Contest Details
The postmark deadline for entries was March 17. Winning teachers and students appear in a special-edition Marvel comic book featuring teachers as Super Heroes. Pick up your free copy at participating OfficeMax stores now. Check back in the fall for an announcement of next year's contest!
In order to recognize teachers for their heroic efforts, OfficeMax, Marvel Entertainment, and TeachersCount teamed together to present the first ever OfficeMax Super Hero Teacher of the Year contest. This one-of-a-kind competition recognized outstanding middle school teachers and the students who nominated them by turning them into real comic book characters.
Students in grades 6-8 nominated teachers by writing short essays on “Why My Teacher Is a Super Hero” . One grand-prize winning teacher and corresponding entrant are making an illustrated cameo appearance in a mainstream Marvel comic book such as Spider-Man or the Fantastic Four and appear in a special-edition Marvel comic book honoring teachers as Super Heroes. Other prizes included OfficeMax gift cards, funds for professional development, school supplies for the school, and furniture for the teacher’s lounge. Five first-prize winning teachers and their corresponding entrants appear in the special-edition Marvel comic book featuring teachers as Super Heroes and received OfficeMax gift cards. Additionally, five runner-up teachers and their corresponding entrants received OfficeMax gift cards.
Student essays were judged on relevance to theme, creativity, originality, and merit of teachers' accomplishments as outlined in the essays. The final judging committee consisted of representatives from OfficeMax, Marvel Entertainment, TeachersCount, the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association. Winners of the contest were announced May 9, 2006—National Teacher Day.
The special-edition comic book recognizes the great work of teachers and honors teachers as Super Heroes. 500,000 copies of the comic are being distributed free of charge at OfficeMax stores during back-to-school shopping in July 2006 while supplies last.
Click here for official rules.
Prize Details
OfficeMax provided the following prizes for the students who won the essay contest and the teachers whom they identified as heroes.
Grand Prize Super Hero Teacher received
- Winner’s likeness reproduced in an actual Marvel comic book (no commercial value)
- Winner’s likeness reproduced in a special-edition custom Marvel comic book honoring teachers (no commercial value)
- $500 OfficeMax Gift Card for personal use (ARV $500.00)
- $1000 in a check made payable to winner for future professional development conferences of winner’s choice (ARV $1000.00)
- $2500 donation to winner’s school for school supplies (ARV $2500.00).
Winner can designate to donate the school supplies to a local school in need (must be a 501-c-3 organization or 509-a-1 organization) - $2000 donation in furniture for teacher’s lounge (ARV $2000.00).
Winner can designate to donate the teacher’s lounge furniture to a local school in need (must be a 501-c-3 organization or 509-a-1 organization)
Grand Prize student received:
- Winner’s likeness reproduced in an actual Marvel comic book (no commercial value)
- Winner’s likeness reproduced in a special-edition custom Marvel comic book honoring teachers (no commercial value)
- $500 OfficeMax Gift Card (ARV $500.00)
Five First Prize Teachers received:
- Winner’s likeness reproduced in a special-edition custom Marvel comic book honoring teachers (no commercial value)
- $100 OfficeMax Gift Card (ARV $100.00 each teacher)
Five First Prize Students received:
- Winner’s likeness reproduced in a special-edition custom Marvel comic book honoring teachers (no commercial value)
- $100 OfficeMax Gift Card (ARV $100.00 each student)
Five Runner Up Teachers received:
- $100 OfficeMax Gift Card (ARV $100.00 each teacher)
Five Runner Up Students received:
- $100 OfficeMax Gift Card (ARV $100.00 each student)
Total cumulative ARV of all prizes awarded was $8500.00