Awards
Every two years ACE gives awards to celebrate our thriving community and the individuals who inspire and drive circus education forward.
Nominations for the 2024 ACE Awards closes July 15, 2024.
You can nominate someone for the Innovation in Education Award here!
You can nominate someone for the Excellence in Education Award here!
Excellence in Education Award
This biennial award is given to an individual based in the USA who demonstrates excellence in circus education. The recipient of this award will demonstrate the following qualities:
– outstanding and unique contributions to the field of circus education
– serves as an inspiration, role model, and mentor for students and other educators
-significant impact on students achievement and passion for circus and/or the success of other circus educators
– 10 years or more dedicated to circus arts education
Innovation in Education Award
This biennial award is given to an individual based in the USA who demonstrates innovative techniques, approaches, or methods in circus education for any population. Their innovation may be recognized on the local, national, or international level. The recipient of this award will demonstrate the following qualities:
– steadfast devotion to innovating circus education techniques
– notable efforts to make their innovative methods available to the greater circus education community through outreach, publication, workshops, presentations, etc.
-significant impact on students achievement and passion for circus and/or the success of other circus educators
– innovates methods that can be adapted in diverse circus settings
-fosters new instructional approaches that represent advances over existing approaches
Lifetime Achievement Award
This award is given to an individual who has demonstrated a lifetime of contribution to the circus education community in the USA. They have demonstrated the following qualities and characteristics over the course of an entire career as as a circus educator:
– steadfast devotion to circus education in the USA
– has been a pioneer for innovation and specialization in education techniques
– has enabled future generations of circus artists and educators
– has a notable legacy throughout the entire USA
– has made positive and quality contributions of national scope.
Previous Award Winners
2022 Award Winners:
Innovation in Circus Education – Erin Ball
Excellence in Circus Education – Troy Wunderle
2020 Award Winners:
Innovation in Circus Education – Veronica Blair
Excellence in Circus Education – Jackie Davis
Lifetime Achievement Award – Hovey Burgess
2018 Award Winners:
Innovation in Circus Education – Jen Crane
Excellence in Circus Education – Carrie Heller
2016 Award Winners:
Innovation in Circus Education – Jaron Hollander & Victoria Angello, Kinetic Arts Center
Excellence in Circus Education – Elsie Smith and Serenity Smith Forchion
Lifetime Achievement Award – Judy Finelli
Legacy Award – Rick Davis
2014 Award Winners:
Innovation in Circus Education – Craig Quat
Excellence in Circus Education – Jessica Hentoff
Lifetime Achievement Award – Master Lu Yi
Questions about our awards? Contact info@americanyouthcircus.org