National Book Foundation Teacher Fellowship is a grant from the National Book Foundation that funds 6th–12th grade public school teachers who use innovative methods to integrate reading for pleasure into their students' school day. Fellows develop or continue a classroom initiative incorporating National Book Award–honored titles and participate in a professional learning community with other educators.

Recipients receive a $3,000 stipend upon program completion, a $2,000 book purchasing budget, and travel support for an in-person convening in New York City. Eligible applicants must be currently teaching in a U.S. public school and entering at least their third year of teaching. Applications close March 31, 2026.

National Book Foundation Teacher Fellowship - National Book Foundation National Book Foundation > Education > National Book Foundation Teacher Fellowship National Book Foundation Teacher Fellowship 2025/26 TEACHER FELLOWS | 2025/26 SELECTION COMMITTEE 2025/26 National Book Foundation Teacher Fellows: Emery High School | Emeryville, CA 12 th grade English Language Arts About the project: Emery Reads , a podcast by and for young people, will amplify students’ active and creative agency as readers and meaning-makers.

With a focus on text-to-self and text-to-world discussions, students will offer book reviews, literature critiques, and explorations of reading trends. Less than 20 percent of Emery students currently self-report reading for pleasure.

To foster a culture of reading for pleasure, this project will facilitate student-driven exploration and practice through in-class reading, writing, and peer editing routines, developing shared and individual rating systems, exploring professional models of book reviews, and collaborating on digital media production about literature and their experiences as readers.

The School at Marygrove | Detroit, MI 10 th grade English Language Arts About the project: All ELA Grade 10 classes will participate in a place-based and project-based unit that connects the history of the Underground Railroad to the Detroit River, using Percival Everett’s National Book Award–winning novel James as a mentor text.

To celebrate reading as a form of liberation, students will also select a National Book Award novel of their choice to read during independent classroom reading time. The culminating unit experience will be a field trip visiting a city park along the Detroit River, along with written and visual arts projects that showcase student learning. George J.

Ryan Middle School (216Q) | Fresh Meadows, NY 6 th –8 th grade Library Book Club About the project: Ms. Jacobs will lead a Mock National Book Award for Young People’s Literature committee through the school book club where students read and critique books from the prior year’s National Book Award for Young People’s Literature Longlist.

Students will develop the criteria and by the end of the year, after reading through the list, determine if they agree with the book selected as the Winner of that year’s National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. Students will create and share their recommendations schoolwide and have a dedicated display in the library with their feedback.

Camino Real Middle School | Las Cruces, NM 6 th grade English Language Arts About the project: Christopher will host a book event series where students read culturally responsive novels throughout the school year. Parents and guardians will get a copy of the novels and be encouraged to read the book alongside their child.

Each novel will be paired with a school literacy fair where all students and families will be invited to participate in fun activities related to the books they read together. Existing community-based events such as dance performances, sports tournaments, trivia nights, etc., will be incorporated into the event series to involve even more school and community members.

Catalina High School | Tucson, AZ 9 th –12 th grade English Language Development About the project: Sami’s project positions visual texts and graphic novels as common texts, able to stir discussion among linguistically diverse, emergent, English language learners. As students grow their proficiency, they will move into student-selected, awarded novels without visuals.

By integrating student reading opportunities daily, in multiple forms, and in more than one environment, this project will instill a love of reading and empowerment that one can read, respond, and be heard.

Clara Barton High School | Brooklyn, NY 9 th –12 th grade Literacy Intervention About the project: Struggling adolescent readers need to engage with text regularly so they can apply skills they learn in their interventions and improve their reading skills.

This project will expand the existing independent reading time and activities embedded in the school’s literacy intervention program to create a Silent Book Club to support students within and outside of the intervention program in finding time to read for joy, collaborative discussion, and shared learning around texts.

Flag View Intermediate School | Elko, NV 6 th grade English Language Arts and Social Studies About the project: Gladys’ project aims to instill a love for reading through a classroom initiative that integrates National Book Award–honored titles into daily activities.

Through creative reading strategies, discussions, and interactive experiences centered around the current Longlist for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, this project will make independent reading a pleasurable part of every school day.

Activities will include thematic explorations, author studies, and peer sharing sessions, ensuring engagement with diverse literary voices and fostering a community of enthusiastic young readers. 2025/26 Selection Committee: Samira Ahmed. (Photo credit: Erielle Bakkum) Shawntai Brown.

(Photo credit: Jewel Dotson) Josh Galarza Alvin Irby Larissa Pahomov The National Book Foundation (NBF) Teacher Fellowship supports and celebrates 6th–12th grade teachers who use innovative methods to make reading for pleasure a part of their students’ school day experience.

The NBF Teacher Fellowship aims to: Support classroom activities that have a direct impact on the development of students as lifelong readers Celebrate and highlight creative and effective models for independent reading instruction Connect more young people with great literature through National Book Award–honored titles As part of the Fellowship, teachers develop or continue an initiative that promotes reading for pleasure in their classroom, incorporate National Book Award–honored titles into their curriculum, and collaborate with other Fellows through participation in a professional learning community, including an in-person convening in New York City.

If selected as a Fellow, you will receive: A $3,000 stipend upon completion of the program A $2,000 book buying & shipping budget Participation in a professional learning community with other Fellows, as well as professional authors, National Book Foundation staff, and others Round-trip economy airfare, two nights of hotel accommodations, and a daily travel stipend to attend the final in-person celebration in New York City (in May/June, exact date TBD; Fellows located locally in NYC or tri-state area will be provided with alternate travel accommodations, as appropriate) Note: other than the May/June convening in NYC, all cohort activities will take place virtually.

If selected as a Fellow, you are expected to: Attend all virtual cohort convenings, held in September, December, and March (dates TBD) from 7pm–9pm ET Watch the annual Teens Read the National Book Awards event with a group of students (livestreamed, recorded, or in-person if local to NYC) Attend a one day in-person convening in NYC in May or June Share a 15-minute presentation about your project with the NBF Teacher Fellowship cohort Submit a mid-program report in December and a final report in April Ensure that books purchased as part of the program become property of participating Fellow and/or participating students; Fellow must notify NBF if changing schools mid-project Provide NBF with materials (e.g., photos, videos, quotes) to support NBF Teacher Fellowship–related marketing efforts as requested Maintain regular and timely email communication with National Book Foundation staff Eligible applicants for the NBF Teacher Fellowship are: 6th–12th grade classroom teacher currently working in a public school based in the United States or US territories Beginning their third year of teaching (or more) by fall in which Fellowship would start Able to receive sign off from supervising principal (following conditional acceptance) For the NBF Teacher Fellowship, a classroom teacher is defined as an individual who teaches or provides instruction for students during regular school hours.

The application will mainly consist of: A personal statement (500 words max) A narrative description of your school (250 words max) A proposed project description (1000 words max). There will be an optional demographic survey component. The National Book Foundation aims to support the excellent work of teachers, and does not have a prescriptive approach to projects.

In your application, be sure to clearly explain how your project meets the overall goals of the NBF Teacher Fellowship (see above) and articulate why it’s an effective approach for your students. Activities must be offered at no financial cost to participating students or families.

SELECTION CRITERIA & NOTIFICATION TIMELINE Applications will be reviewed by an external Selection Committee of educators, writers, and literary arts experts who will rank applications and identify a pool of finalists. This pool will be reviewed collaboratively by the Selection Committee and NBF staff in order to select the cohort of Fellows.

If you have applied in a previous year but were not selected as a Teacher Fellow, you are eligible to reapply in any future year. Applicants who applied for the 2026/27 NBF Teacher Fellowship cycle will be notified by June 2026. Questions?

Please email us at education@nationalbook. org .

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