For two decades, CTA has recognized educators and their students who demonstrate an understanding of the vision and guiding principles by which Cesar Chavez lived his life. The Cesar E. Chavez Memorial Education Awards honor the memory of the man and ensure his work lives on in California classrooms through student visual artwork and essays.

This year is the 20th anniversary of the awards program, which is once again open to students and sponsoring CTA members at all grade levels (including undergraduates in higher education). The awards are in two categories (written essay and visual arts). Applicants must show how one or more of the principles Chavez upheld are evident in their lives and how their experiences correlate to Chavez’s work. These include principles of nonviolence, human and civil rights issues, empowerment of the disenfranchised, and more.

The 2019-20 entries and application materials must be postmarked by March 6, 2020. Winning students and their sponsor educators each receive up to $550. For more information, go to cta.org/scholarships. To view CTA’s video on the program’s 20th anniversary, go to cta.org/chavezawardsvideo.

Here are just a few examples of winning artwork through the years.

CTA Scholarships and Grants

CTA offers various educational scholarships, grants and awards. Go to cta.org/scholarships to check out the following programs, which are open for applications.

 CTA Scholarships in amounts up to $5,000 are available to CTA members, their dependents and Student CTA members. Application deadline: Jan. 31, 2020.

 Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Scholarships in amounts up to $6,000 are available to CTA members, their dependents and Student CTA members who are members of an ethnic minority group. Application deadline: Feb. 14, 2020.

 LGBTQ+ Safety in Schools Grant and Scholarship Program in Honor of Guy DeRosa offers scholarships up to $2,500 to self-described LGBTQ+ educators who understand the importance of being a role model, and grants up to $2,500 to CTA members, students, groups and school districts to support projects that promote understanding and respect for LGBTQ+ persons. Application deadline: Jan. 10, 2020.

Cesar E. Chavez Memorial Education Awards are available to educators and their students who demonstrate an understanding of the principles by which Chavez lived his life, either in a written essay (no biographies) or with a visual arts project. Awards in amounts of up to $550 go to both the sponsoring CTA member and the student or students who complete the project. Entry deadline: March 6, 2020.