Barnes & Noble - My Favorite Teacher Contest

Who Can Participate: Students in Grades 1 through 12

Here's How It Works: Students write an essay, poem, or thank-you letter (500 words or less, in English on 8.5" x 11" white paper) sharing how a teacher has influenced their life and why they appreciate and admire them. Each entry should be submitted with the entry form and a parent or legal guardian must sign the entry form acknowledging that they have read the Official Contest Rules.

Participating schools will collect the essays and provide them to their local Barnes & Noble store representative. Deadline for entries is March 1, 2012. Winners are selected, and the local store and community celebrations begin!

If your school is not participating in the contest and you would like your teacher to be considered for the local and regional award as well as the national Barnes & Noble Teacher of the Year Award, please submit your signed entry form in person or by mail to your local store. Forms must be postmarked by March 1, 2012, and can be sent to any Barnes & Noble store near you (a complete list of stores is available at http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com). A store representative will ensure it is entered into the pool of entries for the awards.

What Students Get: The students who author the winning essays, poems, or thank-you letters will receive a certificate of recognition and be honored at their local store during a ceremony for the winning teachers from their schools.

What Teachers Get: The winning teachers will be recognized at a special event at their local Barnes & Noble store and will receive a special award acknowledging their achievement, together with a selection of Barnes & Noble Illustrated Classics series (for grades 6-8 and high school teachers) or a set of five (5) Classic Starts® series (for grades 1-5 teachers). The six regional winners will each receive a NOOK® eReader and a $500 Barnes & Noble Gift Card. The winner of the "Barnes & Noble Teacher of the Year" award will receive $5,000 and will be recognized at a special event at a Barnes & Noble store. The winning teacher's school will receive $5,000 as well. The winner will also receive five copies of the winning essay published in hardcover by Tikatok.com, the site where students create and publish their own books, and a $250 Tikatok Gift Card that will allow the teacher to publish select stories written by students in their class.