Pando PR Tips No. 53
YASS prize, Heroes of the Classroom, SaaS Awards, HRTech Awards, CODIEs, Impact Awards, District Leadership Report, Conferences, and how to NOT sound like AI
Funding/Accelerator
YASS Prize — Applications due June 30
The “Pulitzer of Education Innovation” rewards transformational education programs. Principals, education founders, CEOs, Superintendents, entrepreneurs, and other business leaders apply for this once-a-year accelerator with a $1 million prize from the Center for Education Reform.
Upcoming Conference and Award Submission Deadlines
Kleenex Heroes of the Classroom — Nominations close Aug 3
Nominate a teacher for Heroes of the Classroom presented by Kleenex. Nine first prize winners and their receive a $1000 Costco card. Grand prize winner wins $10,000, $5,000 for their school, and a year’s supply of Kleenex. Nominations are free. The Grand Prize winner is selected by a public vote Aug 25 to Sept 8.
The 2025 SaaS Awards — Entries due May 23
The SaaS Awards is global award. Single entry is $695. Enter one product in unlimited categories for $795.
Global EdTech Awards 2025 — Entries due May 30
Educators or edtech companies making an impact on teaching and learning may enter for £199/category. No cost for schools. EdTech start-up category is £50.
2025 Educators Pick Best of STEM Awards — Entries close June 4
Best of STEM awards states they are the only program created for educators and judged by a qualified panel of STEM educators. Single entry is $695. Discounts for multiple entries. Winners announced just before the 2025/2026 school year.
HR Icons Awards 2025 — Deadline June 6
Companies with 500 or more employees may nominate outstanding HR teams, programs, or initiatives. Seven award categories available at $45/entry.
2025 CODiE Awards — Regular nominations due June 20
The CODiE awards are open for submissions. Billed as the only peer-recognized program in business and edtech. Entry fee is $1150.
ACTE Impact Awards — Nominations due June 30
This is for groups and individuals from education, business, and industry who enhance career and technical education (CTE) by contributing to the improvement, promotion, development, and progress of CTE. While there is no membership eligibility restriction for applicants, individuals, and organizations must be nominated by an ACTE member.
EdTech Resource
CoSN's 2025 State of EdTech District Leadership Survey
See CoSN's 12th annual survey to learn how roles of K-12 EdTech Leaders are evolving.
Upcoming Events
The Learning Counsel - Learning Futures & Tech Media Meeting — Various Dates/Cities
Might want to consider sponsoring one of these meetings that "prepare educators on issues and trends." Be sure to subscribe to their newsletter.
University of Colorado Denver School of Education & Human Development Teacher Leader Summit — June 5-6, 2025 in Denver
The 2025 summit will be a two-day deep-dive workshop for teachers, instructional coaches, principals, curriculum directors, and other instructional leaders. Focuses on instructional design, deeper learning, student engagement, and artificial intelligence (AI).
EdWeek Top School Jobs Online Career Fair — July 10
EdWeek Top School Jobs online career fairs connect you with a wide pool of highly qualified teachers, specialists, principals, and administrators.
Upcoming Summer & Fall Conferences
June 29-July 2 | ISTE + ASCD — San Antonio, TX
July 11-13 | NAESP + NASSP - United Conference — Seattle, WA
July 22-24 | InstructureCon — Spokane, WA
Aug 20-22 | Play, Make, Learn — Madison, WI
Sept 10-11 | Back to School Summit — New York City, NY
Oct 27-30 | EDUCAUSE — Nashville, TN
Nov 2-5 | SETDA Leadership Summit — Arlington, VA
Nov 5-8 | National Consortium of Secondary STEM Schools — Raleigh, NC
Nov 17-19 | National Summit on Education — New Orleans, LA
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I’m the founder and CEO of Pando Public Relations. If you liked this issue of PR Tips, subscribe here. New issues each Thursday, alternating between articles with practical advice on the PR profession and PR in EdTech Tips, which is a collection of awards, conference RFPs, general info, and other links that may be helpful in your PR efforts.