The Dunedin teacher recognised as New Zealand's most inspiring is about to return to the job market, after her school closes at the end of this year.
Jan Stevens, won this year's award after a five-week search run by Warehouse Stationery to find inspirational early childhood, primary and secondary teachers.
She also won $5000 to spend on a holiday and $1000 worth of stationery for the school.
Mrs Stevens, who has taught at Rotary Park School for 17 out of the 25 years she has been a teacher, said winning the award came out of the blue.
She has been acting principal at the school since principal Carmel Casey went on leave earlier this year.
"It's totally unexpected. I didn't know that people had entered me into the competition, so I was totally blown away by it."
Winning the award just before the closure would give everyone a "buzz" for those final months.
"It gives us something to celebrate, and that should just carry us right through to the end of the year, so we finish on a positive note," she said.
Asked why she believed she was chosen from the almost 7300 teachers nominated, she said she always tried to be "creative" in the way she taught.
"It's the children that inspire me to keep going and improving my efforts and doing my very best," she said.
She would use the $1000 stationery prize to buy materials for pupils' "memory books", which they made at the end of each year.
"I will be able to buy lots of wonderful resources for the children to make fantastic memory books."
The award came as she faced an uncertain future, meaning she would be applying for teaching jobs next year, she said.
Dannie Hawkins, the father of one of her pupils, said he decided to nominate Mrs Stevens because of the "enthusiasm that I see in my son each day after school".
Mrs Stevens was "very dedicated" as a teacher and was at the school preparing materials for class "morning, noon and night", Mr Hawkins said.
This had resulted in success at the Otago Daily Times Extra! social studies quiz, the Otago Art Society Youth Award and other competitions, he said.
Pupil Jakob Chirnside (11) said Mrs Stevens deserved to win the award because she inspired her class to do "great work" and she made learning fun.
