AiC Educator Award Publicity Toolkit for Schools

Congratulations! Your educator won the NCWIT Aspirations in Computing (AiC) Educator Award. This is a significant recognition, and we want to help you spread the word. Please use the following prompts and sample messaging when communicating information about the NCWIT AiC Educator Award with your community and the media. We hope you will use this publicity kit to broaden the impact of the NCWIT AiC Educator Award.

Please contact us at [email protected] with any questions, and let us know how you have used this Toolkit. We look forward to hearing about how you shared the good news!

About NCWIT and the Aspirations in Computing Educator Award

NCWIT (pronounced N, C, wit) is a nationwide, non-profit community that widens participation in the technology ecosystem through innovative programs and research. Learn more online at ncwit.org. 

The NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Educator Award identifies exemplary formal and informal educators who play a pivotal role in encouraging 9^th-12^th grade students with obstacles to participation in technology to explore their interests in computing. The award recognizes these educators for their efforts to increase participation in computing. Since 2011, more than 500 educators have been recognized and have received more than $225,000 in professional development funding to improve their computing education skills.

Find details about prizes, eligibilities, application details, and how the award is structured at www.aspirations.org/AiCEduAward. 

Publicity

To share the good news about your award recipient, we recommend taking advantage of free, easy, and local promotional outlets, and creating a press package to share with news outlets.

• Newsletters, Websites, and Blogs: Does your school, district, or community host a website, distribute a publication, or maintain an email list or discussion board for highlighting school news and achievements? Use these channels to share a notice featuring the award recipient's story, including the impact this recognition has had on your awardee and the influence your awardee has among students and fellow teachers. Find sample text below to get started.

• Social Media: Give educators and their networks the opportunity to celebrate by sharing a post on social media, which is a powerful tool for raising awareness. Use platforms like Bluesky, LinkedIn, or Instagram to spotlight your award recipient, and tag #NCWITAiC. If you have photos from an award ceremony, share those too! Find sample text below.

• School Assemblies, Ceremonies, and Announcements: Set aside a moment to recognize your award recipient during daily school routines or periodic events. For example, you could briefly mention the award recipient’s accomplishment during morning or afternoon announcements over the intercom, call a special assembly to present the educator’s personalized award, or recognize your awardee with other outstanding winners at the end of the year.

• Reach out to local media: Check to see if the newspaper, radio, or television stations serving your community have a tip line where you can send information about your award recipient. Many media outlets list this information on their contact page, or have a form that can be used to get in touch. If you have photos or time-sensitive information about an upcoming award event to share, send all files as one .zip attachment. 
  

Sample text​

For newsletters, websites, and blogs, copy and paste the text below and then add in specific details about your award recipient(s):

Congrats, [NAME]: [YEAR] NCWITAiC Educator Award Winner! We are proud to announce that [FULL NAME], a [GRADE LEVEL - or - SUBJECT] teacher at [SCHOOL NAME], won a prestigious NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Educator Award! [Use this area to share details about your awardee's outstanding efforts and leadership, in the classroom and in extracurricular clubs, code camps, and hackathons to showcase why they were selected for recognition.] Join us in celebrating this accomplishment at [AWARD EVENT LOCATION] on [DATE] at [TIME]!

For social media, modify the samples below to create engaging posts celebrating your awardee(s)!

On Bluesky:

🏆 Congrats to [NAME] for winning a [YEAR] #NCWITAiC Educator Award! Thank you for all the ways you support and encourage the computing aspirations of the students who are the future of tech. We look forward to more celebrations and recognitions with @aspirations.org!

On Instagram:

🏆 Congrats to [NAME] for winning a [YEAR] #NCWITAiC Educator Award! Thank you for all the ways you support and encourage the computing aspirations of the students who are the future of tech. We look forward to more celebrations and recognitions with @ncwitaic!

On Linkedin:

🏆 Congrats to [NAME] for winning a [YEAR] #NCWITAiC Educator Award! Thank you for all the ways you support and encourage the computing aspirations of the students who are the future of tech. We look forward to more celebrations and recognitions with @NCWIT Aspirations in Computing!

On Facebook:

🏆 Congrats to [NAME] for winning a [YEAR] #NCWITAiC Educator Award! Thank you for all the ways you support and encourage the computing aspirations of the students who are the future of tech. We look forward to more celebrations and recognitions with @aspirationsaward!

For announcements, adapt the text below and add in unique details about your award recipient(s):

Today, we are proud to celebrate [NAME] for winning a [YEAR] NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Educator Award! [NAME] won this prestigious recognition for [use this area to share details about your awardee's influence in the classroom and beyond, such as leading coding clubs and hackathons, to showcase why they were selected.] Congrats, [NAME]!

For contacting local media, assemble information about your award recipient into a folder that you can send as a .zip file. We recommend including:

• A document with a bio about your award recipient, and information about any coding clubs or extracurricular activities your awardee leads.
• A quote from your award winner about what winning means to them, and/or a quote from students about how your awardee supports their interest and aptitude for technology.
• Photos of your award recipient participating in computing-related events or activities with students, and/or receiving and displaying their award.
• Contact information where a member of the press can reach out to get in touch.

The sample text on this page is available to use as a guideline and adapt as needed to celebrate your award recipients. We invite you to send links to posts and media coverage about your award recipients to [email protected] so we can celebrate with you!