CALL FOR PROPOSALS INFORMATION

Call for Proposals Criteria and Information

PLEASE READ ALL OF THE CALL FOR PROPOSALS INFORMATION AND FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS CAREFULLY BEFORE SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL

The Call for Proposal submissions opens on Monday, April 20th, 2026, and closes on Friday,  June 5th, 2026,  at 11:59 pm PST. All submissions will receive an acceptance* or decline email between July 7 and July 9, 2026.

Download a PDF version of these instructions and FAQ:

PLEASE NOTE:

• All accepted presenters are required to register for the conference at the discounted fee of $375 plus travel, hotel, and ground transportation. (Except pre-recorded, on-demand session presenters who will not be attending)

• Zoom/remote presenters are not permitted at in-person sessions.

• Submit a proposal for an in-person session ONLY if you have the approval to attend the conference in person.

The NICE K12 Cybersecurity Education Conference program committee is seeking timely, topical, and thought-provoking presentations. Proposals should support and incorporate the overarching presentation theme, “Jazzing Up Cybersecurity Education: Amplifying Pathways, Building the Workforce.”

To complete the proposal, you will need:

• Full name, email address, job title, affiliation, city, state, and country of each presenter to be submitted

• A headshot photo file of each presenter is to be submitted

• A biography of 150 words or fewer for each presenter is to be submitted

• Title of 100 characters or less for proposed session

• Description of 300 words or fewer for proposed session

We seek content that:

• Supports one or more of the National K12 Cybersecurity Education Roadmap components.

• Supports the NICE Strategic Plan Goals, “Promote the Discovery of Cybersecurity Careers and Multiple Pathways” and “Transform Learning to Build and Sustain a Skilled Workforce,”  and emphasizes K12 educators’ vital role in advancing digital literacy, computational literacy, and digital resilience.

• Increases technical knowledge and skills needed to prepare K12 students for future careers in the cybersecurity workforce and other STEM-related areas, emphasizing hands-on activities.

• Explores proven learning systems, models, practices, and strategies in formal and informal learning environments, both virtual and face-to-face.

• Encourages audience participation and engagement to add to the conversation around providing solutions to help increase workforce readiness.

We encourage proposals from various organizations and individuals with different perspectives, including K12 educators, students, school counselors, higher education faculty, employers, practitioners, non-profits, curriculum providers, research centers, and training and certification providers.

Proposals should align with one of the four conference tracks. Selection will prioritize proposals that align with career awareness, discovery, and exploration of the NICE Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity  (NICE Framework).

CONFERENCE TRACKS

1.   Increasing Cybersecurity Career Awareness - This track will focus on growing and sustaining youth and public engagement in promoting cybersecurity career awareness and exploration strategies. Proposals that emphasize activities to include the National Cybersecurity Career Week campaign targeting educators, students, parents, administrators, and counselors are particularly encouraged. Proposals that describe the impact of co-curricular experiences (e.g., competitions, camps, clubs, boy/girl scouts, cybersecurity clinics, etc.) for youth that excite them about careers in cybersecurity and introduce them to the corresponding career pathways will be given priority. Proposals showing promising practices to increase the appeal of the cybersecurity profession are highly encouraged. Selection will prioritize proposals that align with career awareness, discovery, and exploration of the  NICE Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity (NICE Framework).  

2.   Promoting Multidisciplinary & Innovative Approaches to Cybersecurity Education - This track will include presentations and sessions that describe stellar cybersecurity education resources that support youth in obtaining cybersecurity credentials using evidence-based practices and assessments that other stakeholders can emulate.  Proposals helping to build computational literacy and sharing ways to engage students where disciplines converge, using cybersecurity as an interwoven and complex pursuit that blends disciplines and industry sectors, and makes STEM and cybersecurity learning meaningful and inspiring, are highly encouraged. We also support proposals that explore proven pedagogical practices and innovative and evidence-based instructional strategies to accelerate learning and skills development. Successful strategies that increase teacher preparation, professional development, support, and recognition efforts within existing and proposed cybersecurity educator programs or other mechanisms are also encouraged. Selection will prioritize proposals that align with career awareness, discovery, and exploration of the NICE Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity (NICE Framework).  

3.   Designing Cybersecurity Career Pathways - This track will include presentations and sessions that describe successful models to increase the number of youth pursuing a cybersecurity or cybersecurity-related degree, certificate, or career. Examples of state or locally recognized cybersecurity career pathways for high school students that improve upon state Career Technical Education (CTE) and Programs of Study (POS) are highly encouraged. Special emphasis is placed on initiatives that are readily transferable and easily adaptable, supporting a nationally recognized cybersecurity academic pathway for elementary, middle, and secondary school students. Program proposals that show how to increase the number of schools that are providing dual enrollment, early college programs, and other creative alternative efforts that challenge students academically and provide opportunities to reduce the time and cost of obtaining a college degree will be given priority. Selection will prioritize proposals that align with career awareness, discovery, and exploration of the NICE Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity (NICE Framework).

4.    Promoting Cyber Awareness - This track will focus on the knowledge, skills, and behaviors needed to understand, use, and safely interact with technology, media, and digital resources. Proposals that highlight effective resources, practices, and achievements of programs to help both educators and students be responsible, ethical, and resilient digital citizens will be given priority. This track will explore proven pedagogical practices and innovative and evidence-based instructional strategies to accelerate learning and skills development. Successful strategies that increase teacher preparation, professional development, support, and recognition efforts within existing and proposed cybersecurity educator programs or other mechanisms are encouraged.

Session Formats

In-Person Session Options:

Presenters of In-Person Sessions are required to attend and participate in the Conference in-person in New Orleans, Louisiana. The option to present to the live audience from a remote location is NOT available. If you want to submit a virtual presentation, please see the “Virtual Pre-recorded Options” section below.

• Concurrent Breakout Session - 45 minutes (35 minutes lecture + 10 minutes audience Q&A). Interactive lecture-style format. Two presenters maximum

• Concurrent Breakout Panel Session - 45 minutes (35 minutes lecture + 10 minutes audience Q&A,) Moderator and 2-4 panelists

• Pre-Conference Workshop Session (90 minutes) - Interactive session focused on learning, collaboration, demos, etc. It can have multiple presenters. (NOTE: All presenters must register, attend, and participate in the full Conference.) 

PLEASE NOTE: There will be no recordings of live breakout sessions, panels, or pre-conference workshops. Recordings of more than 60 seconds of live sessions by presenters, audience members, or other parties are not permitted.

Virtual Pre-Recorded Option: 

Presenters of pre-recorded sessions are not required to attend the live event.

• Pre-Recorded, On-Demand Lecture Session - 45-minute lecture-style session recorded using the presenter’s video software, submitted two weeks before the event, and made available to attendees for three months after the event via the conference online platform, Whova.

PLEASE NOTE: Pre-recorded, on-demand videos must be created exclusively for the NICE K12 Conference using the official NICE K12 Zoom background or with an official NICE K12 logo displayed on the screen of the recording. 

Proposal review criteria:

NICE strives to offer a balanced, informative, and thought-provoking conference that best fits within the National K12 Cybersecurity Education Implementation Plan. The conference proposal selection committee includes experienced, academic STEM and cybersecurity educators/professionals.  In evaluating conference proposals, reviewers will be asked to consider both the technical aspects of the proposal and how the presentation/session will contribute to transforming K12 cybersecurity education.  

The following elements will be considered in the review of conference proposals:

• The proposed session/presentation has the potential to contribute to and advance the knowledge base and understanding of K12 cybersecurity education reform.

• The extent to which the session/presentation offers creative, novel, and transformative mechanisms for enhancing K12 cybersecurity learning.

• The potential for high impact and ease of adaptability among communities of practice.

• The extent to which the proposal encourages audience participation and engagement to add to the conversation around providing solutions to help increase workforce readiness.

• The proposal addresses components of the NICE Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity (NICE Framework).

• The proposal addresses the NICE Strategic Plan Goals, “Promote the Discovery of Cybersecurity Careers and Multiple Pathways” and “Transform Learning to Build and Sustain a Skilled Workforce,”  or emphasizes K12 educators’ vital role in advancing digital literacy, computational literacy, and digital resilience.

• The extent to which the proposal aligns with the NICE Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity (NICE Framework).

• The extent to which the proposal incorporates the overarching presentation theme,  “Jazzing Up Cybersecurity Education: Amplifying Pathways, Building the Workforce.” 

• Well-thought-out, complete, and unique submissions with clear and specific details will improve your chances of being selected. 

Key Presentation outcomes:

• Enhance educators’ knowledge. Our goal is to increase both the technical and pedagogical knowledge of K12 educators as they support students preparing for the STEM and cybersecurity workforce.

• Help develop workforce readiness skills. Explore ways to encourage and empower educators and students to increase STEM and cybersecurity workforce readiness.

• Advance digital age learning. Delve into systems, models, practices, and strategies for creating meaningful digital-age learning experiences, both virtual and face-to-face.

• Address the NICE Strategic Plan Goals, the National K12 Cybersecurity Education Roadmap, the NICE Framework, and the conference theme. Proposals support all four of these components.

• Incorporate technical content. Our conference covers technical content appropriate for all levels of expertise, from elementary, middle, and high school levels, from beginner to advanced.

• Encourage audience participation. Think beyond the lecture and devise new ways to engage your audience. Our session formats include interactive concurrent sessions, workshops, panels, poster presentations, and more.

• Inspire integrative cross-disciplinary STEM approaches. Describe innovative approaches for enhancing interdisciplinary STEM learning in encouraging students to pursue cybersecurity careers.

Call for Proposals -  Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)