Nominations are now being accepted for the ninth annual Music Educator of the Year Award sponsored by the Canton Symphony Orchestra (CSO) and the seventh annual Art Educator of the Year Award co-sponsored by the Massillon Museum and the Canton Museum of Art. The awards will be presented on Saturday March 28, 2026, at the CSO MasterWorks concert at 7:30 p.m. Nominations for this year’s awards are due by Sunday, December 14, 2025. Winners of the awards will receive a $500 check. 

Nominees must be licensed Art or Music Educators in a public, private, or parochial school classroom setting in grades K-12 in the region served by the Stark County Educational Service Center. Educators from all fields of Music and Visual Arts are eligible. The honored Educators will be selected from a field of five finalists chosen by a panel of qualified judges from the community. Finalists will be recognized at a reception prior to the concert on March 28. Former recipients of the award are not eligible to win in consecutive years.

Anyone can nominate a Music or Art Educator for the award. Nomination forms are available via the links below.

Art Educator of the Year Nomination Form

Music Educator of the Year Nomination Form

Questions? Contact:

Caylan Rentsch
Outreach and Programs Coordinator
330.833.4061 x131
Email