HughesNet®, America's #1 choice for satellite Internet service from Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), and National 4-H Council (4-H) today announced their STEM partnership won a Silver Halo Award in the Education category from Engage for Good. The HughesNet/4-H partnership was also a Halo award finalist in 2016. Engage for Good provides industry leading resources for social good, cause marketing and corporate social responsibility programs.

The Halo Awards were presented today at the Engage for Good Conference in Chicago. The awards are North America's highest honor for corporate social initiatives and cause marketing, focusing on social good campaigns targeted at consumers and employees involving a company and a cause.

"It's an honor to be recognized with our partner 4-H by such a prestigious organization as Engage for Good," said Peter Gulla, senior vice president of marketing, Hughes Network Systems. "We have truly enjoyed working with 4-H to spark interest in STEM for hundreds of thousands of youth each year through fun, hands-on learning experiences."

The HughesNet/4-H partnership began in 2014, introducing American youth to hands-on, community-based STEM learning. Since then, the partnership has helped provide hands-on STEM activities to more than 100,000 youth across the country each year. Among them has been 4-H National Youth Science Day (4-H NYSD), the world's largest youth-led science challenge, the 4-H Youth in Action STEM Pillar Award, STEM days at local 4-H camps, and career exploration programs for National Engineers Week.

"We are thrilled to see our partnership with HughesNet recognized for its impact in the STEM education space," said Jennifer Sirangelo, president and CEO, National 4-H Council. "HughesNet's continued support helps us deliver high quality STEM programming that gets young people excited about STEM through topics like robotics, agricultural and environmental science, rocketry, computer science and alternative energy. These programs give thousands of young people the opportunity to build skills, develop passions and discover career paths they never imagined."

With a shared passion for STEM, National 4-H Council and Hughes have partnered to inspire the next generation of scientists, build future leaders and power our country's competitiveness in the global economy. The HughesNet/4-H partnership has been recognized by several organizations, including the Bulldog Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Silver Award and a Gold "Stevie" from the American Business Awards.

A total of 20 category awards were given out to programs judged the best cause marketing campaigns of 2016 at the Annual Engage for Good conference. A list of all the Cause Marketing Halo Award winners can be seen at www.engageforgood.com/halo-awards.

About 4-H
4-H, the nation's largest youth development organization, grows confident young people who are empowered for life today and prepared for career tomorrow. 4-H programs empower nearly six million young people across the U.S. through experiences that develop critical life skills. 4-H is the youth development program of our nation's Cooperative Extension System and USDA, and serves every county and parish in the U.S. through a network of 110 public universities and more than 3,000 local Extension offices. Globally, 4-H collaborates with independent programs to empower one million youth in 50 countries. The research-backed 4-H experience grows young people who are four times more likely to contribute to their communities; two times more likely to make healthier choices; two times more likely to be civically active; and two times more likely to participate in STEM programs. Learn more about 4-H at http://www.4-H.org, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/4-H and on Twitter at twitter.com/4H.

About Hughes Network Systems

Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES) is the global leader in broadband satellite technology and services for home and office. Its flagship high-speed satellite Internet service is HughesNet®, the world's largest satellite network with over 1 million residential and business customers across North America and Brazil. For large enterprises and governments, the company's HughesON® managed network services provide complete connectivity solutions employing an optimized mix of satellite and terrestrial technologies. The JUPITER™ System is the world's most widely deployed High-Throughput Satellite (HTS) platform, operating on more than 20 satellites by leading service providers, delivering a wide range of broadband enterprise, mobility and cellular backhaul applications. To date, Hughes has shipped more than 5.5 million terminals to customers in over 100 countries, representing over 50 percent market share, and its technology is powering broadband services to aircraft around the world.

Headquartered outside Washington, D.C., in Germantown, Maryland, USA, Hughes operates sales and support offices worldwide, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS), a premier global provider of satellite operations. For additional information about Hughes, please visit www.hughes.com and follow @Hughes_Corp on Twitter.

About EchoStar

EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS) is a premier global provider of satellite communication solutions. Headquartered in Englewood, Colo., and conducting business around the globe, EchoStar is a pioneer in secure communications technologies through its Hughes Network Systems and EchoStar Satellite Services business segments. For more information, visit echostar.com. Follow @EchoStar on Twitter.