Governor Greg Abbott and the 1836 Project Advisory Committee have announced the creation of the Gubernatorial Historic Promotion and Patriotism Awards. This new annual program will recognize Texas educators and advocates for their work in promoting state history and patriotism.
“We must always remember the men and women who bravely defended our state and country,” said Governor Abbott. “Texans who educate future generations understand the principles and values our soldiers courageously defended. These new Gubernatorial Historic Promotion and Patriotism Awards will recognize the important work done by Texans who preserve and promote the history and patriotic knowledge of our great state.”
Dr. Don Frazier, Chair of the Texas 1836 Project Advisory Committee, stated, “There is a lot of great work going on across our state, and so much of it goes unrecognized. Community members and hardworking teachers are pouring their lives into the story of our state, and these awards represent our small part in recognizing them for their efforts.”
Committee member Dr. Caroline Crimm added, “The Governor’s 1836 Project Advisory Committee is particularly proud to honor our teachers and educators who are promoting patriotic education and historical awareness across Texas. Our teachers deserve to receive all the thanks and appreciation that we can bestow.”
The awards aim to highlight individuals advancing this mission through education, storytelling, or community engagement. The two main categories are Individual Excellence, which honors long-term contributions by educators or advocates of Texas history, and Project Innovation, which recognizes recent initiatives that creatively interpret or promote Texas’s historic resources.
Nominations for these awards are open until January 31, 2026. Recipients will be chosen by members of the 1836 Project Advisory Committee—a group composed of historians, educators, and preservation experts from around Texas. Winners will be recognized annually in Austin with both formal recognition and a monetary prize.
The 1836 Project was established in 2021 when House Bill 2497 was passed by the Texas Legislature and signed into law by Governor Abbott. The committee’s purpose is to promote patriotic education statewide so that Texans better understand key events that shaped Texas’s identity.
Further details about nomination guidelines can be found at tea.texas.gov/1836project.
