The EdTech Awards is a annual industry award recognizing excellence in Education. Organized by EdTech Digest, it covers the North America region. Established in 2011.
The EdTech Awards, established in 2011 and run by the US trade publication EdTech Digest, are billed by the organizers as the world's largest and most competitive recognition program dedicated to education technology. The program spans three sectors — K-12, higher education, and skills and workforce — and three award strands: the Cool Tool Awards (50+ categories for products and services), the Leadership Awards (10 categories for individuals), and the Trendsetter Awards (6 categories for trend-setting products, companies and people). Judging runs November through February each cycle, with finalists and winners announced together in the spring.
Recognition comes as finalist or winner status within each category, published in EdTech Digest's annual honoree lists each March/April; there is no cash prize. Because the edtech market is crowded and procurement-driven, the finalist and winner badges function as a widely used credibility signal for startups pitching districts, universities and investors, and the Leadership categories give edtech executives, school and university technology leaders a CV-grade individual honor. Honorees range from early-stage startups to the sector's biggest companies, which keeps the winner lists visible across the industry.
Practically: the entry window opens each summer and closes in the autumn (the 2026 program is closed; the 2027 entry window opens in summer 2026, and you can email edtechdigest@gmail.com with subject 'REMINDER 2027' for an alert). Entry fees are not published on the public site — they are detailed in the annual entry guide released when the window opens. Strong entries pick the tightest-fitting Cool Tool subcategory rather than the broadest one, and Leadership nominations should evidence influence on the field beyond the nominee's own organization.