Pando PR Tips No. 67
Upcoming Conference and Award Submissions
BrainStorm Sandusky 2026 — Deadline is Jan 9
BrainStorm is a midwest states edtech conference bringing together edtech vendors and school/districct computer techs, network administrators, and technology directors. Vendors who are chosen to present must purchase a booth or sponsorship. The conference is May 3-5.
The FinTech Awards — Submission deadline is Jan 23
Fintech Awards recognize organizations leading the world in financial technology excellence. Entries are welcomed from organizations of any size, from anywhere in the world.
Byline Submissions
Call for Opinions: 2026 Predictions for Higher Ed IT — Submissions due Dec. 31
How will the technology landscape in higher education change in the coming year? Campus Technology invites their readership to weigh in with their predictions, wishes, or worries for 2026.
Call for Opinions: 2026 Predictions for Education IT — Submissions due Dec. 31
How will the technology landscape in education change in the coming year? THE Journal invites their readers to weigh in with their predictions.
Upcoming Awards Judging Opportunity
The PIEoneer Awards 2026 — Call for judges closes on Dec 12
PIEoneer Awards are judged by a distinguished panel carefully selected according applicants' experience, knowledge, and expertise in fields relating to the award categories. They also consider country, organization type, and other demographics. The panel changes each year, with some judges remaining on the panel for more than one year.
Useful Resources
MuckRack's What is AI reading?
Generative Pulse by MuckRack is an analysis of over 7 million new AI queries and more than 15 million citations.
Crayola Creativity Week 2026: Color Inspires Creativity — Jan 26 - Feb 1
This is a free program for schools, libraries, and homes. Get access to 7 days of downloadable resources, celebrity activity videos, and giveaways.
Webinar on PR for 2026
PR Predictions for 2026 — Dec 9 at 1:00 ET
2026 is going to reshape how PR earns attention, uses AI and proves value. Sign up for this webinar to hear MuckRack's predictions.
EdTech Conferences in Q1 2026
January 11-14 | Future of Education Technology Conference (FETC) in Orlando
January 21-23 | BETT UK in London
January 31- February 4 |Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) in San Antonio
February 1 - 4 | PETE&C EdTech Conference in Hersey Park
February 12-14 | AASA National Conference on Education in Nashville
February 18-20 | Digital Learning Annual Conference (DLAC) in Sacramento
February 23-25 | Training Magazine Conference & Expo in Orlando
February 25-27 | Northwest Council for Computer Education (NCCE) in Seattle
March 9-12 | SXSW EDU in Austin
Press Release Timing at Conferences
In Issue No. 45 of PR in EdTech, I shared advice for issuing press releases around conferences. Here is a repost of that advices (with slight edits for brevity and clarity).
The winter conference season is a good time to talk about the timing of press releases. I recommend that announcements timed to hit a conference come out a few days before the targeted conference. Here's why:
- Send it early so reporters can write and file their story before the conference opens. If your release can not be public until opening day, send the release out under embargo 2-4 days in advance.
- Publishing releases on the wire early give them a few days to generate momentum going into the conference. Mention the conference name, location, and date in the release and you'll still be connected to the event. Share your news using the conference hashtag and your company's booth number.
- Dozens more companies will issue press releases during the show, so publish your press release before the event to occupy a quieter news cycle. If you mention the conference and state that the new features/product will be shown at the event, you'll be included in the those conference wrap-ups about new products.
- The bigger conferences have a media room and promote exhibitors so if your release is prepped early, you'll benefit the most from these services. Conference PR staff will post exhibitors releases on the conference website and sometimes send out packets to relevant media contacts. It is easier to be included in the show wrap up if all your news and collateral has been made available to the conference ahead of time.
Publications That Will Post Press Releases
There are still a few publications that accept press releases. Some charge a nominal fee, others don't ask for a fee, but only publish the releases that are newsworthy and of interest to their readers.
Impact Newswire * We haven't posted here but it might be worth trying
Industry Dive (including HE Dive and K12 Dive)
My Article on LinkedIn on Press Releases
I’m the founder and CEO of Pando Public Relations. If you liked this issue of PR Tips, subscribe here. New issues publish on Thursday,s alternating between articles with practical advice on the PR profession and PR in EdTech Tips.