Every year, we recognize outstanding school communicators across the country through the SchoolCEO Excellence in School Marketing Award. These communicators shape how families, staff and communities feel about their schools and while their work is absolutely essential, it’s sometimes taken for granted. We created this award to shine a spotlight on their amazing work. 

Nominations for the 2026 Excellence in School Marketing Award are now closed. We will announce our four finalists soon—stay tuned!

What do finalists receive?

Each of our four finalists will receive:

• A complimentary ticket to the 2026 SchoolCEO Conference (September 28-29 in Dallas, TX)

• Live recognition at the conference

• A profile in the Fall 2026 issue of SchoolCEO

How will nominees be judged?

We’d like to honor innovative, self-directed school communicators whose work is advancing the field of school marketing. Our ideal candidate:

• Has personally spearheaded at least one groundbreaking initiative that has made a measurable difference for their district.

• Is extremely knowledgeable about school branding and marketing, and can speak at length about how the field is changing.

• Contributes to the broader school comms community through state associations, mentorship or other avenues.

Who is eligible to be nominated?

Any school or district employee whose central focus is marketing and/or communications is eligible for this award. Nominees may live in either the U.S. or Canada. District superintendents or school principals are not eligible. Previous finalists or winners will not be considered.

What can nominees expect from the process?

• Once they’re nominated by a colleague, each nominee will receive a congratulations email with an attached questionnaire to complete.

• Based on these questionnaires, we will select semifinalists and interview them over Zoom.

• In July, we’ll announce our four finalists.

• The overall winner will be announced live at SchoolCEO Conference in September.

Do nominees have to be Apptegy clients?

They do not! While SchoolCEO is powered by Apptegy, our finalists (and winners!) have included clients and non-clients alike. We only aim to celebrate good people doing good work.

Have more questions? Reach out to editor@schoolceo.com.