Rapid City, South Dakota – The opportunity to recognize outstanding agriculture educators in South Dakota is officially underway as the nomination period opens for the annual Nationwide Golden Owl Award. The award honors teachers who dedicate countless hours to preparing and empowering students for successful careers in the agriculture industry, a critical sector across the state and the Black Hills region.
The Golden Owl Award, in partnership with the South Dakota FFA Foundation, allows students, parents, fellow teachers, and community members to nominate their favorite agricultural teacher. This year’s nomination period for the 2025-2026 award runs from October 1, 2025, through December 31, 2025. Nominations can be submitted at www.sdaged.org/GOA.
After the December 31 deadline, a selection committee will choose eight finalists across South Dakota. Each finalist will receive a personalized plaque and a $500 award for their program. One of these educators will then be selected as the state’s grand prize winner, earning the title of 2025-2026 Ag Educator of the Year. The grand prize includes the coveted Golden Owl Award trophy and an additional $3,000 to help fund future educational efforts.
Nationwide, which founded the award in 2018, is also donating $5,000 to the South Dakota FFA Foundation to further support the personal and professional growth of students, teachers, and advisors.
“Agricultural educators are so much more than teachers; they’re community servants who are shaping the leaders of tomorrow,” said Brad Liggett, president of Agribusiness at Nationwide. “Together with our partners, we encourage students, parents, fellow teachers and other community members to nominate their agricultural teachers to acknowledge their hard work.”
The award program, which is expanding this year to 15 states, including South Dakota, has provided more than $600,000 to support teachers, students, school agricultural programs, and FFA chapters since its inception. The owl symbol, a reflection of knowledge and wisdom, is one of the five symbols in the FFA emblem, and is the inspiration behind the award’s name.
The previous year’s Ag Educator of the Year for South Dakota was Dan Tonak, an agricultural teacher at Willow Lake. Educators like Austin Bishop from Belle Fourche, near Rapid City, have also been recognized as recent finalists, underscoring the vital role agriculture teachers play in western South Dakota and the Black Hills.