It’s that time of year again, time to honor Washington’s best and brightest heroes in the classroom: educators.

Ivar’s and Kidd Valley Restaurants are calling on all kindergarten through eighth grade students to nominate their favorite, deserving teacher for a chance to take home the 2018 Teacher of the Year honors. Two well-deserving educators will be selected as grand prize recipients to bring home a $500 gift card good for classroom supplies, a commemorative plaque and the official title of either Ivar’s Teacher of the Year or Kidd Valley Teacher of the Year.

The nominating students of the grand prize winners will receive either an Ivar’s Kids Meal – including a visit by Ivar’s famous Dancing Clam – or a Kidd Valley Kids Meal for every student in their class.

To nominate a teacher, students 14 years old or younger may visit select Puget Sound area Ivar’s or Kidd Valley locations, excluding stadiums and Eastern Washington restaurants, to complete an official entry form, or go online to www.Ivars.com/teacher or www.kiddvalley.com/promos-events.htm.

All entries must be received by May 20. The official Teacher of the Year rules can be found on the back of store entry forms or through the Ivar’s and Kidd Valley websites.

The contest will also award four teachers a first-place prize of a $150 gift card for classroom supplies, and 30 teachers will receive a second-place prize of a $25 Ivar’s or Kidd Valley gift card.

Ivar’s and Kidd Valley encourages students to recognize and praise educators who have positively impacted them, and to share inspirational stories with other students and teachers. The annual Teacher of the Year contest, now in its 15th year, is one of the longest-running teacher appreciation programs in the state and provides students with the opportunity to honor those teachers who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to teach, mentor and support them.

The 2017 Ivar’s and Kidd Valley Teacher of the Year grand prize winners were Kirsten Jewett of View Ridge Elementary in Seattle and Brittany Hall of Horace Mann Elementary in Redmond. Who will be selected this year’s heroes?

Participating Ivar’s locations include Bellevue and Bothell while participating Kidd Valley locations include Kenmore and Kirkland.