchange classroom, experiential learning, leadership, and other teaching ideas.  The idea may be original or drawn from collective inspiration.  Applicants are invited to showcase its implementation and how the idea can enhance agricultural education through this award category 

Teacher of Excellence * (scoring rubric)
No additional Signature Page needed

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

Pathway Teacher of the Year * (scoring rubric)
CATA Only Award Signature Page

  • 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.
    • Choose from the following Pathway Awards:
      • Agriculture Business, Agriculture Mechanics, Agriscience, Animal Science, Forestry & Natural Resources, Ornamental Horticulture, and Plant & Soil Science.

CATA Hall of Fame Nomination Form

​CATA Hall of Fame Nomination Form Agriculture Industry 

Other Award Areas:

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)       

  • National program for teachers in their first five years of teaching.

​State Officer Application

  • Application to serve the CATA on the Executive Committee.

State Division Officer Application

  • Application to serve the CATA as a State Division Officer.