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2026 Career Ready PA Mega Challenge Application

Due January 23, 2026
This form will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. Forms must be completed in one sitting.
Each year, the Remake Learning Days festival celebrates learning across PA with a hands-on, community and family-focused festival. PDE's Career Ready PA is excited to uplift Remake Learning Days events and provide a seamless opportunity for students to obtain artifacts for their career portfolio by participating in festival events. Your willingness to support learners across Pennsylvania in Remake Learning Days is valued and appreciated! The mega events increase the opportunity for schools to attend and earn artifacts, increasing the number of digital artifacts submitted for the Career Ready PA Backpack Challenge.

Career Ready PA will award ten (10) $1000 awards to school/s who host a festival event (one in each region). Host participants will be required to complete a participation plan, ensuring the event reaches its goal of addressing the current and newly revised Career Education and Work standards by providing a hands-on learning event during the Remake Learning Days festival between May 1-23, 2026. The host/s should partner with the Career Ready PA liaison and one or more community organization/s (e.g., a business, a state agency, a community non-profit, museum, library).

Career Ready PA Mega Challenge Goals:
  1. Increase school participation in the Career Ready PA Backpack Challenge
  2. Encourage students to submit digital artifacts for their career portfolio, as required by the Future Ready PA Index
  3. Provide an opportunity to earn an artifact aligned both to the current and newly revised Career Education and Work standards
  4. Earn a banner! Mega hosts will plan for students to earn at least 100 artifacts! Schools earning more than 100 artifacts will earn a banner.
  5. Foster partnerships with the community to promote career readiness opportunities
Which entities are eligible for a Mega Challenge award?
  1. Only schools will be considered for the award.
  2. Applicants/awardees may partner with another school or district or a community partner (note: please submit only one contact per event).
  3. Previous awardees may still apply.
How does a school qualify for the Mega Challenge award?

  1. School team host (administrator/s, counselor/s, teacher/s) must attend the PDE statewide webinar, "Skills That Matter: Employability and the New CEW Standards," held on February 5, 2026 OR February 6, 2026. This session is eligible for Act 48 credit. [Click on either date to register for your selected session with paTTAN].
  2. School event host/s must also register on the Remake Learning Days website as a Career Ready PA Backpack Challenge event by February 13, 2026. Selected Mega hosts will complete the event registration with their Career Ready PA liaison.
  3. Single school point of contact must register for the Career Ready PA Backpack Challenge by March 1, 2026.
  4. Selected Mega Event School Awardees must complete the Participation Plan (to be shared at the training) by March 25, 2026.
Resources:

State Agency Education Program Partner Links (Consider reaching out to a state agency partner for your event). State agency partners have existing statewide education programs and teams that will support a hands-on learning event:
  1. Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and DCNR Event Calendar
  2. Department of Agriculture Programs:
  3. PA Council of the Arts
1.School Applicant Contact Information. Enter only one contact person per application.(Required.)
2.Based on the map above, what is your Career Ready PA Region?(Required.)
3.Based on the following list and map above, what is your Remake Learning Days Festival region? (Your region's Remake Learning Days lead can help you secure an event!)(Required.)