APPLICATIONS

SAE AWARDS (PROFICIENCY)

Overview

 
SAE Awards recognize members for outstanding Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) programs. Members can compete in 103 award categories that highlight a wide range of careers and experiences in agriculture, food, and natural resources. You'll have the opportunity to showcase your skills, share your accomplishments, and be recognized for the work you've invested in your SAE.
New for 2026-2027
Following the guidance of National FFA, Proficiency Awards are now called SAE Awards. While the name has changed, the purpose of recognizing outstanding Supervised Agricultural Experiences remains the same.

Requirements for All Applicants

  1. Be an active high school FFA member enrolled in agricultural education or have graduated from high school within the past year.
  2. Have completed at least one year of agricultural education or all the agricultural education offered at their school.
  3. Have at least two calendar years of records for the SAE being recognized.
Two-year program exception
First-year juniors and seniors enrolled in a two-year agricultural education program are eligible for Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards at the state level but are not eligible for consideration as State Winners.

Determine SAE Eligibility

A Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) is a student-led, sustained, and supervised learning experience that occurs outside of formal classroom instruction and demonstrates a clear and intentional connection to Agriculture, Food, or Natural Resources (AFNR), as defined by the National Council for Agricultural Education AFNR Content Standards.

Before submitting an application, use the resources below to determine whether your SAE is eligible for state-level awards and identify the correct SAE type.

Determine SAE Award Category

Michigan FFA follows the National FFA SAE Award Categories and also recognizes two additional Michigan-only award areas. Use these resources to select the SAE Award category that best matches your project.
State-level recognition
SAE applications that meet Michigan FFA eligibility requirements but do not align with National FFA SAE Award categories may still be recognized at the state level. These applications are eligible for Gold, Silver, or Bronze recognition but are not eligible to be named State Winner.

SAE Records

SAE Descriptions
Applications must include a clear description of each SAE project that allows reviewers to determine the project's connection to Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources (AFNR), confirm the type of SAE, and evaluate eligibility.
Junior High Records
Records from junior high for an immersion SAE may be included if the student was an active FFA member at the time.
Foundational & Exploratory Records
Hours recorded as foundational or exploratory SAEs cannot be used to meet degree or SAE Award application requirements.

Application Review Process

All applications go through a multi-step review process.
Technical Review
Applications submitted by the December deadline are reviewed by Michigan FFA State Staff to verify technical completeness and identify missing or incomplete information.
Applications with missing required information or incomplete sections will not advance to the next step.
Application Revisions
Applicants receive technical feedback and have the opportunity to make revisions to their application while continuing to add SAE records through the end of the year.
Applications must be resubmitted by the final deadline.
Pre-Screen Review
After revisions, applications are reviewed virtually by three evaluators.
Applications advance to state judging when recommended by at least two of the three evaluators.
Applicants who do not advance receive feedback.
State Judging
Applications advancing from pre-screen review are evaluated by three judges using National FFA scoring rubrics. Applications meeting the criteria may be awarded Gold, Silver, Bronze, and State Winner, if eligible.
Original Work
All information included in an SAE Award application should reflect the student's own original work. Applications are reviewed through The Agricultural Experience Tracker (AET) for plagiarism. Applications containing plagiarism may be disqualified by the Michigan FFA Office. Students may continue to build upon and update their own applications from previous years.

State Winner Eligibility

Members may be named State Winner in the same SAE Award category more than once.
Members who have been named a National Finalist in an SAE Award category are no longer eligible to compete in that category.
Members may only be named State Winner in one SAE Award category each year.
Learn from Past SAE Award Winners
Explore outstanding Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) projects as past SAE Award winners share the experiences, skills, and accomplishments that made their projects successful.
Continue Exploring
Continue watching as the playlist automatically advances, or explore the complete collection of award winner videos on YouTube.
View Full Video Playlist