Student Requirements

To nominate a teacher, students must meet the following requirements:

1. You must have your teacher’s permission for nomination
2. Only individual teachers are eligible for nomination
3. Nominations must be submitted by a single person, additional students may sign on to the nomination form as “supporting nominators”
4. No previous winner is eligible for a second award, but previous nominees may be nominated again, in future years
5. The nominated teacher must meet all eligibility criteria (below)
6. Maximum 8 nomination forms per teacher

Teacher Eligibility

In order to be considered for the Teacher of the Year award, each nominee must:

• Have been a bridge teacher for at least 5 years 
• Be a member of  ACBL and ABTA
• Be a member of ABTA or prepared to join the ABTA if nominated
• Teach a minimum of 75 hours per year (e.g. 2 hours a week for 38 weeks or 3 hours a week for 25 weeks) etc. 

Teachers will be considered with a focus on the following qualities (detailed description below)

• Teaching excellence 55%
• Innovation 25%
• Service to bridge 15%
• Service to the community 5%

A. Teaching excellence (55%)

• student response or recommendations
• percentage of students who join organized bridge games
• quality of material used in courses especially personally developed material
  
• use of bridge material and reference material from published bridge authorities
• recommendation of other teachers or bridge professionals
• rationale provided by nominator(s)
• original written material used in teaching students

B. Innovation (25%) Demonstration of innovation associated with bridge teaching or bridge promotion including but not limited to:

• Bridge teaching methods
• Reaching out to youth
• Teaching seniors
• Teaching material
• Course content and approach
• Promotion of bridge
• Promotion of teacher
• Use of the Internet

C. Service to Bridge (15%) This will be based on evidence such as:

• promotion of bridge and their own services through newsletters, websites, columns in print media, TV, or internet
• role in organizing events for students but also for all players such as tournaments
• establishing or participating in programs to teach bridge to young people
• all attempts to build the bridge community, encourage participation in bridge games,
• tournaments, online and in person, membership in the ACBL or ABA
• mentoring including mentoring students or other teachers or directors
• building local bridge clubs and bridge games
• encouraging students to participate in bridge tournaments
• any and all efforts which will help to promote the game of bridge and/or the services of the teacher

D. Service to the Community (5%)

• All volunteer activities but especially those related to bridge. This could include donating services in teaching or running games.
• Organizing and participating in charitable events with a focus on those associated with bridge but other charity activities will be considered.
• All efforts associated with raising money for bridge (e.g. money for youth, international teams, promotion of bridge) etc.
• Any other demonstrable activities which help the community in which that person resides whether bridge related or not and whether paid or not. 

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: May 1, 2021

Need more information or have questions, contact the  Committee Chairman
Richard Braunstein at toy@abtahome.com

Nomination Forms