Share your experience & enter for a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card!
Enter the Defined Difference Makers Competition! This competition celebrates educators who are transforming their classrooms through authentic, career-connected learning experiences using Defined's platforms. We want to recognize your creativity, dedication, and the meaningful impact you're making on student engagement and skill development. By sharing your implementation story, you'll inspire other educators while having the opportunity to win recognition and prizes.
Submission Requirements:
Your submission should highlight how you've utilized Defined tasks any time throughout the 25/26 school year to create powerful learning experiences that develop students' future-ready skills.
SUBMISSION CATEGORIES:
Submissions will fall within one of the following categories:
- Elementary School (K-2)
- Elementary School (3-5)
- Middle School (6-8)
- High School (9-12)
VIDEO SUBMISSION:
We are asking you to create a 2-4 minute video submission regarding the implementation of your task. Consider addressing some of these questions in your video:
- Who are you? Where and what grade/subject do you teach?
- Which Defined task did you implement?
- How did you make the task your own?
- What impact did you see on student engagement?
- How did students develop future-ready skills (critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration etc.) through this experience?
- What was a memorable moment from the implementation?
Create and provide the share link for the task you implemented. Please ensure that the task is published and not in draft mode!
WRITTEN REFLECTION:
In under 300 words, share how your Defined experience connected classroom learning to careers! Consider answering some of the following questions in your response:
- How did this task help students explore real-world career possibilities?
- What "aha moments" did you witness as students connected academics to future careers?
- How did career-connected learning affect student engagement and motivation?
- What surprised you about students' responses to career exploration?
OPTIONAL STUDENT FEEDBACK/TESTIMONIALS/SAMPLE WORK:
Acceptable optional submissions include:- Work samples with names and identifying details redacted
- Project photos that do not show students' faces
- Descriptions of student reactions or quotes without attributing them to specific students
- Classroom images showing student work where no individuals can be identified
Disclaimer: To protect student privacy and comply with educational privacy regulations, please adhere to the following guidelines when submitting student work samples:
- DO NOT include any student names, faces, or personally identifiable information in any submissions (including videos, photos, written work, or testimonials).
- All student work must be completely anonymous with all identifying information removed.
- By submitting student work samples, you confirm that:
- You have complied with all school/district policies regarding sharing of student work
- The materials contain no personally identifiable student information
- You understand that Defined may use these anonymous materials for promotional, educational, and marketing purposes
Defined is committed to protecting student privacy while celebrating classroom success stories. Thank you for your attention to these important privacy considerations.
Competition Structure:
PRIZES:
One winner and two runner-ups for each submission category will be selected. Winners will receive:
- Category Winners: $100 Amazon gift card (4 total)
- Runners-up: $50 Amazon gift card (8 total)
- Public recognition as a Defined Difference Maker
JUDGING CRITERIA:
The judging criteria is as follows:
- Task implementation creativity/effectiveness
- Student engagement/skill development evidence
- Career-connected learning integration
- Submission quality/professionalism
DEADLINES:
- Submission Deadline: 5:00 PM ET on June 30th, 2026
- Winners Announced: August 2026
Questions?
If you have any questions, please contact Molly Ligon, Defined's Digital Marketing Manager, at molly_ligon@definedlearning.com.
**Submitting grants Defined permission to use submitted materials for marketing and promotional purposes across all channels. By submitting an entry to the Defined Difference Makers Competition, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these terms and conditions.