The 2025-2026 Northern Ireland Schools ICT Excellence Awards

Theme: the Awards are open to entries from schools/centres which can demonstrate how digital technology has been effectively integrated into an aspect or aspects of teaching and learning to make a difference in outcomes for learners.

Scheme Awards: the judges will seek to identify winning, highly commended and finalist schools in each phase/service (nursery, primary, special, post-primary and EOTAS centres).

Special Awards in Digital Creativity: judges will also be looking for evidence of outstanding digital creativity by teachers and by learners in the use of digital/screen technologies.

Digital Creativity may refer to:

1. a teacher (or teachers) who design teaching and learning (using digital screen technologies) creatively to, in turn, cultivate creativity in children and young people;
2. a learner (or learners) – individually or collectively – who display curiosity, exploration, experimentation and/or invention and make an outstanding creative impact with their application of digital screen technologies in their learning.

Digital technology may include apps and/or software on personal devices, online environments/workspaces, and/or robotic devices, and/or the use of Generative AI (GenAI), and/or the use of augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR).   Where entries include GenAI the judges will look for constructive and creative rather than derivative uses of GenAI.

Digital screen technologies may include the creative use of digital screen-based film, animation, art, drawing, music, games, storytelling, digital skills, GenAI, imaginative play.  Screen technologies may include connection to physical and/or robotic devices.

The focus of the entry may be across the whole curriculum, or it may be a specific aspect of the curriculum.  It may be relevant for all learners in the school or for a specific group.

Judging of the entries will focus heavily on the entry needing to show convincing assessment and/or evaluative evidence of how the integration of digital technologies is making a difference in outcomes for the learners.  Refer to the criteria and mark scheme for details.

Evaluative evidence may be qualitative, or quantitative, or both, and may include the use of the NAACE Edtech Review Framework.  The evidence should demonstrate clearly how the successful integration of digital technologies is improving learning outcomes.

Judging process: following a shortlisting process, based on scoring of the submitted 2,000 word applications against the stated criteria and mark scheme, the judges will arrange a visit during April 2026 to a number of shortlisted schools/centres to explore the context and the evidence supporting the application to select finalists for the Awards.

Dates: applications will be open online from 6th January 2026 until 17.00 hrs on Friday 27th February 2026.

Entries: a written application, limited to one from any school/centre, should be submitted on the online form provided, to a maximum of 2,000 words.   The online entry form will neither record nor provide the judges with, any text submitted which is over 2,000 words.  Entries in other formats, including videos, will not be accepted.

Refer to the criteria and mark scheme for details.

NOTE:

Information/data collected from written applications and from onsite interviews based on the shortlisted entries will be deemed to be available for subsequent evaluation/research through the Innovation Forum, provided that identities of institutions and staff remain confidential to the data owner and, in any publication, are anonymised with the agreement of the data owner.

CRITERIA AND ENTRY FORM for ALL ENTRIES

Written entries of no more than 2,000 words should show clear evidence which may be quantitative as well as qualitative, as appropriate, to address the criteria. In preparing the written entry, close attention should be given to the specific scoring values assigned to each criterion and especially to the need for evaluative/assessment evidence relevant to the theme selected.

Writing frame and scoring for a 2,000-word written entry.

The selected focus of the entry: 
A total of 20 marks (suggested no more than 400 words)

Show clear evidence of your reason(s) for identifying: 

5 marks - the focus, within the educational vision/mission of the school/centre
5 marks - the teaching objective(s) to be optimised by applying digital technology
5 marks - the intended learning benefit for a specific group, or groups, of children/young people
5 marks - the success measure(s) identified from the outset

The selection and planning for the use of digital technology (technologies):  
A total of 20 marks (suggested no more than 400 words)

Show clear evidence of:
10 marks - how the relevant digital/screen technology (technologies) was/were selected to be implemented 
10 marks - with a view to making a difference for the learners

How the application of the technology was used/is being used to make a difference for the learners concerned:  
A total of 20 marks (suggested no more than 400 words)

Show clear evidence of:
10 marks - how the intended use of digital/screen technology (technologies) was/is being applied to meet the objectives identified
10 marks - including any steps which may have been required to support participants/users and may have been needed to overcome any challenges

Your evidence, quantitative and/or qualitative, of the successful achievement of the objectives(s):  
A total of 40 marks (suggested no more than 800 words)

30 marks - show clear evaluative/assessment evidence of the extent to which the initial assessment of need, the educational and technological planning and the implementation made a difference and is leading to/has led to improved outcomes for the targeted group or groups of children/young people

10 marks - show what lessons have been learnt (from what went well and what may not have gone as well as intended) and show how the learning will be built upon/developed further and/or shared more widely.