Golden Owl Award®

Founded by farmers in 1926, Nationwide proudly embraces its deep agricultural roots and longstanding dedication to supporting the farming community. This commitment includes collaborations with the National FFA Organization and FFA chapters across the country. Through the Golden Owl Award, we further honor this legacy by recognizing agricultural educators who go above and beyond—dedicating countless hours and often their own resources—to inspire and enrich the lives of their students.

Launched in 2018, the Golden Owl Award has grown from just two states to 15, providing over $600,000 to support teachers, students, school agricultural programs and FFAs. This prestigious award allows students, fellow educators and supporters in California, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Utah to nominate their favorite agricultural teacher, highlighting their exemplary contributions within their state.

• $500 and an engraved plaque for each honoree^1,2
• $3,000 and the coveted Golden Owl Award trophy to each state’s grand prize winner^1,2 (Agricultural Educator of the Year)

In conjunction with the Golden Owl Award, Nationwide is donating $5,000 to each participating state’s FFA to further support the personal and professional growth of students, teachers and advisors alike.

Nationwide’s partners

The Golden Owl Award is the result of a partnership between Nationwide, California FFA Foundation, California Farm Bureau, Delaware FFA, Delaware Farm Bureau, Illinois FFA, Illinois Association of Vocational Agriculture Teachers, Farm Credit Illinois, AgCredit, Indiana FFA, Farm Credit Mid-America, Iowa FFA Foundation, Kansas FFA Foundation, Kentucky FFA Foundation, Maryland FFA, Missouri FFA Foundation, Nebraska Agricultural Educators Association, Nebraska FFA Foundation, New York FFA, New York Farm Bureau, Ohio FFA Foundation, Ohio Farm Bureau, Pennsylvania FFA, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, Compeer Financial, South Dakota FFA Foundation, and Utah FFA Foundation.