The Yidan Prize for Education is one of the world’s highest accolades in education. It recognises individuals and teams whose work in research or practice has made a transformative impact on learning, teaching, or educational systems globally. The prize celebrates those with innovative, sustainable, and future-oriented ideas. The deadline is March 3, 2026.
About The Yidan Prize for Education
The Yidan Prize comprises two distinct awards: one for Education Research, which honours contributions that deepen understanding of learning sciences and effective education policy, and one for Education Development, which celebrates leaders advancing practical innovations that expand access to quality education.
Laureates become part of a global community of education changemakers and are acknowledged for their achievements at an annual awards ceremony. Nominations are open to everyone through an online platform and do not require an invitation; nominators must be credible, witnesses to the nominee’s impact and have a solid understanding of their work.
The Yidan Prize actively empowers intellectuals to build effective learning systems. This ensures that innovative ideas have a lasting impact on future generations.
Funding Size
- Typical prize amount: Thirty Million Hong Kong Dollars in each category (shared between cash prize and project fund)
- Project duration supported: Project fund distributed over three years to support the scaling of work
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Who Can Apply For the Yidan Prize For Education
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Eligible organisation types
- Individual educators, researchers, or leaders
- Teams of up to three people
- Individuals or teams from nonprofit, academic, or education sectors
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Registration or legal documents required
- The nominator must register for an account on the nomination platform
- Nominee’s documentation supporting their work and impact (CV, outputs) is needed
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Project focus requirements
- For Education Research: work that advances understanding of how to improve teaching and learning
- For Education Development: practical innovations that increase educational access and quality
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Geographic eligibility
- Open to individuals and teams from anywhere in the world
- Nominee’s work should demonstrate impact at the regional, national, or global scale
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Sector or thematic focus
- Education research in learning sciences, policy, and pedagogy
- Education practice focused on innovation and system change
Required Materials
- Nomination form submitted via the online nomination platform
- Information about nominee(s), including achievements, impact, and supporting evidence
- Two letters of support if an external nominator; three if nominating yourself or your team
- Optional supporting documents like evaluations, publications, and a two-minute video explaining the nominee’s vision
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Key Dates
- Nominations open: Last Tuesday of October 2026
- Nomination deadline for the 2026 cycle: March 3, 2026
- Judging period: April through September
- Laureate announcement: September
- Awards ceremony: December at the Yidan Prize Summit
Selection Notes
- Selection is highly competitive, inviting nominations from around the world
- Winners are selected for innovation, sustainability, and potential for broad, lasting impact
- Nominations that do not demonstrate the nominee’s leadership in their work are excluded.
Official Source Of the Yidan Prize for Education
Application Page: https://nomination.yidanprize.org/
