TechForce Foundation announced that nominations for the 5th annual Techs Rock Awards will open on Monday, May 15, 2023 and be accepted through May 26, 2023 at TechForce.org/TechsRock.
TechForce created these prestigious awards to honor professional technicians who are full of passion and grit, exhibit true excellence in their work and inspire the next generation of techs.
More than $18,500 in prizes will be awarded. Each of the five category winners, as selected by a panel of industry celebrity judges, will receive prizes valued at over $1,900, including gift cards, tools, merchandise and more from TechForce partners Advance Auto Parts; AutoZone; Cengage Learning; CRC Industries; Ford Motor Company; Nissan; Snap-on Industrial; and WD-40.
One grand prize winner, chosen by popular vote, will also receive an all-expenses-paid trip to STX 2024 in Nashville, Tenn., valued at $3,000, courtesy of Advance Auto Parts, and additional prizes valued at $6,000 from AutoZone; CRC Industries; Ford Motor Company; Nissan; Snap-on Industrial; and WD-40.
Technicians will be considered for one of five categories, including Pay it Forward, Rookie of the Year, Die Hard Tech, Outstanding Mentor and Barrier Buster. A panel of industry celebrity judges will select one winner from each of the five categories. The grand prize winner will be selected from the slate of category winners via a people’s choice public vote to be held June 12-16, 2023.
Techs Rock Award judges include Bogi Lateiner, Bogi’s Garage; Harrison Burton, Wood Brothers Racing; Emily Reeves, Flying Sparks Garage; Pete Meier, Motor Age Magazine; and Camrie Caruso, Camrie Caruso Motorsports.
Daniel McCrum, the 2022 grand prize winner and CarMax technician, was ecstatic about the recognition he received from winning.
“I kind of thought I had a pretty fair chance to win something … but I didn’t think I could win the whole thing,” said McCrum. “This is a national contest … it’s nationwide and I won!”
McCrum will join this year’s grand prize winner at STX 2024 in Nashville for the bi-annual event.
Since 2018, the Techs Rock Awards have awarded more than $46,000 in prizes to 20 professional technicians in recognition of their excellence, passion and commitment to driving the future of the mobility industry. Technicians will shape our future, and the Techs Rock Awards are made possible by TechForce donors who help shape theirs.
In addition to prizes, Nissan is also co-sponsoring the 2023 Techs Rock Awards to help TechForce celebrate all technicians’ contributions throughout the country and the industry. The Techs Rock Awards are part of TechForce’s workforce development campaign to inspire and support tomorrow’s workforce of technicians. TechForce also created the first and only social network designed and gamified for professional technicians and tech students to connect with each other, employers and schools (TechForce.org). The transportation community is supporting it with content and using it to learn, connect, find events, and explore job opportunities while competing for prizes and leaderboard status.
For more information on the Techs Rock Awards, visit TechForce.org/TechsRock.
