The League for Innovation has opened applications for the 2027 Terry O’Banion Provocateur Award, honoring the late educator’s legacy of bold, system-level reform in community and technical colleges. In keeping with O’Banion’s self-described role as a provocateur, the award will recognize up to three authors of 4,000- to 5,000-word articles that challenge assumptions and offer scalable solutions with field-wide impact.

Winners will present at the 2027 Innovations Conference and receive complimentary registration, a plaque, up to $1,000 in travel support, and cash prizes: $5,000 (first), $2,500 (second), and $1,000 (third).

Applicants should identify a significant new, long-ignored, or persistent challenge; propose courageous, innovative approaches; and focus on systemic—not localized—change. Candidates are encouraged to review O’Banion’s writings such as “Humanizing Education in the Community College,” “An Academic Advising Model,” “A Learning College for the 21st Century,” “Late Registration: May It Rest in Peace,” and “Trustees as Reformers, Mavericks, Renegades, and Rogues.”

The award advances O’Banion’s conviction that provocation, rooted in student values, can spark change across higher education.

The deadline to submit an application is 5:00 PM Pacific Time on June 22, 2026. Learn more about the League’s Terry O’Banion Provocateur Award here.