About the Best in Education Awards
EdTech Chronicle’s Best in Education Awards recognize the industry, the partners, and people in education.
The awards recognize that in order to develop great products that improve access and learning across the globe often requires great people and partnerships and exemplary execution of deals, promotions, and development. Winners will be selected in 37 categories including Editor’s Choice.
Did you close a great deal in 2025? Did your company introduce two companies with terrific synergy? Perhaps your agency or marketing team produced promotional materials worth recognizing? Is your podcast or news site the best in the business?
If so, nominate your BEST for our third annual awards program.
Key Dates for the 2025 Awards
Awards Launch
December 15, 2025
Nominations Close
February 6, 2026
Winners Announced
April 2026
More Details
- Winners will win the rights to use a Best in Education digital badge to promote your company and products on various media including socials, press releases and your website.
- Another purpose of the Best in Education Awards is to surface interesting people, companies, and deals that deserve media attention. Therefore, selected winners will be recognized individually or by group in EdTech Chronicle editorial coverage.
Companies, organizations, institutions, and individuals doing business in K-12 education or higher education are eligible to enter:
Investment and Deals
- Best M&A Deal
- Mergers or acquisitions are judged on either significance of the deal or effectiveness of the announcement
- Best Partnership
- Partnership news that are not M&A, judged on the significance of the deal or effectiveness of the announcement
- Best Funding Deal (Early, Midterm, or Late)
- Funding rounds of any level judged on significance of the round or effectiveness of the announcement
- Best Education Investor
- Individual investors making positive contributions to the education sector
- Best Education Investment Firm or Supporting Service Firm
- Investment groups making positive cash investments in education or service organizations and individuals in marketing, public relations, SEO, content or other support services
- Best Education Accelerator, Incubator or Studio
- Groups that support early- to mid-stage companies in launching, scaling, or transforming education ventures
- Best Education Deal: K-12
- The most significant high-impact transaction in the K-12 education sector — whether it’s a funding round, acquisition, merger, or partnership
- Best Education Deal: Higher Education
- The most significant high-impact transaction in the Higher Education sector — whether it’s a funding round, acquisition, merger, or partnership
- Best Education Deal: CTE/Workforce Development
- The most significant high-impact transaction in the CTE/Workforce Development sector — whether it’s a funding round, acquisition, merger, or partnership
Media and Podcasts
- Best Press Release or Press Announcement
- Press release or announcements launched on social of any type including financial deals, product announcements, new hires, wins, or other news about a company in education
- Best Product Launch: K-12
- Press release or announcements launched on social of any type including financial deals, product announcements, new hires, wins, or other news about a company in education
- Best Product Launch: Higher Education
- Launch campaign or collection of at least two assets (including social, digital or print) announcing a new or upgraded product in higher education
- Best Thought Leadership Piece
- Thought leadership in the form of opinion and other contributed content published in an outside publication (excluding owned properties)
- Note: the article does not need to be published in EdTech Chronicle to be honored.
- Thought leadership in the form of opinion and other contributed content published in an outside publication (excluding owned properties)
- Best Podcast Series: K-12
- Podcast series focusing on K–12 education
- Best Podcast Series: Higher Education
- Podcast series focusing on higher education
- Best Podcast Episode: K-12
- Individual episodes of a podcast (owned or earned) in K-12 education
- Best Podcast Episode: Higher Education
- Individual episodes of a podcast (owned or earned) in Higher Education
- Best Blog or Newsletter by an Individual in K-12 or Higher Education
- A blog or newsletter (using any medium or site including Substack, Medium, or owned properties) created and sustained by a single individual in the education sector
- Best Corporate Blog in Education
- A blog (using any medium or site including Substack, Medium, or owned properties) sustained by a company or other group in the education sector
- Best Education Book, ebook, Flipbook or Similar
- Long-form publication in the education space — whether print, digital, interactive, or multimedia
Leadership
- Best Founder for a Company Launched in 2025
- A founder who launched a new company or other venture in 2025
- Best Education/EdTech CEO (Corporate)
- Corporate CEO whose leadership drives innovation, growth, and impact in education or in the edtech industry
- Best C-Level Officer in Education/EdTech
- C-level executive (COO, CTO, CMO, CFO, CHRO and similar) whose leadership drives innovation, growth, and impact in the education or in the edtech industry
- Best Leader of an Academic Institution — *FREE Entry
- Leader at a college, or university whose vision, integrity, and impact inspires their community, led to innovation, or other forms of positive change
- Best Leader of a K-12 School/District — *FREE Entry
- A principal, superintendent, or head of school — whose vision, integrity, and impact inspires their community, leads to innovation, or other forms of positive change
- Education/EdTech Person of the Year
- A person that demonstrates a positive impact in education or in the edtech industry
- Education/EdTech Company of the Year
- A company that demonstrates a positive impact in education or in the edtech sector
- Best Education/EdTech Rising Star
- An emerging leader in the public or private sector and of any position including research, marketing, administration, sales, public relations, operations, or other roles whose work is driving innovation or makes a positive impact in education or in the edtech sector
- Best Education Service Firm, In-House Team, or Company (PR, Marketing, Research, and related)
- An organization or internal team that provides essential services to the education or edtech sector — including public relations, marketing, communications, research, strategy, or analytics
Marketing/Events
- Best Webinar or In-Person Panel
- Live or virtual event that brings together voices in education and/or the edtech industry
- Best Social Media Campaign by Education Company or Institution
- Social media campaign that engages, educates, or mobilizes audiences in education or the edtech industry
- Best Research, White Paper, or Supportive Material
- Any publication that explains or advances knowledge and innovation in education, either academic or corporate (including research papers, conference submissions, white papers, technical briefs, and similar)
- Best Advertisement/Direct Mail/Email and Other Marketing Collateral
- Marketing collateral of any form related to education including product collateral, enrollment marketing, and similar
- Best Campaign
- Full campaigns of at least three items related to education including campaigns to promote events, sell product, inform on a topic, increase enrollment, or similar
- Best Use of Graphic Design (print, digital, video)
- Design in print, digital, or multimedia as one element of a campaign or a stand-alone in education
Misc.
- Best Product or Service Supporting Academic Integrity
- A product, platform, or service that meaningfully advances academic honesty, ethical learning, and trust in education
There will also be an Editor’s Choice picked from all submissions. No additional entry or payment is necessary.
*FREE Entry — please reach out to admin@edtechchronicle.com to receive a code for the free category.
- Entry period is between December 2025 and the end of January 2026. Cost is $150 per entry.
- All entrants will be notified of entry status prior to winners announcement and winners will be announced in April 2026.
- Sample of the Entry Form is available here.
- All deals, partnerships, publications, and other activities must have occurred between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025.
- Editor’s Choice winners will be selected at the judge’s discretion and will recognize the best outcome, project, deal, execution, or person in 2025 (and may result in multiple winners).
- Deal can include financial transactions, partnerships or acquisitions.
- Service Firm includes PR, marketing, and similar services providing support to edtech companies and services.
- Product Launch is the launch activities, not the product itself.
- Education and EdTech are interchangeable and judges have wide latitude in this regard.
- Rising Stars are any individual group or organization showing an exceptional track record of success in 2024. This is not dependent on age or company maturity.
- One winner will be selected in each category. If necessary, judges will have the discretion to select more than one winner per category if scores are identical and no tie-breaker can be determined.
- Entries are judged on fit within the category, positive impact on the industry and education, leadership, ethics and integrity, and – where relevant in MarCom categories – creativity.
- Payment is made through Stripe. Payment is available in the last tab.
- You may edit your submission(s) after submitting right up to the close of the awards.
Email us at admin@edtechchronicle.com
$150 per entry