2026-2027 John Hancock Recognition Banner

John Hancock Recognition Banner

2026-2027 School Year Application
The Georgia Department of Education is excited to continue presenting the John Hancock Banner, a special recognition for Georgia public schools that demonstrate excellence in cursive writing.

Cursive writing is more than just a skill—it strengthens fine motor development, supports literacy, and connects students to historical documents in their original form. As part of Georgia's English Language Arts (ELA) standards, cursive instruction helps students build confidence, develop their signature, and engage with important historical texts.

How Schools Can Earn the Banner

Elementary, middle, and high schools may apply annually for this prestigious recognition based on their students' proficiency in cursive writing.

John Hancock Banner & Proficiency Ribbon
Awarded to schools where at least 90% of participating students can write their name in cursive.

John Hancock Banner & Ribbon of Distinction
Awarded to schools where at least 90% of participating students can write their name and the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution in cursive.

First-time applicants may focus on a single grade level and are not required to include the entire school. Schools that have previously earned the John Hancock Banner must continue to demonstrate proficiency by including previously recognized grade levels and the current grade level in which cursive instruction is being provided.

Applications must be submitted by June 1, 2027, at 5 p.m.

Recognized schools will receive a John Hancock Banner and ribbon corresponding to the level earned. Honorees are typically announced at the beginning of the following school year.

Questions regarding the John Hancock Banner should be directed to HancockAward@doe.k12.ga.us.
- Name of School District (LEA)
- Name of School
- Level
- Has your school previously received a John Hancock Banner?
- Continuation Requirement Acknowledgment
- Which grade level(s) are included in this year's submission?
- Which grade level(s) are included in this year's submission?
- Which grade level(s) are included in this year's submission?
- School Contact Name
  
  PrefixFirst NameLast Name
- School Contact Position
- School Contact Phone Number
  Please enter a valid phone number.Format: (000) 000-0000.
- School Contact Email
  
  Confirmation Email
- Select the John Hancock Recognition your school is applying for.
- Student Sample Submission Requirements
  
  Upload representative student samples demonstrating proficiency in cursive writing. Applications for the John Hancock Banner & Proficiency Ribbon require 10 representative samples of students' first and last names written in cursive. Applications for the John Hancock Banner & Ribbon of Distinction require 10 representative samples of students' first and last names written in cursive and 10 representative samples of the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution written in cursive.
  
  Samples are representative only and are not required for every participating student or grade level. The same students may be used for both name and Preamble samples.
  
  You may upload individual files or combine samples into a single document (preferred).
  
  Maximum upload size: 5 MB total (Proficiency applications) | 10 MB total (Distinction applications)
  
  Accepted file formats: PDF (preferred), DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX, ZIP, MPG, JPG, JPEG, PNG, GIF
  
  File naming convention: SchoolName_District (add a file number if submitting multiple files)
  
  Examples: SmartElementary_GeorgiaCo.pdf or SmartElementary_GeorgiaCo_1.pdf
- To apply for the Proficiency Ribbon, upload 10 representative samples of students' first and last names written in cursive.
  
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- I certify that at least 90% of the participating students included in this application meet the proficiency requirements for the proficiency recognition level.
- To apply for the Ribbon of Distinction, upload 10 representative samples of the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution written in cursive.
  
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- I certify that at least 90% of the participating students included in this application meet the proficiency requirements for the distinction recognition level.
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