Applications Invited for 2026 Yidan Prize

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About the Organization

We’re a global foundation committed to creating a better world through education.

We’re a global foundation committed to creating a better world through education. We established the Yidan Prize in 2016 to champion the changemakers making that possible. We know from decades of research that education leads to people living safer, healthier, longer lives. Every intervention that improves access to quality education builds a better world. To meet our goals then, we need to find the most effective ideas, and spread them far and wide.

We believe that when we recognize the most innovative minds in educational research and practice and build a global learning community around them, we accelerate adoption of the best ideas and practices. This will improve the quality of education around the world, and make it easier to access.

About the Grant

The Yidan Prize is the world’s highest education accolade. Each year, we award the Yidan Prize to individuals, or teams of up to three members, in two areas:

Yidan Prize for Education Research:

Recognizing researchers whose work strengthens teaching and learning through a deeper understanding of learning sciences or effective education policy.

Yidan Prize for Education Development:

Recognizing leaders who are advancing practice through innovative ideas and interventions that make quality education more accessible to all.

They’re designed for impact: laureates receive a project fund of HK$15 million over three years, helping them scale up their work, as well as a gold medal and a cash prize of HK$15 million (shared equally for teams).

We welcome all nominations; our process is open to everyone. You don’t need to be invited to nominate a team or individual for either the Education Research or Education Development prize.

What our judges look for:

Yidan Prize for Education Research

Innovative: We are looking for detailed evidence that the nominee(s)’ research output is original, creative, and ground-breaking in that it

• offers new frameworks, methods, and data that advance our understanding of how to improve the quality, effectiveness, and equity of teaching and learning
• engages with new topics in education that can inform potential policy areas for improving education outcomes broadly
• uses a fresh approach to examining persistent obstacles to educational development, such as by using a multi-disciplinary research approach.

Transformative: We are looking for detailed evidence that the nominee(s)’ research output:

• has influenced the way other researchers in the regional or global community undertake their research
• has sparked research and policy change in some settings — and could spread to many more
• examines one or more of the critical challenges facing students and educational institutions, contributing to the knowledge and understanding of changemakers about how to improve education systems and advance educational development
• meets the global bar for high-quality scientific method.

Sustainable: We are looking for detailed evidence that it the nominee(s)’ research output:

• has developed new evidence and new methods that other researchers can use to upgrade their own research
• is widely recognized by other education researchers as major contributions to improving how education can shape society for the better
• has developed the skills of other researchers, especially younger ones, who can advance the quality of education research
• has influenced the mindset of the global education community — researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders — in looking for solutions
• has a strong potential to create the kind of long-lasting change that improves the education system and makes the world better.

Future-oriented: We are looking for detailed evidence that the nominee(s)’ research output:

• identifies and examines the most important issues and challenges that education communities in the region and around the world will be facing in the future
• understands and recognizes the obstacles that education changemakers will need to address in the future
• ensures that education is meaningful and relevant in a changing world, and builds skills for the future (e.g. critical thinking, digital literacy, adaptability, collaboration)
• identifies the costs of not addressing education’s greatest issues for the future development of the world.

Yidan Prize for Education Development

Future-oriented: We want to understand:

• if their work addresses one or more critical issues in education
• if their work has results that already have (or look likely to have) a wide global impact
• how far ahead are they looking for challenges and opportunities in education through their work
• how they are creating an improved education system for a brighter future
• if they can meet new challenges and spread inclusive and fair education for all
• if they have the potential to shape the future of education.

Innovative: We’re looking for evidence that their work:

• is ground-breaking
• disrupts the usual way of doing things
• shows new, creative approaches to education
• could help us develop skills, knowledge, and self-awareness that shape society for the better.

Transformative: We want to understand:

• how their work can change systems or ways of working — in part or as a whole
• if they are influencing the wider education community and inspire collaboration
• what impact their work has already had or is having on education systems.

Sustainable: We want to understand:

• how their work has grown so far — and its potential to work across borders and regions
• the governance model of their work — is it transparent and accountable?
• if there’s a business model for their work, and whether it’s been financially stable so far
• if there are legal or regulatory threats to their work.

How to Apply

Your nomination for the 2026 Yidan Prize must be submitted via this online platform on or before 3 March 2026, 12 noon HKT (GMT+8).

Our nomination guide has everything you need to know about making a nomination.

Nomination Platform

For more information please check the Link

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Tags Education and Education Technology (edtech) Innovations and Technology Skill Development Research Others