Potential nominees for this award may fit into more than one of the rotating award categories – Archaeologist, Educator, and Institution. If eligible for more than one category, an individual can be nominated (re-nominated) in another category in subsequent years.

Deciding which of the 3 award categories best describes a nominee is not always easy. At present, there are Education Professionals teaching about archaeology and Archaeologists educating the public, including school children, with archaeology – and there is every level of educator-archaeologist permutation in-between.

The following ‘questions to think about’ have assisted some nominators in the past with deciding which category best suits a particular nominee during a given year. These questions do not cover all the circumstances and experiences of all individuals and are just presented here as a guideline to help you choose a category.

Archaeology/Avocation Category:

• Does the potential nominee earn their living via archaeology (e.g., conducting fieldwork or lab research, teaching, performing cultural resources management responsibilities)? Have they done so in the past?
• Would the potential nominee be hired at a college or university to teach and/or conduct archaeology research in an Anthropology/Archaeology department?
• Does the potential nominee meet the Secretary of the Interior Standards for Archeology? (This is not a requirement for this award. This is mentioned here merely as a guideline for helping decide if a nominee better fits the archaeologist or educator category for the award).
• Has the potential nominee directed archaeological research projects? Been hired as field crew on archaeology projects?
• What ‘job title’ does the potential nominee list on their Internal Revenue (IRS) Form? Archaeologist? Anthropology Professor? Education Technology Specialist? Other?
• Does the potential nominee have formal training in archaeology or extensive experience in archaeology research activities?
• Has the nominee volunteered on field research projects or in an archaeology lab?

Educator Category:

• Does the potential nominee earn their living as an Educator in a formal education environment (e.g. K-12 schools) or work as a heritage interpreter or museum educator?
• Does the potential nominee have formal training in the field of Education, interpretive studies or museum interpretation?
• Would the potential nominee likely be hired as an Educator by a local school district or museum, or an interpreter by a park?

Institution Category:

• Are the nominee's efforts in archaeology education undertaken under the auspices of a specific organization?
• Did individuals other than the nominee lend significant assistance in designing, implementing, and/or operationalizing the public education effort?
• Did more than one organization work together to bring about this archaeology education offering?

If this nomination is being prepared as a surprise for a nominee:

• How does the potential nominee identify themselves professionally? As an Archaeologist? As a Professional Educator? As a Museum Educator? As an Educational Technology Specialist? Etc.

Note: The Excellence in Public Education Award is not a lifetime achievement award.