Based on their individual expertise, judges will recommend up to five finalists to be selected by ED from the pool of eligible entries. Once ED has selected a group of finalists based on the recommendations of the judges consistent with the selection criteria, the finalists will then refine their submissions during the Virtual Accelerator phase and present their submissions on Demonstration Day (“Demo Day”).

Entries will be scored by the judges based on the quality of each entry according to the criteria below. Each of the following five selection criteria may be assigned up to 20 points during the judging of open submissions in order to select finalists (for a total of up to 100 points):

• Actionable Outcomes. Demonstrates seamless career choice decision-making through the integration of (i) An interactive tool that assesses user skills and interests; (ii) Up-to-date occupational data; (iii) Educational options, including career and technical education (CTE) programs, technical skill credentials, and postsecondary certificate and degree programs; and (iv) Career-seeking skills, which may include resume writing skills, interviewing skills, etc.
• Target Audience. Provides support for educational and career path decision-making across a broad cross-section of students including students with disabilities, English Learners, and students in CTE programs. Provides support for a counselor and/or teacher interactions with students, or plans for accessible features that will provide this support as the app is further developed.
• Scalability. Offers viable plan for full development of features, including the integration of comprehensive employment data, effective communication for English Learners and individuals with disabilities, and virtual accessibility in a form that meets a government or industry-recognized standard for accessibility. Details how local data and application programming interfaces (APIs) will enable the prototype to be customized to offer local educational and employment information.
• Market Differentiation. Demonstrates clear differentiation from current market offerings.
• Team Commitment. Illustrates commitment and ability of submitting team to develop the prototype into a fully functional app.