2026 COABE Awards Nominations
Deadline to submit a nomination is December 28, 2025
Outstanding Adult Learner of the Year Award
The Outstanding Adult Learner Award is provided to a student who has demonstrated leadership within the formal or non-traditional learning environments. This award is given to a student who has overcome difficult circumstances to pursue adult learning, who has supported other adult learners, and who has managed significant adult responsibilities such as those related to employment, family or community.
Outstanding Teacher Award
The Outstanding Teacher, Edgar M. Easley Award, is provided to a practitioner with five or more years of adult education teaching experience that participates in school and community activities. This award is given to an individual who understands the characteristics of the adult learner and who is committed to the adult/continuing education profession.
Outstanding Administrator Award
The Outstanding Administrator Award is awarded to an adult education administrator with five or more years of experience who has made an outstanding contribution toward fostering the concept of education as a continuing life-process. The awardee must demonstrate a contribution to adult education at the community, state, and/or national levels.
Local Excellence in Advocacy
COABE places a high emphasis on members advocating for adult education at the local, state, and federal level. Did you take action when we sent our legislative alerts encouraging the field to contact their legislators? Did you invite your representative to visit your program? If so, you might be the perfect candidate for Local Excellence in Advocacy!
Advancing Workforce Development for Adult Learners Award
Adult Education programs, associations or state offices may submit nominations for organizations or programs that have advanced workforce development for adult learners through best practices that integrate workforce skills training with adult education and are responsive to regional or local workforce needs.
State Innovation Award
Does your state have an exciting new initiative or best practice that can be scaled and replicated in other states? If so, please consider nominating your state for the State Innovation Award. Entries typically highlight state agencies, state associations, or state led consortium, however entries are not limited to these categories.
Scholarship Grant
The COABE Scholarship Grant is presented to recipients to fund, or partially fund, college level courses of study that will advance the professional standing of COABE practitioners. Examples of scholarships include employees or volunteers in the field of adult basic education earning a degree or a state certificate/credential; obtaining an ESL certificate; teacher/counselor obtaining counselor/administrative credential; earning an advanced degree in adult education.
Research Incentive Grant
The Research Incentive Grant is designed to encourage innovative research that advances the field of adult education and workforce development. The grant provides support for projects that generate new knowledge, highlight best practices, or explore emerging trends with the potential to strengthen programs, inform policy, and improve outcomes for adult learners.
Programs Succeed when Learners Lead Incentive Grant
The Programs Succeed When Learners Lead Incentive Grant is split into $1500 to support a Student Leadership project at one adult education program and $500 to facilitate travel to and registration for COABE 2026, where the grant recipient will present on the process for creating and the results of their Student Leadership initiative.
Behind Every Employer Incentive Grant
COABE will provide an Incentive Grant to an adult education organization that can meet the following criteria that can demonstrate effectiveness in engaging employers in partnership with multiple workforce and education partners. Note that you must register your organization to get on the Behind Every Employer locator map.
Practitioner Scholarship
This scholarship recognizes outstanding adult education practitioners who reflect Jody L. Angelone’s lifelong dedication to professional learning, innovation, collaboration, and equity. Jody spent more than 25 years advancing the field through high-impact professional development, coaching, and leadership at the state and national levels—including a decade of service on the COABE Board of Directors. This annual award honors Jody’s legacy by elevating practitioners who empower educators and transform the adult learning experience.
2025 Award Winners
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