HONORING THE BEST INNOVATIVE EDUCATION TECHNOLOGIES & SOLUTIONS — AS CHOSEN BY OUR READERS
The Readers' Choice Awards 2026 presented by SmartBrief on EdTech celebrates those companies and products making a lasting impact on the education industry. Through innovative solutions, the latest technology or pioneering problem-solving, we want to recognize those who are changing the education landscape for the better.
This is an opportunity for you to gain the recognition you deserve, with winners not only receiving Readers' Choice 2026 winner assets to market with, but all winners will also receive editorial coverage in an original story, which will run in the SmartBrief Education newsletters, as well as announcements on the SmartBrief Education Originals website.
Secure your entry today, click below to begin your submission.
ENTRY FEES: $625.00 per entry
ENTRY DEADLINE: 23:59 ET on Fri, May 1
BENEFITS OF ENTERING
Winning nominations will be announced on the SmartBrief Education Originals website, and all winners will receive editorial coverage in an original story, which will run in the SmartBrief Education newsletters.
Gain invaluable recognition and affirmation from our readers, top-level K-12 school and district leaders. This is one of the only reader-voted awards in EdTech.
Winners will receive a suite of marketing assets to promote their winning nominations, including a fully licensed winners' badge. Honorable Mentions will receive comparable assets.
Every product nominated, whether chosen for an award or not, will receive an award nominee badge.
STEP 1) ENTER! ✅
Complete the online entry form and tell us about your product, solution, and the impact it delivers.
STEP 2) VOTING 📩
Once nominations close, K-12 school and district leaders will vote to select their preferred products in each category.
STEP 3) WINNERS 🏆
Top-voted products will be selected as our winners and receive editorial recognition, along with digital badges and promotional assets.
KEY DATES
NOMINATION DEADLINE:
VOTING OPENS:
WINNERS ANNOUNCED:
Nomination Deadline: July 29, 2021
Winners Announced: August 26, 2021
23:59 ET FRI, MAY 1
TUES, MAY 12
LATE MAY
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
We are accepting education hardware and software tools in the following categories:
- Reading & Literacy Instruction: Products and solutions that support reading and literacy instruction.
- Math Instruction: Products and solutions that support teaching math.
- Assessment & Data Analytics: Products and solutions that support testing and the use of data to inform instruction.
- Hardware & Infrastructure Technologies: Devices and hardware equipment used to support teaching and learning and running school operations. This includes computing devices, networking equipment, wireless technologies and the like.
-
Safety & Security: Products and solutions that ensure the safety of students and school facilities. Includes surveillance tools, solutions that monitor students’ online activity on school-owned devices, and the like.
-
Cybersecurity: Products and services that protect school-owned data and devices.
-
Student Wellness: Products and services designed to support students’ physical, emotional and mental wellness.
-
STEM & CTE: Tools and solutions supporting science, technology, engineering and math, and career-technical education. Can include STEAM and workforce development programs.
-
Professional Development: Products and solutions designed to support educator professional development.
-
Early Education: Products and services that support instruction for early learners.
-
Special Education: Products and services designed to enhance education for students with special needs.
-
Learning Management: Products, services and solutions that design, deliver and support content for instruction. Can include personalized learning, adaptive systems, assessment tools and the like.
The awards recognize and shine light on new and existing products and solutions that impact and transform education through technology. If your product aids, transforms or benefits the lives of educators and students, then it would qualify for the awards.
There is no restriction on release date of products, they could have been released in 2026 or 2016, for example.
Be Recognized. Winning nominations will be announced on the SmartBrief Education Originals website, and all winners will receive editorial coverage in an original story, which will run in the SmartBrief Education newsletters..
Build Reputation. Endorsement from your product’s end user, educators and administrators will help build further trust and loyalty among your customers.
Boost Morale. Submitting for the awards is a great opportunity to celebrate the work your employees do and give them affirmation that their work is impactful.
You will submit the following information about your product which our readership - both industry professionals and end-users - will use to evaluate and rank your product:
- A short product description (100 words or less)
- What specific problem does this product solve? (100 words or less)
You will also have an opportunity to share a product landing page, a product image and product demonstration video.
The deadline to submit nominations is 23:59 ET on Friday, May 1. We reserve the right to consider late applicants as circumstances dictate.
Winners will be announced in late May, 2026. The exact date for direct and editorial announcements is yet to be confirmed, please contact us if you have any questions concerning this.
Along with receiving a digital awards winner logo, winning nominations will be announced editorially on the SmartBrief Education Originals website, and highlighted in an editorial story to run in the SmartBrief Education newsletters..
Each product entry costs $625.00.
Click here to nominate a product and pay by credit card.
Yes. There is no limit to the number of products you may nominate. Each product requires a nomination form and entry fee(s).
