2022 State Superintendent's Awards for Arts Excellence

The State Superintendent Awards for Arts Excellence are awarded to high school juniors and seniors who have achieved artistic and academic excellence and served their communities. The arts have great value and are an important component of a well-rounded education. Students who participate in the arts — whether music, drama, dance, or in visual media— acquire skills that transfer to other academic areas and carry forward into adulthood. Please encourage your students and children who meet the criteria to apply for these honorary awards, which I am honored to cosponsor with the Oklahoma Alliance for Arts Education.

— Joy Hofmeister, State Superintendent of Public Instruction

2022 State Superintendent's Arts Awards

The Oklahoma State Department of Education is pleased to join with the Oklahoma Alliance for Arts Education and the Masonic Fraternity of Oklahoma for the 32nd Annual State Superintendent Awards for Arts Excellence. It is important to recognize outstanding school board members, school administrators, and fine arts educators for their leadership and support of quality arts education and academic excellence in Oklahoma schools. In addition, we recognize and honor selected juniors and seniors who have excelled in their art forms (voice, instrumental, piano, dance, drama/theatre, and visual art).
 

Administrator, School Board, & Arts Educator Award

The nomination form will be open from February 1 to March 1. Candidates may be nominated for the award by any individual. Nominators will need to have the following information for the form: 

• Nominee name, email address, phone number, school district, school site, school phone number, school address, and letters of recommendation. See the nomination form for more information. 

Admin, School Board, & Arts Educator Nomination Form

Student Award

Criteria for Application

High school juniors and seniors eligible to complete the application are those students who, during high school, have met one or more of the below criteria in their art form. If an award is received as a junior, the student is not eligible to receive the award in that art form again as a senior.

DANCE

1. Competed successfully in the jury process and received an Excellent or Superior rating at the Oklahoma High School Dance Festival; OR

2. Competed successfully in the jury process and participated in the Oklahoma Arts Institute Dance program; OR

3. Competed successfully in the jury process and participated in a comparable national or state program; AND

4. Submitted a YouTube link to a two-minute video clip of a solo dance performance.

DRAMA/THEATRE

1. Qualified for Regionals or placed first, second, or third at the State Speech contest sponsored by the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association; OR

2. Selected for the All-Star Regional or All-State One-Act Play cast sponsored by the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association; OR

3. Successfully completed the audition process and participated in the Oklahoma Arts Institute theatre program; OR

4. Been a 6-star Member of the International Thespian Society sponsored by the Educational Theatre Association; OR

5. Competed successfully in the audition process and participated in a comparable national or state program.

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

1. Selected and participated in Oklahoma Music Educators Association (OMEA) band or orchestra; OR

2. Received a superior rating in an instrumental state solo competition sponsored by the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association; OR

3. Auditioned successfully and participated in the Oklahoma Arts Institute; OR

4. Participated in a comparable national or state music event.

PIANO

1. Named a district winner in performance for Oklahoma Music Teachers Association auditions; OR

2. Named a state, regional, or national winner of the Music Teachers National Association auditions; OR

3. Received the Guild High School Diploma; OR

4. Participated in a comparable national or state honor in piano.

VISUAL ART

1. Competed successfully in the jury process and exhibited work in Young Talent in Oklahoma; OR

2. Competed successfully in the jury process and exhibited work in the Scholastic Art; OR

3. Competed successfully in the jury process and participated in the Oklahoma Arts Institute; OR

4. Competed successfully in the jury process and exhibited work in a comparable national or state competition; AND

5. Submitted 2-3 JPGs or PDFs of original work. 

VOCAL MUSIC 

1. Selected and participated in Oklahoma Music Educators Association (OMEA) chorus or jazz ensemble; OR

2. Received a superior rating in a vocal state solo competition sponsored by the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association; OR

3. Auditioned successfully and participated in the Oklahoma Arts Institute; OR

4. Participated in a comparable national or state music event.

APPLICATION & FEES

The application deadline is March 1, 2022.

Students may apply for one or two areas.

• Application fee for one area: $15.00 processing fee

• Application fee for two areas: $30.00 processing fee

**If a student is applying for the award in two areas, two separate applications must be submitted.**

Applicants may submit a PDF of a school purchase order (PO) in the application, mail a PO, mail a check, or use PayPal. Please make checks payable to the Oklahoma Alliance for Arts Education and include the student applicant's name in the memo line.

Checks or purchase orders must be postmarked by March 1, 2022 to:

Bob Curtis

Oklahoma Alliance for Arts Education

2305 N. Warren

Oklahoma City, OK 73107

PayPal payments may be submitted at this link. Be sure to note in your payment which student(s) (first name and last name) the payment is for.

All applications are adjudicated by university professors and highly regarded practitioners in each discipline. Award notifications will be mailed at the end of March. Notification will include information about the awards ceremony in Guthrie on April 19, 2022. 

If you have additional questions about the online application, please email elizabeth.maughan@sde.ok.gov

Before you begin the application, please be sure you have the following: 

• Student home address

• School address

• School administrator information (mailing address)

• Recommending teacher information (mailing and email address)

• Create a separate document with answers to the application questions so you can copy/paste (scroll down to see the questions)

• Contact information for your local newspaper and your district communications contact (if you have one)

• The names of your STATE senator and house representative (this should NOT include Rep. Tom Cole, Rep. Markwayne Mullin, Rep. Stephanie Bice, Rep. Kevin Hern, Rep. Frank Lucas, Sen. Jim Inhofe, or Sen. James Lankford)  FIND MY LEGISLATOR

• Documents to upload:

  • Three (3) PDF or JPG letters of recommendation, including one letter from your current application subject area teacher (for example, if you are applying for a vocal music award, the letter should be from your current vocal music teacher). All letters should be related to the subject area for which you are applying.

  • If a student is applying for two areas, then they should submit the appropriate letters of recommendation with each application. For example, if a student applies for an art award and a piano award, the recommendation letters for art should refer to the student's visual art abilities. The piano recommendation letters should refer to the student's piano abilities. 

• PDF or JPG of your official high school transcript.

• Dance applicants: Submit a two-minute YouTube video clip of a solo dance performance.

• Visual Art applicants: 2-3 JPGs of original work.

Questions can be directed to elizabeth.maughan@sde.ok.gov