--- title: Meet our 2026 Applicaa Champions description: Congratulations to this year's Applicaa Champions - Sally van der Meer, David Johnson and Jody Lazell - recognised for going above and beyond to help other schools get more from Applicaa. image: https://blog.applicaa.com/hubfs/newsletter-banners/champions-hero-B3.png --- [![Aplpicaa Logo White.png](https://blog.applicaa.com/hs-fs/hubfs/APPLICAA_LOGO_White%20Background-1.png?width=1008&height=345&name=APPLICAA_LOGO_White%20Background-1.png "Aplpicaa Logo White.png")](http://applicaa.com) Search toggle [Follow us on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com) [Follow us on X](https://www.x.com) [Follow us on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com) [![Aplpicaa Logo White.png](https://blog.applicaa.com/hs-fs/hubfs/APPLICAA_LOGO_White%20Background-1.png?width=1008&height=345&name=APPLICAA_LOGO_White%20Background-1.png "Aplpicaa Logo White.png")](http://applicaa.com) Search toggle [![Aplpicaa Logo White.png](https://blog.applicaa.com/hs-fs/hubfs/APPLICAA_LOGO_White%20Background-1.png?width=1008&height=345&name=APPLICAA_LOGO_White%20Background-1.png "Aplpicaa Logo White.png")](http://applicaa.com) [Follow us on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com) [Follow us on X](https://www.x.com) [Follow us on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com) Search toggle What are you looking for? 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[![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/67b6eb9544c5ccd53a71af16/6822fef27f7e4abefb1b1b4b_b8e5e574272debd65bdc0005e79f2599_contact-phone.svg) 0208 762 0882](tel:02087620882)[![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/67b6eb9544c5ccd53a71af16/6822fef2846abb9a1dc6e09c_e933439d49630a99ef81b4695bbf4bca_contact-envelop.svg) info@applicaa.com](mailto:info@applicaa.com) [Watch demo](https://applicaa.com/demos)[Book a meeting](https://meetings.hubspot.com/amanda-grainger/website-meeting-link) [![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/67b6eb9544c5ccd53a71af16/6822fef27f7e4abefb1b1b4b_b8e5e574272debd65bdc0005e79f2599_contact-phone.svg) 0204 538 1630](tel:02045381630)[![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/67b6eb9544c5ccd53a71af16/6822fef2846abb9a1dc6e09c_e933439d49630a99ef81b4695bbf4bca_contact-envelop.svg) info@applicaa.com](mailto:info@applicaa.com) # Meet our 2026 Applicaa Champions 28 Sep 2026 [Nicola Entwistle](https://blog.applicaa.com/author/nicola-entwistle) ![](https://blog.applicaa.com/hubfs/newsletter-banners/champions-hero-B3.png) Every year, a handful of schools go out of their way to help other schools get more out of Applicaa: sharing honest feedback, hopping on a call with a colleague at another school, or telling their own admissions story so others can learn from it. The Applicaa Champions programme exists to say thank you for that, and this year's three winners have earned it. ## Sally van der Meer, Saint Cecilia's Church of England School ![Sally van der Meer](https://blog.applicaa.com/hubfs/newsletter-banners/Sally_van_der_Meer_Headshot.png) Sally is our top Champion this year, and it shows: a webinar guest appearance, a video testimonial, a reference for another school, speaking at one of our events, and a Google review, all in the same year. That's this year's Spa voucher, well earned. In Sally's own words: *"I have had so much fun working with the Applicaa team that a Spa day is the icing on the cake! Thank you so much!"* ## David Johnson, King Alfred's Academy ![David Johnson](https://blog.applicaa.com/hubfs/newsletter-banners/David_Johnson_Headshot.jpg) David took the time to record a video testimonial and give a reference for a school considering Applicaa, real, first-hand insight that's worth more than anything we could write ourselves. That's a £100 Amazon voucher for David. In David's own words: *"I'm absolutely delighted to have come second in the Applicaa Champions competition and to win a £100 Amazon voucher. It was a lovely surprise and really made my day. Thank you to the Applicaa team!"* ## Jody Lazell, Plumstead Manor School Jody gave a reference, joined one of our product focus groups, and has been generous with feedback all year, including helping test new integrations before they went out to everyone else. That's a £50 Amazon voucher for Jody. In Jody's own words: *"Thank you for the prize, it's so lovely how Applicaa have a personal relationship with their client schools, not many other platforms have such a close relationship with their customers."* ## How to get involved Being a Champion isn't a fixed list of tasks, it's any of the ways schools already help each other: leaving a Google review, giving a reference, joining a focus group, speaking at or hosting an event, or recording a short video testimonial. [Read more about the Applicaa Champions programme](https://blog.applicaa.com/hubfs/Champions%20Programme.pdf). We're also keen to hear from schools who could visit EdCity to record a video testimonial in person, travel and arrangements fully supported. If that's you, or you'd just like to get involved, email [mandy@applicaa.com](mailto:mandy@applicaa.com). Congratulations to Sally, David and Jody, and thank you to every school that took the time to help another this year. ### Share: [Share on Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://blog.applicaa.com/meet-our-2026-applicaa-champions&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook) [Share on LinkedIn](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://blog.applicaa.com/meet-our-2026-applicaa-champions&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin) [Share on X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https://blog.applicaa.com/meet-our-2026-applicaa-champions&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&url=https://blog.applicaa.com/meet-our-2026-applicaa-champions&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&source=tweetbutton&text=Meet%20our%202026%20Applicaa%20Champions) ## Nicola Entwistle Head of Marketing [nicola@applicaa.com](mailto:nicola@applicaa.com) ## Comments ## Related posts Search [Comms + Campaigns: see what your messages are really doing](https://blog.applicaa.com/comms-campaigns-see-what-your-messages-are-really-doing) [Enrolment Day 2026: What the numbers showed us](https://blog.applicaa.com/enrolment-day-2026-what-the-numbers-showed-us) Search Copyright © 2025 Applicaa LTD, All Rights Reserved ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Nicola Entwistle", "url" : "https://blog.applicaa.com/author/nicola-entwistle" }, "dateModified" : "2026-09-28T10:29:38.556Z", "datePublished" : "2026-09-28T10:27:46.000Z", "headline" : "Meet our 2026 Applicaa Champions", "image" : [ "https://blog.applicaa.com/hubfs/newsletter-banners/champions-hero-B3.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.applicaa.com/meet-our-2026-applicaa-champions", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.applicaa.com/hubfs/APPLICAA_LOGO_White%20Background-1.png" }, "name" : "Applicaa LTD." } } ```