Recognizes the best non-instructional business management application or service that supports education. Includes privacy tools, class/lecture capture solutions, network services, human resources/talent management, enterprise management, digital communication/security solutions, scheduling and registration services or student information systems.

Judges will be looking for:

• Customization - Is the solution easily customizable for different types of courses, user needs and education scenarios?
• Feature set - Do the feature set/ universal design features within the product appropriately meet the needs of education users? Does the feature set meet the needs of the administration?
• Innovation – Is the product using cutting edge technology, strategies, ideas or features?
• Integration - Does it provide straightforward methods for integrating social media tools, internal data, curriculum, third-party content or standards information?
• Navigation - Can the user easily and efficiently navigate through the solution and interact with the key features?
• Platform flexibility - Is the solution optimized to be used on various platforms (e.g. desktop, tablet, mobile, broadcast).
• Reports - Will the system produce useful reports for intended users? (e.g. Role administration specific to administrators, faculty/teachers, students, parents, etc.)
• Security/Privacy - Does the solution provide suitable and sufficient security and privacy safeguards?
• Usability - How easily and efficiently can the user interact with the product features and the content to achieve their desired result? Is the product accessible to all users?

Recognizes a new and innovative technology solution that is designed to solve an administrative problem or improve operational efficiency and processes for schools or campuses. This new tool could support administrators in their education management or communication functions. All nominated products in this category must be less than three years old.

Judges will be looking for:

• Accessibility - Can users of all abilities navigate and perform tasks within the standard product structure? Does this product meet Section 508 and the WCAG standards? 
• Disruption – Does the tool have the potential to disrupt the education market and provide long-term benefits or new outcomes?
• Efficacy - Does the technology incorporate recent research on administrative functions? How has this research impacted the development of the product? These areas should be highlighted and show significant impact to achieve desired goals.
• Impact – To what degree does the technology represent progressive developments within administrative functions?
• Innovation – How is this tool or its features new/ unique in approach or implementation? 
• Results - Can this tool help administrators fulfill their functions more effectively and efficiently?
• Usability - How easily and efficiently can users interact with the product features to achieve the desired result? Can the administrators interact and respond through the tool?  

Recognizes the best game-based learning solution designed for PK-12 or higher education students. The winning solution enables users to learn or apply new concepts and skills, and better understand subjects being taught, through academically and pedagogically sound and rigorous (both in content and methodology) games. Gamified learning tools please nominate in the Best use of Gamification in Learning category.

Judges will be looking for:

•  Accessibility / inclusivity - Does the solution accommodate students with diverse learning needs?
• Assessment - To what extent are the assessment tools useful and functional for the user? Do the assessments complement the game-based environment to maximize interactivity within the assessment content itself?
• Customization - How well does the solution adapt difficulty or content to individual learner performance?
• Feature set - How well does the feature set incorporated within the solution appropriately meet the needs of the teacher, the student, administrators, and parents?
• Feedback -How well is feedback to the learner based on individual learner performance, with learner-appropriate, informative, actionable, encouraging and well-timed messages?
• Focus / balance - How well does the game balance the design requirements of the game with the learning task performance and feedback?
• Game design - How well do the learner tasks in the game accurately incorporate the cognitive processes implicit in the defined learning outcomes?
• Innovation - Does the system incorporate recent research on learning, innovative approaches to learning, or access to new tools with high student interest?
• Platform flexibility - Is the solution optimized to be used on various platforms (e.g. desktop, tablet, mobile, broadcast) and deliver various types of content (text, images, audio, video)?
• Reports - How well do system reports provide actionable information to the student, the teacher, administrators, and parents? Are these reports customizable?
• User experience (instructor) - how easily can the teacher integrate the game into the flow of the classroom and curriculum, without formal training?
• User experience (student) - how well do the elements of game play create a compelling experience that is easy to use without training?

Recognizes the education solution that best uses gamification or game theory to motivate users to achieve desired results and promote desired behaviors in a learning environment. The winning solution successfully integrates game mechanics with training content to maximize enjoyment and engagement and inspire users to continue learning.

Judges will be looking for:

• Accessibility / inclusivity - Does the solution accommodate students with diverse learning needs? 
• Assessment - To what extent are the assessment tools useful and functional for the user in achieving desired learning outcomes?
• Educational outcomes - How beneficial are the gamification elements for improving educational outcomes?
• Engagement - How compelling is the design for keeping the user engaged?
• Feature set - How well does the feature set incorporated within the solution appropriately meet the needs of the teacher, the student, administrators, and parents? How effective are the reward features such as badges, incentives, points, leaderboards, etc
• Feedback -How appropriate is the feedback to the learner in improving learning outcomes? Is it learner-appropriate, informative, actionable, encouraging and well-timed?
• User experience - How well does the tool create a compelling, easy to use experience?

Recognizes the best product helping implement scholastic esports to schools and colleges. This includes tournament/league management software, CTE curriculum focused on gaming and efforts to make esports safer and more inclusive. 

Judges will be looking for:

• Academic Value – Does the solution offer essential and valued resources and functionality for esports coaches, directors and institution officials? 
• Feature set - Does the feature set incorporated within this product appropriately meet the needs of players as well as coaches?
• Feedback - Do learners with diverse learning styles and abilities receive immediate and/or appropriate feedback and reinforcement in the process of building their skills and strategies?
• Innovation - Does the system incorporate or address the latest trends or challenges facing scholastic esports and the gaming industry as a whole?
• Instructional design – If applicable, is any instruction and content designed to deepen student knowledge and skills in the esports and gaming?
• Platform flexibility - Is the solution optimized to be used across all esports games and gaming platforms? Are there any limitations from select software publishers that preclude this? 
• Reports - Will the system produce useful reports for the organization and the user?
• Scalability – Does the solution represent an integral component of a school or university’s esports program, that other institutions will recognize and appreciate its contribution?
• Usability – Does the solution allow for ease of use for those that may not have much technical experience/knowledge?

Recognizes the best solution specifically designed to benefit students with unique educational needs, including those with physical or learning disabilities, those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), or those who are gifted and talented in the PK-12 or higher education market. Includes solutions that are 508 compliant and provide instructional materials that are accessible, with accommodations enabled, or developed under the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

Judges will be looking for:

•  Innovation - Does the system incorporate recent research on learning, innovative pedagogical approaches to learning, or access to new tools with high student interest?
•  Integration - Does the solution provide straightforward methods for bringing in curriculum, third- party content, social media tools, internal data, IEP goals, or standards information?
• Accommodations - Do the features incorporated within this product appropriately meet accessibility and accommodation needs of the users? (such as text to speech, use of screen readers, braille printing, etc.) If the solution is cloud based, is it WCAG 3.1
• Assessment - To what extent are the assessment tools useful and functional for the user? Does it allow students to demonstrate mastery in a variety of ways? 
• Customization - Is the solution customizable for different types of content areas, courses, user needs and education or goal- driven outcomes?
• Feedback - Do learners with diverse learning styles and abilities receive appropriate feedback and reinforcement in the process of building their skills and strategies? (i.e. immediate corrective feedback)? Will this tool allow the teacher to interact and
• Instructional design – Does the content include instructional strategies that help the teacher to differentiate instruction for students with special needs? Is the instruction and content designed to deepen student knowledge and skills in the targeted are
• Platform flexibility - Is the solution optimized to be used on various platforms (e.g. desktop, tablet, mobile, broadcast) and deliver various types of content (text, images, audio, video)?

Recognizes the best online laboratory that takes place remotely at home, online via computerized robotics, or virtually through simulations or software.  The winning solution offers the same learning outcomes as traditional laboratories, in a virtual format.

Judges will be looking for:

• Accessibility - Does this product provide accessibility to users with diverse needs?
• Assessment - To what extent are the assessment tools useful and functional for the user? Do the assessments maximize interactivity and engagement via text, audio and/or video?
• Customization - Is the solution customizable for different types of content areas, courses, user needs /accessibility and education outcomes?
• Feature set - Does the feature set incorporated within this product appropriately meet the needs of the users?
• Feedback - Do learners with diverse learning styles and abilities receive appropriate feedback and reinforcement in the process of building their skills and strategies?  Does the platform allow the teacher to provide feedback on the assessment via text, a
• Innovation/ creativity - Does the system incorporate recent research on learning, innovative approaches to learning, or access to new tools with high student interest?
• Instructional design - Is the instruction and content designed to deepen student knowledge and skills in the targeted areas?
• Integration - Does it provide straightforward methods for bringing in curriculum, third-party content, social media tools, internal data or standards information? Can the system incorporate easily with other online systems?
• Platform flexibility - Is the solution optimized to be used on various platforms (e.g. desktop, tablet, mobile, broadcast) and deliver various types of content (text, images, audio, video)?
• Reports - Will the system produce useful reports for the organization and the user? Are these reports customizable? Do these reports indicate trends, and do they include recommendations along with results so as to inform continuous and personalized learni

Provides the remote learning educational solution that best delivers course support, full courses or degree programs online, in either subscription-based or massive, open environments. Includes tutoring, self-paced digital instruction, home-schooling, advanced placement course work, credit recovery, instructional support, personalized learning environment or college credit and targets the PK-12 or higher education market.

Judges will be looking for:

• Accessibility - Does this product provide accessibility to users with diverse needs?
• Assessment - To what extent are the assessment tools useful and functional for the user? Do the assessments maximize interactivity and engagement via text, audio and/or video?
• Customization - Is the solution customizable for different types of content areas, courses, user needs /accessibility and education outcomes?
• Feature set - Does the feature set incorporated within this product appropriately meet the needs of the users?
• Feedback - Do learners with diverse learning styles and abilities receive appropriate feedback and reinforcement in the process of building their skills and strategies?  Does the platform allow the teacher to provide feedback in a variety of formats?
• Innovation/ creativity - Does the system incorporate recent research on learning, innovative approaches to learning, or access to new tools with high student interest?
• Instructional design - Is the instruction and content designed to deepen student knowledge and skills in the targeted areas?
• Integration - Does it provide straightforward methods for bringing in curriculum, third- party content, social media tools, internal data or standards information? Can the system incorporate easily with other online systems?
• Platform flexibility - Is the solution optimized to be used on various platforms and deliver various types of content?
• Reports - Will the system produce useful reports for the organization and the user? Are these reports customizable? Do these reports indicate trends, and do they include recommendations along with results so as to inform continuous and personalized learni

Recognizes the best solution designed for users to be able to create, modify, design, alter, combine, customize, and curate multiple content sources and formats, and share digital content for effective and engaged learning in the PreK-20 learning areas.

Judges will be looking for:

• Accessibility- Can users access learning objects and collections of learning objects collaboratively? Is the system device agnostic in the updating and monitoring of learning objects and collections?
• Cost-benefit and scalability - To what extent is there a cost or benefit to the user developing learning objects in such a system as opposed to creating a custom authoring solution? Does the feature set scale to meet the needs of education users?
• Customization - How easily can the user customize, alter or modify learning objects from the point of view of design and branding, or organize collections for specific groups (students, parents, etc.) and communicate their availability?
• Ease of use – how easy is the tool to use?
• Innovation – Is the product using innovative technology, strategies, ideas or features?
• Integration - Does it provide straightforward methods for integrating social media tools, third-party content or standards information?
• Navigation - How easily can the user navigate through the solution and interact with the key features from both desktop and mobile devices?
• Reporting and analytics - Will the system generate useful learning journey data for analytics and business intelligence solutions?
• Searchability - Is the content searchable by multiple terms including grade level, standard, subject and topic? Is the metadata fully customizable?
• Segmentation - Is the solution customizable for different types of enterprises, user needs and administrative outcomes? Does it deliver various types of content (text, images, audio, video)?
• Shareability - can the user share learning objects and collections with others through various means such as e-mail and social media?
• Standards alignment – Is the content aligned to instructional standards selected by the user? Are these instructional standards customizable in the metadata?

Recognizes the best solution designed for users to be able to create, modify, design, alter, combine, customize, and curate multiple content sources and formats, and share digital content for effective and engaged learning in the PreK-20 learning areas.

Judges will be looking for:

• Accessibility – is the tool accessible to all users?
• Content validity - Are users & administrators able to measure/evaluate content validity using the information provided? Will students be able to identify information ethics, authority-bias and other measures of digital literacy?
• Customization - Is the solution customizable for different types of user needs and outcomes?
• Innovation – Is the product using cutting edge technology, strategies, ideas or features?
• Integration - Does the solution provide straightforward methods for integrating social media tools, internal data, curriculum, third-party content, standards information, personal information management, or research management tools?
• Platform flexibility - Is the solution optimized for the user of various platforms and delivers various types of content (text, images, audio, video)?
• Reporting and analytics - Will the system produce useful analysis and reports for intended users?
• Scalability - Does the feature set scale to meet the needs of education users?
• Usability - How easily and efficiently can the user interact with the product features and the content to achieve their targeted results?

Recognizes the best digital product or service that develops 21st Century workforce skills and knowledge for students. Includes applications that help close the gap between a learner's current interest and skills and the needs and expectations in the workplace.

Judges will be looking for:

• Accessibility - Is the product designed to meet mandated accessibility standards, such as Section 508?
• Assessment - Do the assessment capabilities help the student achieve learning goals and outcomes?
• Customization - Is the learning solution customizable for different types of content areas, courses, user needs and education outcomes?
• Feature set - Does the feature set incorporated within this product appropriately develop 21st Century workforce skills and knowledge for students?  
• Feedback - Do learners with diverse learning styles and abilities receive appropriate feedback and reinforcement in the process of building their skills and strategies? Is feedback available in a variety of formats including audio video, text, etc? 
• Innovation –Does the system incorporate recent research on learning, innovative approaches to learning, or access to new tools with high student interest?
• Integration - Does it provide straightforward methods for integrating curriculum, third-party content, social media tools, LMS, internal data or standards information? 
• Platform flexibility - Is the solution optimized to be used on various platforms (e.g. desktop, tablet, mobile, broadcast) and deliver various types of content (text, images, audio, video)?
• Reports - Does the system produce useful reports that help inform/improve teaching and learning? Is Data downloadable? Can the user create custom reports?
• Usability - How easily and efficiently can the user interact with the product features and the content to achieve their desired result?

Recognizes the best solution focused on non-core or enrichment curriculum areas for students in the PK-12 or higher education market. These areas include art, music, health, technology, vocational/career planning, or multidisciplinary topics.

Judges will be looking for:

• Accessibility – How well does the solution accommodate diverse learning styles and abilities? How well are different levels of proficiency accommodated?
• Alignment to standards - Is the instruction and content aligned to the standards of the target audiences? Does it accommodate various standards? 
• Assessment – What is the range of assessment offered or supported (diagnostic, formative, summative, etc.)? Is ongoing assessment supported? Are the assessment outputs clear; do they inform future instruction? How personalized is the assessment?
• Cohesiveness – Is the content and instructional approach coherent, consistent, aligned, well organized and sequenced across grade levels? How well connected are the components?
• Customization - How personalized can the offering be for individual educator or student needs? 
• Depth of knowledge – Do activities and questions support and convey sufficient depth of knowledge? Is critical thinking engaged and involved where age-appropriate? Does the content produce a desired or intended result?
• Ease of use & support – How intuitive is the offering? Is it easy to use for administrators, educators, students, and/or parents/guardians? Are all resources readily accessible? Do teachers need to do extra work to supplement or clarify the content or ins
• Engagement – Does the offering keep educators and students engaged? Does the content/ solution capture and hold student interest? Is the content relatable to the target student/user audience?
• Feedback – Does the offering provide students and educators with timely and actionable feedback? Does the feedback help in development of skills, strategies, areas requiring reinforcement or remediation? 
• Innovation - Does the system incorporate recent research on learning, innovative approaches to learning, or access to new tools with high student interest?
• Reporting – What range and quality of reporting does the offering provide or support for educators, administrators, and parents? Is the reporting effective, clear, easily accessible on demand, and informative?
• technical flexibility - Can the offering be used optimally on various platforms (desktop, tablet, mobile, etc.)? Is transition from one platform to another seamless, and can one continue where they left off? Can the offering support various content format

Recognizes the best software or digital service that’s primary purpose is the application of data analytics to improve PK-12 or higher education teaching, learning, retention, and/ or growth strategies, and decision-making within an educational or training environment.

Judges will be looking for:

• Customization - Is the solution customizable for different sources of data, user needs, and business outcomes?
• Data democratization - Does the product allow viewing of data from different perspectives and roles?
• Innovation - Does the product provide a unique solution to a problem?
• Integration - Does it provide straightforward methods for extracting, cleaning, transforming, and transferring internal/external data, third-party content or standards information?
• Navigation - Can users quickly and efficiently navigate through the solution and interact with the essential features?
• Navigation - Can users quickly and efficiently navigate through the solution and interact with the essential features?
• Performance – Does the solution operate optimally while working with large data sets? How well does it perform generally?                
• Platform flexibility - Is the solution optimized for various platforms (e.g., desktop, tablet, mobile)?
• Reports - Does the system produce useful reports for intended users?
• Security/Privacy - Does the solution provide suitable and sufficient security and privacy safeguards? (e.g., de-identification, k-anonymity, privacy-preserving practices, GDPR, etc.)
• Usability - How quickly and efficiently can the user interact with the product features and the content to achieve their desired result?
• Visualization - Is there a system of engagement that visualizes complex data in a meaningful way for technical and non-technical stakeholders?

Recognizes the best application focusing on enrichment or non-core curriculum areas for students in the PK-12 or higher education market. These areas include art, music, health, technology, vocational/career planning, or multidisciplinary topics.

Judges will be looking for:

• Assessment - To what extent are the assessment tools useful and functional for the user?
• Customization - How customizable is the solution for different types of content areas, courses, user needs/accessibility and education outcomes?
• Feature set - Does the feature set incorporated within this product appropriately meet the needs of the users (including special needs and diverse students?)?
• Feedback - Do learners with diverse learning styles and abilities receive appropriate feedback and reinforcement in the process of building their skills and strategies?
• Innovation - Does the system incorporate recent research on learning, innovative approaches to learning, or access to new tools with high student interest?
• Instructional design - how is the instruction and content designed to deepen student knowledge, interest, and skills in the targeted areas?
• Integration -How well is the solution integrated into a larger frameworK? Does it provide straightforward methods for bringing in learning standards, curriculum, third- party content, social media tools, internal data or standards information?
• Platform flexibility - Is the solution optimized to be used on various platforms (e.g. desktop, tablet, mobile, broadcast) and deliver various types of content (text, images, audio, video)?
• Reports -How robust are the reports? How well do they serve the needs of the organization and the users who can access them?

Recognizes a new and innovative preK-20 technology solution that is used to solve an instructional challenge. It can change how students learn, increase their interest in learning or could open new delivery channels for instruction. All nominated products in this category must be less than three years old.

Judges will be looking for:

• Accessibility - How well does the solution accommodate diverse learning styles and abilities? How well are different levels of
• Disruption – Does the tool have the potential to disrupt the education market in the future? Disruption should include long-term benefits or new outcomes.
• Efficacy - Does the technology incorporate recent research on the learning process? These areas should be highlighted and show significant impact.
• Impact - To what degree does the technology Impact the teaching and learning process?
• Innovation/ creativity - Is this tool or its features new in its approach or implementation?
• Relevance - How much is this technology needed in the education market? Include examples of the area(s) that could benefit – such as retention, comprehension, higher engagement and successful outcomes such as advancement, participation and experience.
• Simplicity / Feature Rich Balance - Does the product include too many or too little features to be usable / innovative? 
• Usability - How easily and efficiently can users interact with the product features to achieve the desired result? The user community should be clearly identified.

Recognizes the best formative student assessment solution that identifies a student’s learning gaps and learning standard they have not yet achieved throughout a class or course, and assesses how to close those gaps to improve student achievement. This category is available for PK-12 or higher education solutions.

Judges will be looking for:

• Ability to be edited - Will teachers be able to change questions or instructions to meet student needs and fit with local school cultural differences?
• Growth model - Does the solution provide the ability to follow and measure students' growth in learning in several years?
• Innovation – Is the product using cutting edge technology, strategies, ideas or features?
• Navigation - Can the user easily and efficiently navigate through the solution and interact with the key features?
• Platform flexibility - Is the solution optimized for the user of various platforms (e.g. desktop, tablet, mobile, broadcast) Cloud-based should be added and deliver various types of content (text, images, audio, video)?
• Reporting and analytics - Will the system produce useful analysis and reports for intended users?
• Scalability - Does the feature set scale to meet the needs of PK-12 education users?
• Support – How well does the solution provide support for the educator/faculty? Is the solution customizable to accommodate different user needs including different languages? How well does the solution offer users prescriptive assistance based on assessme
• Usability - How effective and flexible is the solution to use during actual class instruction to assess student learning as it is happening? How easily and efficiently can the user interact with the product features and the content?

Recognizes the best digital learning platform designed for the K-12 and higher education markets. These online learning platforms allow educators and administrators to develop, design, and manage course content, allow students to access and interact with content and provide data management and reporting tools. Platforms should support a wide range of pedagogical applications, including blended learning, fully online learning, personalized learning, and flipped classrooms.

Judges will be looking for:

• Access - Is the platform accessible from devices with out-of-date operating software? Is there offline support for consuming content?
• Accessibility – To what extent does the platform support WCAG 2.0 Level AA accessibility standards? Are parent facing features equally as accessible for parents with disabilities as parents without disabilities?
• Customization - Is the system customizable for different types of courses, user needs and educational outcomes? Does the LMS allow parent views?
• Design flexibility - Does the solution offer a similarly feature-rich user experience regardless of the platform?
• Feature set - Does the feature set incorporated within this product appropriately meet the needs of education users?
• Innovation – is the product using cutting edge technology, strategies, ideas or features?
• Integration - Does it provide simple methods for effectively integrating the platform with a school’s other services and data, such as the student information system?
• Parent Access – Does the platform provide features to allow appropriate parental engagement with their student’s coursework or teachers?
• Positive impact – Does the system either include assessment capabilities or integrate easily with assessment tools?
• Privacy - Does the system adequately protect the privacy of the user?
• Privacy - How well does the LMS protect the privacy of users?
• Reports - Will the system produce useful reports for intended users? Are these reports customizable, exportable, and flexible?
• Usability - How easily and efficiently can the K- 12 student end user interact with the product features and the content to achieve their desired result? Does the user experience equally extend to non-readers?

Recognizes the best tool for learners in PK-12 or higher education markets that can be used to increase attention, responsibility, independence and engagement in their learning tasks. Includes Social emotional learning, digital tools that use up-to-date research in learning sciences to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the learner’s skills, interest and time on task by optimizing engagement and supporting personalized instruction.

Judges will be looking for:

• Applicability - How applicable is the tools for use in multiple curriculum areas or courses?
• Feedback - Do learners with diverse learning styles and abilities receive appropriate feedback and reinforcement in the process of using the tool?
• Innovation - Does the system incorporate recent research on learning process or innovative approaches to teaching? Does the system provide access or information to additional sources for support?
• Learner measurements - How effectively will the measurements serve the individual needs of the learner, teacher or parent? Does the system allow for the teacher or parent to pinpoint a need?
• Positive impact - Could the system produce a positive impact on the education community and/or the learning process?
• Usability - How easily and efficiently can the student interact with the product features and the content to achieve their desired result?

Recognizes the best summative assessment solution that evaluates student learning, knowledge, proficiency, or success at the conclusion of an instructional period to measure student and instructional success. This category is available for PK-12 or higher education solutions.

Judges will be looking for:

• Able to be edited - Will teachers be able to change questions or instructions to meet student needs and fit with local school cultural differences?
• Growth model - Does the solution provide the ability to follow and measure students' growth in learning in several years?
• Innovation – Is the product using cutting edge technology, strategies, ideas or features?
• Navigation - Can the user easily and efficiently navigate through the solution and interact with the key features?
• Platform flexibility - Is the solution optimized for the user of various platforms (e.g. desktop, tablet, mobile, broadcast) Cloud-based should be added and deliver various types of content (text, images, audio, video)?
• Reporting and analytics - Will the system produce useful analysis and reports for intended users?
• Scalability - Does the feature set scale to meet the needs of education users?
• Support – How well does the solution provide support for the educator/faculty? Is the solution customizable to accommodate different user needs?
• Usability - How easily and efficiently can the user interact with the product features and the content to achieve their targeted results?

Recognizes platforms that enable learning in a social setting – learning with and from others. The students are driving the learning experience in an informal way, within a formal structure of learning or in a grass-roots way. In a secure and trusted network, these platforms allow students to collaborate, informally and formally, in a synchronous or asynchronous fashion. These platforms allow students to live chat, possess a social stream, create groups and teams, provide an expert area, enable a social Q&A, and allow for surveys.

Judges will be looking for:

• Accessibility - Does this product provide accessibility to people with diverse needs and accommodate different cultures? Can permissions be set so there are different levels such as viewing, editing, groups?
• Collaboration - Are multiple mediums of collaborating included (live chat, social stream, social media compatibility, expert area, social Q&A)? Can students rate and share content?
• Customization - To what extent does the solution support customization by the educator user?
• Design - To what extent is the web design effective, easy-to-use, and supports students with different styles of use?
• Innovation - Does the system incorporate recent research on communication in learning, innovative approaches to teaching and collaboration, and/or access to new tools with high user interest?
• Platform flexibility - Is the solution optimized to be used on various platforms (e.g. desktop, tablet, mobile, broadcast) and deliver/ respond with various types of content (text, images, audio, video)?
• Usability - How easily, efficiently, and quickly can the student interact with the product features and the content to achieve their desired result?
• User-generated content – How easily and soundly can a student design engaging learning opportunities?

Recognizes the online solution designed to provide social learning, collaborative and community support for PK-12 or higher education teachers and administrators. This Includes tools for communication, professional learning experiences, resource centers, collaboration and planning tools and other interactive, social media solutions and tech tools between and among teachers, staff, administration, and community.

Judges will be looking for:

• Accessibility - Can users of all abilities navigate and perform tasks within the standard product structure? Does this product meet Section 508 and the WCAG standards? 
• Customization - To what extent does the solution support customization by the educator user?
• Design - Is the solution well designed, effective, easy-to-use, and does it properly meet the needs of the intended user audience? 
• Innovation/ creativity - Does the system incorporate recent research on communication in learning, innovative approaches to teaching and collaboration, and/or access to new tools with high user interest?
• Permissions - Can permissions be set so there are different levels such as viewing, editing, admin?
• Platform flexibility - Is the solution optimized to be used on various platforms (e.g. desktop, tablet, mobile, broadcast) and deliver/ respond with various types of content (text, images, audio, video)?
• Positive impact -How well does the system produce a positive impact on the education community and/or the learning process?
• Usability - How easily and efficiently can the educator interact with the product features and the content to achieve their desired result?

Recognizes the best platform, service or provider that supports the efforts of organizations (businesses, government and Education) to deliver, track and manage employee, faculty & customer training on topics ranging from compliance courses, to reskilling/upskilling courses, to customer and partner training content. The content and the learning experience should be designed to aid the successful execution of an employee's job or provide appropriate resources for the extended enterprise network to be productive. The platform should be able to support multiple roles for course & user access and management and track the consumption behavior to an advanced level of granularity.

Judges will be looking for:

• Accessibility - Does the system support use by different types of users, including those who are deaf, blind or have other unique needs?
• Assessment - How well does the solution support L1, L3 feedback, assessments and certification/credentialing of learners?
• Customization – Is the solution customizable for different brands, different types of courses, different media types, learner needs and outcomes?
• Feedback – How well does the solution provide learners with personalized feedback that helps reinforce or improve their skill set?
• Innovation – How well does the solution incorporate strategies or functionality from the latest research on teaching, learning and assessment e.g. Social Learning?
• Integration –How well does the solution provide standards-compliant and open capabilities for integration with internally and externally-provided content and assessment, communication tools, and internal data, appropriate to the user type e.g SCORM, AICC
• Learner Experience – How well does the system support different content types, different consumption devices and internet speeds?
• Platform flexibility - Is the solution optimized to be used on various devices and platforms (e.g. desktop, tablet, mobile, Android, iOS) and deliver various types of content (PPTx, PDFs, DOCx, images, audio, video, interactive HTML5)?
• Positive impact – How well does the solution support positive impact on course development, assessment, and training? Is it easy to do the things that matter ? How easy is the platform to use and get going without the need for advanced training ?
• Privacy – Does the system include security features that protect user data and privacy?
• Reports - How well does the system provide reporting that is granular, flexible, informative, extensible and action-oriented?
• Usability - How easily and efficiently can the user interact with the product features and the content to achieve their desired result?

Recognizes the best educational platform or solution for faculty, administration and students in grades  PK-20. Provides all applications and files for anywhere, anytime availability, using any device at home or at school.

Judges will be looking for:

• Accessibility - Does the system support use by different types of users, including those who are deaf, blind or have other unique needs?
• Assessment - How well does the solution support L1, L3 feedback, assessments and certification/credentialing of learners?
• Customization – Is the solution customizable for different brands, different types of courses, different media types, learner needs and outcomes?
• Feedback – How well does the solution provide learners with personalized feedback that helps reinforce or improve their skill set?
• Innovation – How well does the solution incorporate strategies or functionality from the latest research on teaching, learning and assessment e.g. Social Learning?
• Integration –How well does the solution provide standards-compliant and open capabilities for integration with internally and externally-provided content and assessment, communication tools, and internal data, appropriate to the user type e.g SCORM, AICC
• Learner Experience – How well does the system support different content types, different consumption devices and internet speeds?
• Platform flexibility - Is the solution optimized to be used on various devices and platforms (e.g. desktop, tablet, mobile, Android, iOS) and deliver various types of content (PPTx, PDFs, DOCx, images, audio, video, interactive HTML5)?
• Positive impact – How well does the solution support positive impact on course development, assessment, and training? Is it easy to do the things that matter ? How easy is the platform to use and get going without the need for advanced training ?
• Privacy – Does the system include security features that protect user data and privacy?
• Reports - How well does the system provide reporting that is granular, flexible, informative, extensible and action-oriented?
• Usability - How easily and efficiently can the user interact with the product features and the content to achieve their desired result?

Recognizes the best educational application or service designed to support PK-12 or higher education institutions and the educational needs/ professional development of teachers and administrative staff. Includes stand-alone or programs packaged with other products and delivered through an online application, streaming video or other means.

Judges will be looking for:

• Accessibility – Is the solution accessible to users with diverse needs? Is the solution available on demand? Can the accessibility be restricted (time, date range, content etc.)?
• Customization - Is the solution customizable for different types of content areas, courses, user needs/accessibility, district needs and education outcomes? Does the solution offer customized learning pathways for personalizing instruction? 
• Feature set - Does the feature set incorporated within this product appropriately meet the needs of the users? Can this be used asynchronously? How robust is the quality and range of the content?
• Feedback - Do learners receive appropriate feedback and reinforcement in the process of building their skills and strategies? Does the tool allow the user to interact and respond through text, audio, and video?
• Platform flexibility - Is the solution optimized to be used on various platforms (e.g. desktop, tablet, mobile, broadcast) and deliver various types of content (text, images, audio, video)?
• Reports - Will the system produce useful reports for the organization and the user? Does it offer alignment of standards for professional learning or reporting mastery of objectives?

Recognizes the best artificial intelligence, machine or deep learning solution, platform or product that improves learning outcomes and implements solutions that help students succeed.

Judges will be looking for:

• Adaptive - How well does the solution adapt to each user?
• Ease of implementation - what level of training data or annotation (if any) is required by users in order to make the AI perform as needed?
• Feature set - Does the feature set incorporated within this product appropriately meet the needs of the audience?
• Innovation – is the product using cutting edge technology, strategies, ideas or features?
• Learn - How well does the system grow subject matter expertise in your apps/ systems? To what extent does the system get smarter over time? Does the system have the ability to improve itself over time?
• Platform flexibility and accessibility - Is the solution made available through the delivery platforms appropriate to the target audience and use?
• Proprietary - are the algorithms used developed in-house? If yes, rate 10.
• Relevance to a target audience -Does the product effectively solve a specific market need?
• Usability - can the user quickly and efficiently interact with the product features to achieve their desired result?

These solutions offer promising technologies within education for use in PreK-20 learning and instruction. These can include artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR), or augmented reality (AR), amongst others. These technologies are not-yet fully understood or researched and have promising potential for the classroom. These products are grounded in the latest learning sciences, solving learning challenges utilizing emerging technology.

Judges will be looking for:

• Assessment – How is the assessment built into the instruction such that it provides information to the student and also the teacher?
• Data – Does the data eliminate bias? Can the data collected about learning be utilized in other applications?
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion – Does it provide cultural data and global voices and eliminate possible bias?
• Feedback - Do learners with diverse learning styles and abilities receive immediate and/or appropriate feedback and reinforcement in the process of building their skills and strategies?
• Instructional design - Is the content engaging? Does it add additional context and ways to interact with the space? Does it reinforce previous learning, build and extend current understanding, provide an opportunity to guide learning, and deliver access t
• Integration - Does it provide straightforward methods for bringing in curriculum, third-party content, social media tools, internal data or standards information to provide the students with real life situations that are relatable to them? Is data from th
• Platform flexibility - Is the solution optimized to be used on various platforms (e.g. desktop, tablet, mobile, broadcast) and deliver various types of content (text, images, audio, video)?
• Usability – Does the solution allow for ease of use on all aspects of the app, especially for those that may not have much technical experience/knowledge?

Recognizes the tool, platform, or service that has gone above and beyond to help educators adopt their solution effectively with superior customer service and support, during the time of COVID-19. Methods of customer service and support include help-desk services, live chat, social media tools, and any training/learning that is included in the purchase of the solution. Note that it is helpful to provide solution access to the judges during the review period for this category as well as detailed explanations of support.

Judges will be looking for:

• Companies that deploy a well-crafted customer service program with demonstrated outstanding customer support.
• Customer Satisfaction- According to surveys and feedback, how satisfied are educators with the customer service they receive from the company?
• Issue resolution- When an educator reports a confirmable issue with the solution, how often and how quickly is the issue rectified? 
• Quality of Self-Serve Help Materials- What does the company provide for an educator or administrator to get their own answers (i.e. FAQs, videos, forum)
• Quality of Support– Does the educator have an excellent experience when contacting customer service? Were they able to get a person to reply, and was that person friendly and knowledgeable?
• Response Times for Support Inquiries- How quickly does the company reply to emails and live chats? What are the wait times when calling?  
• Technical Troubleshooting- What level of technical assistance is provided to educators?

Recognizes the best education technology product that supports remote learning in a (post) COVID-19 world. This includes all asynchronous and synchronous learning applications, learning management systems network services, hardware, and school administrative applications.

Judges will be looking for:

• How well did the product continue to support distance learning throughout the pandemic? 
• How well did the product help facilitate the school’s transition to distance learning?
• How well did the product help the school address equity issues during that transition?
• How well did the product offer any unique solutions that made the transition easier?
• How well did the product respond to the transition to distance learning in Spring 2020?

Recognizes the company, school, tool, platform, program or service that has gone above and beyond to positively impact the education, health and wellbeing of the students during the time of COVID-19.

Judges will be looking for:

• Were there measurable long-term changes and/or benefits from the response?
• How effective was the response? Support with examples.
• How well did the response benefit learners and on what scale? Provide detailed examples.
• How did the nominee go above and beyond for students? What were the details involved and how was it implemented?