Judging & Volunteering

Educators Rising National Conference
Judging & Volunteer Opportunities

EdRising Event
Competitor and Judges

VolunteersOther Volunteering Opportunities

There are a number of additional opportunities for helping to mentor and inspire our students at the national conference. These include acting as backup judges, on-site runners, and assisting at our registration desk. If you’re interested in assisting our staff with these roles, get in touch at volunteer@pdkintl.org. We’d love to have you!

Call for National Competition Judges

Don’t miss an opportunity to connect, inspire, and shape the next generation of great educators. Educators Rising is seeking education and business professionals as well as college students taking education courses to serve as judges for national competitions at the 2026 Educators Rising National Conference in Portland, OR. 

What are Educators Rising competitions? 

Educators Rising national competitions are performance-based events in which young, aspiring educators demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and leadership in teaching. With a blend of individual and team events, competitions are authentic and engaging opportunities for rising educators to stretch their creativity, commitment, and professionalism.  

Where will judging take place?

This year’s national conference takes place on June 20-23, 2026, and training will be provided. If you are selected to be a judge, you will be required to take part in virtual training before the event as well as in-person training at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, OR from 9 am to 11 am on June 20. Professional Development Contact Hours will be available for training sessions and onsite judging.

We will schedule virtual training in late April which will be recorded if you are unable to attend on the actual day. All competitions have a pre-scoring component which will be scored before the event (on your own from mid-May to early-June). All competitions will also have live presentations onsite during the event.

Apply Now to Become a Judge