Highlight your school’s exemplary programs and services for students with special needs by entering the Innovations in Special Education Award program.
If your district has launched a new, successful, groundbreaking program that has been operating for at least three years (as of Sept. 30, 2021), we would love to hear from you.
This awards program is a signature part of Special Education Week in New Jersey 2026 and is sponsored by the New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA) and the New Jersey Association of Special Education Partner Schools (NJASEPS) (formerly ASAH).
Since its inception in 2002, the Innovations program has drawn wide interest from the state’s special education community. In 2025, three entries received top honors. Learn more about the 2025 winners and the details of each program on the NJSBA website at special-education-award-winners.
Submission Procedure
Submit all entries electronically using only the official entry form. Provide a clear, detailed description of your program directly within the spaces on the Innovations-entry-form-2026. The description in the application must be clear, accurate, and succinct. If the judges have questions, they cannot evaluate the merits of the program. Supplemental information such as photos, brochures, news articles, etc., must be merged into the entry form as one document. Separate supplementary documents may not be considered if emailed as separate documents.
For the 2026 entry form, please click here: Innovations-entry-form-2026.
Entries must be received by 4:30 p.m., March 20, 2026.
Winners will be recognized in a video presentation during Special Education Week in New Jersey, May 10–16, 2026, and acknowledged by the New Jersey Department of Education’s Special Education Advisory Council at its June 2026 meeting.
For further information about the annual Special Education Award program, visit the award page on the NJSBA website or contact Ann Marie Smith, assistant editor/communications program specialist, at amsmith@njsba.org.
