Pando PR Tips No. 82
Upcoming EdTech and Tech Awards
Tech & Learning Awards of Excellence: Back to School — Extended deadline until Sept 11
These awards seek products that offer schools versatility, value, and solutions to specific problems in support of innovative teaching and learning. $625 per entry.
OLC Innovate 2027 — Proposals open Sept 15
OLC Innovate, a joint virtual conference presented by OLC and MERLOT on April 20-22, 2027, provides a path for innovators of all experience levels and backgrounds to share best practices, test new ideas, and collaborate on driving forward online, digital, and blended learning.
NOCTI Awards — Application deadline is Sept 18
NOCTI is committed to celebrating the educators, leaders, and advocates who strengthen Career and Technical Education (CTE) and create opportunities for learners to succeed. Through the C. Thomas Olivo Award and the Carl J. Schaefer Memorial Awards, they honor individuals whose dedication, service, and professional growth continue to advance the CTE community.
District Administration's Awards of Distinction — Submission deadline Oct 1
District Administration is now accepting applications for its National Awards Program, honoring outstanding K-12 school districts and visionary leaders across the nation. This prestigious program aims to recognize and celebrate innovative initiatives that have delivered measurable results, revolutionizing education within school districts.
SmartBrief Innovation Awards in AI — Deadline is Oct 2
SmartBrief is a great publication and these awards are a good way to highlight products and solutions leveraging AI to solve business challenges. This is NOT only for education. Some of the categories include: AI in retail, marketing, IT/cybersecurity, and finance, in addition to education. $495.00 for a single entry (with discounts available for multiple entries).
CODiE Leadership & Impact Awards — Regular Nominations due Oct 9
The CODiE Leadership & Impact Awards turn the spotlight to the people, organizations, and teams behind the technology. They recognize executives, innovators, and collaborative teams whose vision, leadership, and measurable impact are shaping the future of technology and education. No product demo required. The CODiEs are much easier to enter than they have been in past years so consider how the leaders in your company could fit.
THE Journal and Campus Technology Product of the Year Awards — Entries due Oct 16
The 2026 THE Journal and Campus Technology Product Award programs honor the outstanding product development achievements of manufacturers and suppliers whose products or services are particularly noteworthy in education technology. There is a long list of categories for K-12 education and higher education solutions.
The Cloud Computing Awards — Submission deadline is Oct 23
This is the Cloud Awards primary awards program. They call it their end-of-year celebration of the very best software, services and infrastructure – across every area of cloud technology, from AI to FinTech. $795 lets you enter an unlimited number of categories.
Resources About EdTech Purchasing
2026 State of School Purchasing Report
Tech&Learning's 2026 State of School Purchasing Report reveals how K-12 buyers are researching, evaluating, and purchasing today — and what that means for EdTech and education brands looking to reach them. Add this to the Dear Colleague letter from August (see below), and you have two good resources for your marketing and sales teams.
SmartBrief e-Book - Disruption Learning
Most recent issue of SmartBrief's Disruption: Learning explores the shifts, challenges and opportunities shaping our schools. Plus, their favorite highlights, insights, and edtech picks from this year’s ISTELive and ASCD Annual conferences.
Upcoming Events to Hone Your PR Skills
Writing Hour with Medium — Thursdays at 8am PT
If you need a place to hang out and simply write you can register to join a crew of writers just chilling in a virtual space, writing about something they’re working on. This isn’t only for Medium posts, so write whatever you want.
MuckRack w/Michael Smart: Get your people quoted — Sept 17 at 1pm ET
Join PR coach Michael Smart for a practical webinar on how to become the PR pro journalists trust to connect them with useful, credible and quotable sources.
My Latest LinkedIn Article About the DoE's Dear Colleague Letter
For more insight about the Dear Colleague letter and the five essential questions your products should be expecting to hear from school districts, see this LI post from Chris Piehler, our latest team member at Pando Public Relations.
I’m the founder and CEO of Pando Public Relations, recently named the Best EdTech PR Firm by EdTech Digest. If you liked this issue of PR Tips, subscribe here. New issues publish on Thursdays alternating between articles with insights and advice on the PR profession and PR in EdTech Tips.