CHICAGO, April 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Otus, the leading K-12 assessment, data, and insights solution, has been named the winner of a gold Stevie® Award in the AI Breakthrough of the Year category in The 24th Annual American Business Awards®.
In addition, President and Co-Founder Christopher Hull earned a bronze Stevie® Award in the AI Leader of the Year category, and Otus was named the winner of a bronze Stevie® Award in the Customer Service Department of the Year category for its real-time, human-centered support of educators, including during the 2025 launch of Otus AI.
“This recognition is meaningful because it reflects what matters most to us: improving student outcomes through responsible, educator-focused AI,” said Hull. “Otus AI works exclusively with district data in a secure environment, giving educators fast, reliable answers they can act on with confidence.”
Otus AI is the embedded assistant within the Otus platform, which empowers school leaders with instant answers to their most pressing questions about student performance. This innovation reimagines how administrators gather, interpret, and use data—delivering real-time summaries and on-demand visuals that make trends clear and help track program performance impact over time. In the 2025-26 school year, 54 school districts are utilizing Otus AI, empowering 1,384 administrators and 11,238 educators to maximize outcomes for over 130,000 students.
Stevie Awards judges praised Otus AI for combining rapid innovation with functional application. “This submission demonstrates a strong evolution from early machine learning foundations to a well-integrated AI solution delivering real value in K-12 education,” they wrote. “The scale of adoption and measurable time savings for educators highlight both practical impact and effective product-market fit.”
In describing the Customer Service Department of the Year award, judges wrote, “Otus has a coordinated client experience effort surrounding a major AI product launch, with significant focus on educator trust and enablement.”
The Stevie judges also lauded Hull’s strong and impactful leadership in advancing AI within K-12 education by translating clear vision into a well-executed product. “The development and rapid launch of Otus AI, along with its ability to deliver real-time, actionable data for educators, is particularly impressive and well aligned with real-world needs,” they wrote.
Hull credited the team at Otus for creating an environment where technology innovation thrives. “I am especially grateful to the school leaders and tech experts on our AI Advisory Board,” he added. “Their insights and guidance are essential for ensuring our work is grounded, ethical, and practical for everyday classrooms.”
The American Business Awards are the U.S.A.’s premier business awards program. All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small. More than 3,700 nominations from individuals and organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted this year for consideration in a wide range of categories, and more than 230 professionals worldwide participated in the judging process to select this year’s Stevie Award winners.
“Organizations across the United States continue to set a high standard for innovation and performance,” said Stevie Awards president Maggie Miller. “The breadth and quality of nominations submitted to The 2026 American Business Awards reflect a dynamic and competitive business environment, where organizations are finding new ways to drive growth, deliver value, and make an impact.”
The awards will be presented on June 9 at a ceremony in New York City. Details about The American Business Awards and the list of 2026 Stevie winners are available at https://ABA.StevieAwards.com.
About Otus
Otus, an award-winning edtech platform, empowers educators to maximize student performance with comprehensive solutions for K12 assessment, data, and insights. Committed to student achievement and educational equity, Otus combines student data with powerful tools that provide educators, administrators, and families with the insights they need to make a difference. Built by teachers for teachers, Otus creates efficiencies in data management, assessments, and progress monitoring to help educators focus on what matters most—student success. Today, Otus partners with school districts nationwide to create informed, data-driven learning environments. Learn more at Otus.com.
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Mike Peterson Otus 6513079251 mike.peterson@otus.com