ABOUT THE AWARD
The ELEVATE (Equitable Language Education Visionary Advocate with Transformative Effect) award was created to honor successful advocacy work that advances access and equity for language and culture learners within and beyond the classrooms. JNCL-NCLIS recognizes that individuals and teams are doing significant work in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) with their students, peers, and others, in their institutions and communities. JNCL-NCLIS seeks to recognize the work of these individuals/teams who endeavor to give voice to marginalized communities and/or languages, cultures, and dialects to raise public awareness about the role and importance of all of America’s languages and the positive benefits of multilingualism and multiculturalism in our society.
PURPOSE
Nominations for this award will document nominee-led collaborative initiatives that cultivate, promote, and foster a more diverse, equitable, and/or inclusive advocacy voice for all languages and cultures; and will provide evidence of the impacts and/or outcomes from such initiatives.
Eligibility
A nominee for the Language Advocate of the Year Award must:
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Be a member of a JNCL-NCLIS member organization that is in good financial standing (organization has paid JNCL-NCLIS annual dues by September 1st);
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Commit to participate in the Language Advocacy Awards presentation to be held during Language Advocacy Days.
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Be nominated, in writing, by the leadership of the said member organization via the online application (see "Online Nominations Form" below).​
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Nominees for the 2026 award should be from the K-12 level
Current Board Members are NOT eligible for the award.
Selection Criteria
All nominees will be considered based on their documented contributions in the following areas:
Advocacy for Access and Equity
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Has participated, promoted and/or led successful advocacy efforts
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Has directly shared his or her knowledge and passion for equitable language and culture education through writing, social and other media and/or or speaking opportunities
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Has worked to raise public awareness
Evidence of Impact
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Has endeavored to empower marginalized communities and/or languages and cultures
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Efforts have had visible impact at local/regional or national level
Selection Process
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The nomination period will open the mid-July and closes in September (see below for exact dates).
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The selection process will be conducted by the Awards Committee, whose Chair is selected each year by the President of the Board of Directors. Per the Bylaws, the committee will be composed of three Board Members, excluding the President, and two JNCL staff members. The committee will review all nominations submitted prior to the stated deadline and select a recipient that best fulfills the award criteria.
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The Awards Committee in consultation with staff will then select a group of finalists from which the Board of Directors will select one recipient.
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The selection process will take place from September to November.
The Award includes...
The sponsored award will include:
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An award plaque and recognition during the Language Advocacy Awards presentation during Language Advocacy Days,
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Complimentary registration to Language Advocacy Days and one night's lodging at the conference location (when event takes place onsite),
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A spotlight profile on the JNCL-NCLIS awards webpage
Generous funding for this award comes from our partners at
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Want to sponsor this award?
email info@languagepolicy.org
The Online Nominations Form
Only member organizations of JNCL-NCLIS in good financial standing (paid JNCL-NCLIS annual dues by September 1st) may submit nominations.
The nominator will need to provide the following when submitting your nomination:
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One official letter of recommendation (2 pages max.) from the nominating organization about the nominee. Briefly highlight the challenge(s) faced, the advocacy initiative(s) undertaken and its impact within the context of the award’s purpose.
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The nominee’s most current resume or C.V.;
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(optional) The nominee’s personal statement (2 pages max), detailing his or her personal purpose for advocating for language(s) and how his or her advocacy efforts provoked positives changes and/or inspired others.
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Please note that these documents should be compiled into one file for ease of upload
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Once you submit a nomination, JNCL-NCLIS will email the nominee at the email address you have provided to confirm their participation in the contest. ​
Application Deadline for the 2026 Award:
11:59 PM EST Monday, September 22, 2025.
past recipients
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2025 - Haydee Taylor-Arnold, Ladue Horton Watkins High School
2024 - Jill Landes Lee, University of Utah