By: Emily Balser, Integrated Marketing Specialist

March is such an exciting time in the school year. In many places in the United States, we’re starting to feel the beginning phases of spring push through winter’s cold grasp. Spring break is right around the corner, and excitement for warm weather sports, vacations, and school dances is starting to buzz around the hallways.

And, of course, March is the month when School Stars entries are due! Have you entered yet? If not, you still have a little bit of time left! Submissions are due by midnight on Friday, Mar. 28.  

Submission categories

If you’ve promoted Sora at all within your school to your students or your community we want to see (and reward!) your efforts. No submission is too big or too small. There are five categories up for submissions and each school may enter up to one unique submission per category.  

  • Best in Visual/Virtual Display or Bulletin Board – If you’ve ever promoted Sora on a bulletin board or on a digital screen, we want to see it!    
  • Best in Social Media – Does your school use social media? Share with us how you’ve used your platforms to promote Sora and engage your community.    
  • Best Community Engagement – Your school walls don’t have to be the stopping point for your Sora promotion. If you’ve engaged with your school community to encourage at-home reading, faculty engagement, worked with your public library, or more, this category is for you.    
  • Best use of Sora in the Classroom – Titles in Sora can be used for pleasure reading or for classroom curriculum use. This category is for you to show off how you’ve used Sora in your classes to support learning objectives, activities, assignments, and to foster your student’s learning.    
  • Best Student-Made Submission – Sora was made for students, and we’d love to see how yours are loving and using the platform. Show us how your students spread the word about your digital collection to their peers, parents, or school community.

Prizes

We mentioned rewarding your efforts. Each year, we offer prizes for our School Stars winners and this year we have a huge Grand Prize up for grabs. 

  • Grand Prize (Best overall, one winner): $3,000 USD in Sora content credit, plus one School Stars winner poster 
  • Best in Category (One winner per category, five total winners): $500 USD in Sora content credit, plus one School Stars winner poster 
  • Category Runner-Up (One runner-up per category, five total winners): $250 USD in Sora content credit, plus one School Stars winner poster 
  • Participation Winners (Five winners): Five winners from all total entries will be chosen at random to each win $100 USD in Sora content credit 

Submissions are due on Mar. 28. Best of luck to all our school partners as you snap, share, Sora!