Please read the information below. The deadline to submit a nomination is October 31.

Eligibility

Eligible student nominees* must be enrolled at a League for Innovation Board or Alliance member institution** at the time of nomination and demonstrate:

1. Special talent in technology,
2. Passion about moving toward a career in technology,
3. Academic excellence, and
4. Strong financial need.

The Student Developer Champion award is presented to a student with a career focus specifically in software development (e.g., programming, web development, SQL administration).

*Dual enrollment high school and early college students are not eligible.
**Colleges must have current institutional memberships to participate.

Nominations

Community college faculty and staff members are invited to nominate a Student Developer Champion candidate by completing the nomination process as described below. Each current League member institution may submit one nomination for Student Developer Champion. Please communicate with your colleagues to avoid more than one submission.

Step-by-Step Nomination Instructions

[Click here to download a print-friendly version of these instructions.]

1. Log in to your League account.

• If you have an account, but do not remember your username and/or password, click on “Forgot Password?” and enter the email address used to create the account. You will receive an email with a link to reset your password. DO NOT create another account.
• If you do not yet have an account, create one at www.league.org/user/login?destination=home.

2. Once you are logged in, hover over “My Account” at the top, right of the page and select “Student Developer Champion Nomination.”

3. Click on “Create New Nomination.”

4. After carefully reading the information on the Instructions page, hit “Next.”

5. Enter the information for your college’s chosen nominee on the Student Nominee Information page, then hit “Next.”

6. Respond to the following questions/statements on the Nominations Questions page, then hit “Next.”

• What technology career path is this student planning to pursue? 
• Provide the name(s) and enrollment date(s) of the technology-related course(s) this student has taken/is taking. 
• In what programming languages and/or software development and programming tools is this student proficient? 
• List up to five software development and/or computer programming certificates this student has earned.
• Describe this student’s aptitude for analyzing problems and creating effective solutions using programming languages. 
• Provide examples of how this student demonstrates his/her/their passion for and determination to pursue a career in technology. 
• What technological skills does this student possess that make him/her/them a candidate for a Student Developer Champion award? 
• How does this student demonstrate the qualities of a Student Developer Champion (e.g., critical thinking, creativity, curiosity, dedication, leadership, ability to overcome adversity)? 
• Provide examples of this student’s sense of collegiality/teamwork (e.g., works well with, cooperates, supports others).
• From a financial standpoint, what impact would this award have on this student’s education? 
• What other challenges has this student faced that have affected his/her/their academic goals? 
• List this student’s academic distinctions (e.g., dean’s list, president’s list, academic scholarships, PTK).

7. Read the disclaimers and sign and date the Agreement Form, then hit “Next.”

8. Make sure each status is checked on the Status/Review page. If not, navigate to the appropriate page(s) using the tabs on the left and add required information.

9. Once all statuses on the Status/Review page are checked, hit “Submit” to send your nomination to the League.

10. Upon submission, a confirmation email will be sent to you. If you do not receive notification from the League, please follow up with Kelly Dooling to ensure that the submission was successful.

Selection

A winner will be determined via review of eligible nominations by a selection committee. Identifying information (e.g., student name, college name, links to student projects) will be redacted for review/selection purposes. An award notification email will be sent to the faculty or staff member who nominated the selected Student Developer Champion.

Distribution

The winning Student Developer Champion will receive a plaque and a check for $1,000 to be used toward their educational expenses (e.g., tuition, fees). Award materials will be mailed to nominating faculty/staff for distribution. The winner will be announced at the 2026 Innovations Conference.