SMASH Named Winner of the 2020 .ORG Impact Awards in the Promoting Education Category

Reston, VA — Public Interest Registry (PIR), the People behind .ORG, today named SMASH as one of the 10 winners of the 2^nd annual .ORG Impact Awards. 

The mission-driven organization based in Oakland, Calif. was honored in the promoting education category for its work to build and support a diverse and socially conscious tech workforce. SMASH levels the playing field through academic learning and experiential engagement for high school and college students. For more information, please visit smash.org.

SMASH empowers dedicated students of color with an intensive science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, culturally-relevant coursework and access to resources and social capital to allow them to be successful in college and in their careers. 

SMASH will receive a $5,000 USD donation to the charity of their choice and will be honored today as part of the “10 Days of .ORG” online experience that celebrates the range of achievements that have healed, inspired, transformed and connected communities over the past year. 

Each day of the 10-day celebration places a spotlight on award-winning organizations and individuals making our communities a better place.

“STEM education is imperative to empowering the next generation of young people to explore careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math,” said Eli Kennedy, Chief Executive Officer of SMASH. “SMASH is dedicated to ensuring that all students are given the opportunity to find their passion within the STEM field—regardless of the circumstances they were born into. We are honored to win a .ORG Impact Award and hope to become a part of the larger revolution that creates a stronger tech workforce grounded in diversity of all kinds.”

“Congratulations to SMASH for being named the 2020 .ORG Impact Award winner in the Promoting Education category,” said Jon Nevett, President and CEO of Public Interest Registry. “Their efforts are instrumental in building a diverse and equitable STEM workforce and we celebrate their hard work in enabling young people to achieve their dreams.” 

This year, PIR saw an extremely impressive group of submissions showcasing the diverse and inspiring work taking place in the .ORG Community. Thank you to everyone who participated in the .ORG Impact Awards.

More than 500 organizations and individuals submitted entries this year. Submissions were reviewed and scored by a panel of judges who are leaders in the Internet, non-profit and marketing sectors. All nominations must be tied to an active website with a .ORG domain.

Award winners will receive a donation of up to $30,000 USD to an eligible charitable entity of their choice. Please visit www.orgimpactawards.org for complete rules and information.

10 Days of .ORG Schedule

About SMASH

SMASH was one of the earliest STEM education programs created in the United States as a way to prepare students of color for STEM college studies. The very first SMASH site program launched on the University of California, Berkeley campus in 2004, but it follows a decades long legacy of diversity and inclusion advocacy by our founder, Dr. Freada Kapor Klein. Their vision is a STEM ecosystem where every student, regardless of the zip code they grew up in, has the opportunity to participate in and thrive in the global economy. As a result, our communities and workplaces would benefit from well-prepared, competitive leaders representing broad perspectives and sectors of society.

About .ORG

.ORG is the original purpose-driven “generic” top-level domain (gTLD) with more than 10 million domain names registered worldwide. .ORG is open to everyone, providing a global platform for organizations, associations, clubs, businesses and individuals to bring their ideas to life. For more than 30 years, .ORG has built an enduring legacy of trust, preserving an open and secure Internet where diverse communities can establish a trusted online identity and freely share ideas. .ORG is powered by the non-profit Public Interest Registry (PIR). PIR has been a champion for a free and open Internet for more than 15 years with a clear mission to be an exemplary domain name registry, provide a trusted digital identity and help educate those who dedicate themselves to improving our world. PIR was founded by the Internet Society (internetsociety.org) in 2002 and is based in Reston, Virginia, USA. Visit www.TheNew.org for more information.

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Media contact:  Scott Gerber, scott@vrge.us, 408-202-4255