About

The WISE Awards has celebrated over 90 groundbreaking innovative education solutions since 2009. With over 5,300 applicants from across 151 countries, the legacy of the WISE Awards has grown to span a global network of innovators in, early childhood education, EdTech, life-long learning, climate action, social emotional learning, education in emergencies, higher education, 21st Century skills, informal learning and many more. Explore the network of finalists and winning projects and learn more about these outstanding initiatives.

After 15 years of celebrating innovation, WISE is now launching the next generation of the WISE Prize to identify a group of finalists to partake in a new competition. WISE will identify and provide support through capacity building and mentorship to organizations tackling new challenges ahead. This iteration of the WISE Prize will work with the chosen finalists over the span of one year to develop solutions that address key education challenges. Find out more details and how to apply for the 2025 WISE Prize competition here.

2023

International Common Assessment of Numeracy (ICAN), Kenya

2022

Childcare Social Franchising, Kenya 

2020

Stawisha Instructional Leadership Institute, Kenya 

2019

Akilah Institute, Rwanda 

Widows Alliance Network– WANE, Ghana

2018

Safe Space Clubs for Girls, Nigeria 

Partners for Possibility, South Africa 

2017

The Learner Guide, Tanzania 

Ubongo, Tanzania 

2015

NewGlobe, Kenya 

The Educate! Experience, United States of America, Uganda 

The Talking Book Program, United States of America, Ghana 

2013

Medersat.com, Morocco 

PEAS, Uganda, Zambia, United Kingdom 

2011

School Business Partnerships, Morocco 

2010

Next Einstein Initiative, South Africa 

The Smallholder Farmers Rural Studio, Nigeria 

 

2023

Tekwill in Every School, Moldova 

2021

onebillion, United Kingdom 

ProFuturo Digital Education Program, Spain 

2020

Think Equal, United Kingdom 

Legal Education, Training, and Practice, United Kingdom 

2019

Family Business for Education, United Kingdom 

Micro:bit Educational Foundation, United Kingdom 

United World Schools: Teaching the Unreached, United Kingdom 

2017

42, France 

Lights to Learn, Spain 

2016

Ideas Box, France 

2014

Me & MyCity, Finland 

2013

Alison, Ireland 

2012

RoboBraille, Denmark 

2011

Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa- TESSA, United Kingdom 

Creative Partnerships, United Kingdom 

2010

Rewrite the Future, United Kingdom 

2014

The Song Room, Australia 

2013

Te Kotahitanga, New Zealand 

 

2023

Ahlan Simsim, United States of America and Jordan

NaTakallam: A Different Kind of Language Learning, United States of America

2022

Opportunity EduFinance, United States of America

Remake Learning, United States of America

2018

Generation, United States of America

1001 Nights Life Skills and Citizenship Education Program, Canada

2017

PhET Interactive Simulation, United States of America

Speed School, United States of America

2016

JUMP Math, Canada

Little Ripples, United States of America

2013

Pathways to Education, Canada 

2012

Cristo Rey Network Corporate Work Study Program, United States of America

2011

OpenStax, United States of America

MIT OpenCourseWare, United States of America

2009

Curriki, United States of America

2023

International Common Assessment of Numeracy (ICAN), Kenya

2022

Childcare Social Franchising, Kenya 

2020

Stawisha Instructional Leadership Institute, Kenya 

2019

Akilah Institute, Rwanda 

Widows Alliance Network– WANE, Ghana

2018

Safe Space Clubs for Girls, Nigeria 

Partners for Possibility, South Africa 

2017

The Learner Guide, Tanzania 

Ubongo, Tanzania 

2015

NewGlobe, Kenya 

The Educate! Experience, United States of America, Uganda 

The Talking Book Program, United States of America, Ghana 

2013

Medersat.com, Morocco 

PEAS, Uganda, Zambia, United Kingdom 

2011

School Business Partnerships, Morocco 

2010

Next Einstein Initiative, South Africa 

The Smallholder Farmers Rural Studio, Nigeria 

2023

Tekwill in Every School, Moldova

2021

onebillion, United Kingdom 

ProFuturo Digital Education Program, Spain 

2020

Think Equal, United Kingdom 

Legal Education, Training, and Practice, United Kingdom 

2019

Family Business for Education, United Kingdom 

Micro:bit Educational Foundation, United Kingdom 

United World Schools: Teaching the Unreached, United Kingdom 

2017

42, France 

Lights to Learn, Spain 

2016

Ideas Box, France 

2014

Me & MyCity, Finland 

2013

Alison, Ireland 

2012

RoboBraille, Denmark 

2011

 

2014

The Song Room, Australia 

2013

Te Kotahitanga, New Zealand 

2023

Ahlan Simsim, United States of America and Jordan

NaTakallam: A Different Kind of Language Learning, United States of America

2022

Opportunity EduFinance, United States of America

Remake Learning, United States of America

2018

Generation, United States of America

1001 Nights Life Skills and Citizenship Education Program, Canada

2017

PhET Interactive Simulation, United States of America

Speed School, United States of America

2016

JUMP Math, Canada

Little Ripples, United States of America

2013

Pathways to Education, Canada 

2012

Cristo Rey Network Corporate Work Study Program, United States of America

2011

OpenStax, United States of America

MIT OpenCourseWare, United States of America

2009

Curriki, United States of America

Support and Collaboration


Winning projects are supported by WISE through different channels:

  • Money Prize: Each WISE Awards winning project will receive US$20,000.

     

  • WISE Communications: Projects recognized by WISE are featured on the website, showcased and shared with the WISE community via social media.

     

  • Multimedia productions: Special documentaries and videos are produced to showcase the work of the winning projects.

     

  • WISE Books: Several WISE Awards finalists and winning projects have been featured in WISE Books which explore current challenges and solutions facing 21st-century education.

     

  • The Global Summit and WISE@: Representatives from Award winning projects are also given the opportunity to present and discuss their work at dedicated sessions during the global biennial summit in Doha, Qatar or WISE regional summits, WISE@. In addition, projects are offered an opportunity to participate in global events organized in collaboration with WISE.

     

  • Support to other WISE programs: Representative of former winning projects have been involved in other WISE projects, either through mentorship, participation in the selection processes, and fellowship programs.

Tips for applying

  • Complete the application/nomination form in English as clearly as possible
  • Be precise in your responses; provide evidence and concrete examples
  • Numbers and data should be up-to-date and supported by verifiable evidence
  • In case of an application form, include contact details of two valid supporters
  • Provide real-life examples of beneficiaries when applicable
  • Provide tangible numbers and proofs of impact.

Contact us at awards@wise.org.qa if you have any questions

Selection of WISE Awards Winners

Each year, the WISE Awards recognizes and promotes six innovative projects that address global education challenges and transforming communities. The selected projects are models of excellence that serve as an inspiration for others to improve education through innovation and creative action.

Each WISE Awards winning project will receive US$20,000, and will benefit from increased public interest through media exposure and other channels. The WISE Awards is not a grant scheme aimed at supporting projects, nor is it intended to be a source of funding for new and untried ideas. Any such applications or nominations will not be considered.

The 2023 WISE Awards submission procedure accepts both applications and nominations.

Ongoing/existing education projects run by any type of organization such as colleges, universities, academic networks, schools consortia, civil society and community organizations, governments, international agencies and private-sector companies working in the field of education are invited to apply or nominate.

Projects can also belong to any education sector such as pre-primary, primary, secondary, tertiary, vocational training, higher education, special needs education, informal learning, and distance-based, non-formal and lifelong learning.

Finally, projects from any part of the world can apply or be nominated for the WISE Awards.

APPLICATIONS

Applications should be for original works and projects, and should be submitted by a representative working within the project. All applicants should therefore guarantee that their organization, or they themselves, originated the project, and should not hold WISE liable for any action or claim from a third party with respect to the project submitted.

NOMINATIONS

Nominations can be submitted by persons external to the organization running the project, this could be a beneficiary, partnering organization, government agency, etc. Nominators will be requested to identify themselves in the submission form, although this information will be kept confidential by WISE, nominators may or may not request information from the project in order to best fill out the nomination form. However, WISE will contact nominated projects if they are shortlisted for the Pre-Jury evaluation.

PREVIOUS APPLICANTS

Anyone who has submitted a previous application to the WISE Awards can submit a new application for the same – or for a different – project.

PREVIOUS WINNERS

Previous recipients of the WISE Awards are not eligible to apply for the 2023 WISE Awards. Moreover, others involved in the projects and/or activities that have received previous WISE Awards are not eligible to apply on behalf of the same project or activity.

The WISE Awards recognize innovative educational projects that have already demonstrated a transformative impact on individuals, communities and society.

The ideal project would be an ongoing, innovative and impactful education initiative that:

  • Has an excellent record of proven success
  • Is financially sustainable
  • Has a clear plan indicating the project’s future objectives and future development
  • Is scalable
  • Is replicable in other contexts and regions of the world
  • Has a clear understanding and knowledge of:
    – its innovative nature;
    – its distinctiveness within its sphere of action, and;
    – the type and depth of its impact on its beneficiaries.

 

MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS

Only one application can be submitted for a single educational activity or project. This condition applies in instances where different organizations submit similar applications for the same educational activity or project, in this case all applications will be deemed ineligible.

Individuals may only submit a single application. Other individuals working for the same organization are allowed to submit different applications for different educational activities.

MULTIPLE NOMINATIONS

Several nominations from different individuals may be submitted for the same project, although this has no bearing on the judging process.

The same nominators may submit several nominations for different projects.

LANGUAGE

The language for applications to the 2023 WISE Awards is English. Whilst the quality of written English is not a criterion for assessing applications, it is strongly recommended that applicants pay particular attention to ensuring that their applications can be properly understood in English.

ELIGIBLE SUBMISSIONS

It is possible to apply for a WISE Awards on behalf of your own project, or to nominate another project for the WISE Award.

In order for the application/nomination form to be eligible, your submission must:

  • Be entered into the official form on the online system (curriculum vita or other forms of documents will not be considered)
  • Be complete and accurate
  • Be submitted in English
  • Be submitted online by the official deadline at https://programs.wise.org.qa/ 
  • In the case of an application, the form must include the contact details of two supporters (e.g. former donors, local governments, other NGOs, etc.)

 

TIMELINE

  • The deadline for submission of applications is 1 December 2022, 13:00 GMT.
  • The Pre-Jury will review shortlisted eligible applications.
  • The shortlisted Finalists will be announced in April 2023.
  • An Innovation Assessment will be organized, as described below.
  • The Jury will review the finalists based on the submitted forms and the due diligence conducted remotely.
  • Announcement of the six winners September 2023.

INNOVATION ASSESSMENT

In the event that your project is amongst the finalist projects, applicants agree and allocate time for a remote innovation assessment. This assessment will be conducted virtually from a distance between January and May of 2023.

PRE-JURY

A Pre-Jury of education experts will be responsible for evaluating the initial applications or nominations and will propose a shortlist of finalists based on the criteria and the information provided in the application forms. WISE will approve the selection of around 12 finalists.

JURY

The shortlisted applications of the finalists will be reviewed by a Jury composed of prominent educational figures drawn from government, civil society, the private sector, international organizations, universities and social entrepreneurs. The Jury will select the six winning projects.

Prior to any decision by the Pre-Jury and the Jury, and during the entire selection process, WISE and/or the Pre-Jury or the Jury reserve the right to ask for clarification or supplementary information or documentation from the applicants. Additionally, information provided on the submitted forms will be reviewed and, in the event of any false or inaccurate information, the application will be deemed invalid.

PROJECT REPRESENTATIVE

In the case of an application, initial applicant will receive the Award on behalf of the project. Teams should select one project representative to apply and be the recipient of the Award.

In the case of a nomination, the project will be asked to select one project representative, should the project reach the finalist stage.

COMMUNICATION

WISE reserves the right to publicize the finalists and the winning projects by means of any kind of communication (internal and/or commercial advertising), through any promotional media (press, magazines, catalogues, websites, etc.) and all over the world.

This communication may be in the form of pictures, recordings (audio and video) and texts supplied by each of the Finalists and winning projects.

By reaching the finalist stage of the WISE Awards, contestants agree to provide photos and descriptions of their projects at the time of the Awards and for a period of at least two years following the Awards. They also acknowledge the right of the WISE initiative to use this material.

Finalists and winning projects agree to provide the WISE initiative with information on any developments related to their projects that may be a result of, or linked to, the WISE initiative and the WISE Awards.

The representatives of the winning projects also agree to give full access and facilitate, when necessary, the film production and innovation assessment conducted by a third party assessor.

DATA PROTECTION

By taking part in this competition, applicants agree that their personal details will be included in a database owned by the WISE initiative, which will be the exclusive custodian of the said details for the purpose of managing the specified competition. The WISE initiative will not sell or distribute applicants’ personal data to third parties.

Applicants have the right to access and modify any personal data concerning themselves. Applicants also have the right to refuse to be included in a database and may exercise these rights at any time by making the appropriate request in writing to awards@wise.org.qa.

LIABILITY

WISE reserves the right to modify the conditions of the call for projects and/or the Awards at any time.

WISE shall not be liable if the call for projects is extended, shortened, modified or cancelled, or if problems arise with the website or due to loss of materials in e-mail and/or postal services.

Applicants cannot dispute the choice of Finalists or the winning projects nor can they dispute the allocation of the Awards.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

WISE owns the intellectual property rights for texts, photos, films, documentaries, etc. made for the WISE initiative and also for the trademarks and logos appearing in various supporting media. Consequently, the applicants cannot use them, in whole or in part, unless they have received specific authorization from the WISE Team.

GOVERNING LAW – JURISDICTION

These rules for the WISE Awards are governed by Qatari law and, in the event of a dispute regarding their interpretation or performance, such a dispute shall be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts in Doha, Qatar.

INFORMATION AND QUERIES

To access the application system and for further information about the 2023 WISE Awards please visit the official website: http://www.wise-qatar.org/wise-works/wise-awards. For any queries, please contact the WISE Team through the website or by email: awards@wise.org.qa.

ACCEPTANCE OF THE RULES OF “THE 2023 WISE AWARDS”

Applying for the 2023 WISE Awards implies full acceptance of and respect for these rules by the applicants.

Interpretation of these rules falls within the exclusive competence of WISE. 

The 2023 WISE Awards submission procedure accepts both applications and nominations.

Ongoing/existing education projects run by any type of organization such as colleges, universities, academic networks, schools consortia, civil society and community organizations, governments, international agencies and private-sector companies working in the field of education are invited to apply or nominate.

Projects can also belong to any education sector such as pre-primary, primary, secondary, tertiary, vocational training, higher education, special needs education, informal learning, and distance-based, non-formal and lifelong learning.

Finally, projects from any part of the world can apply or be nominated for the WISE Awards.

APPLICATIONS

Applications should be for original works and projects, and should be submitted by a representative working within the project. All applicants should therefore guarantee that their organization, or they themselves, originated the project, and should not hold WISE liable for any action or claim from a third party with respect to the project submitted.

NOMINATIONS

Nominations can be submitted by persons external to the organization running the project, this could be a beneficiary, partnering organization, government agency, etc. Nominators will be requested to identify themselves in the submission form, although this information will be kept confidential by WISE, nominators may or may not request information from the project in order to best fill out the nomination form. However, WISE will contact nominated projects if they are shortlisted for the Pre-Jury evaluation.

PREVIOUS APPLICANTS

Anyone who has submitted a previous application to the WISE Awards can submit a new application for the same – or for a different – project.

PREVIOUS WINNERS

Previous recipients of the WISE Awards are not eligible to apply for the 2023 WISE Awards. Moreover, others involved in the projects and/or activities that have received previous WISE Awards are not eligible to apply on behalf of the same project or activity.

The WISE Awards recognize innovative educational projects that have already demonstrated a transformative impact on individuals, communities and society.

The ideal project would be an ongoing, innovative and impactful education initiative that:

  • Has an excellent record of proven success
  • Is financially sustainable
  • Has a clear plan indicating the project’s future objectives and future development
  • Is scalable
  • Is replicable in other contexts and regions of the world
  • Has a clear understanding and knowledge of:
    – its innovative nature;
    – its distinctiveness within its sphere of action, and;
    – the type and depth of its impact on its beneficiaries.

 

MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS

Only one application can be submitted for a single educational activity or project. This condition applies in instances where different organizations submit similar applications for the same educational activity or project, in this case all applications will be deemed ineligible.

Individuals may only submit a single application. Other individuals working for the same organization are allowed to submit different applications for different educational activities.

MULTIPLE NOMINATIONS

Several nominations from different individuals may be submitted for the same project, although this has no bearing on the judging process.

The same nominators may submit several nominations for different projects.

LANGUAGE

The language for applications to the 2023 WISE Awards is English. Whilst the quality of written English is not a criterion for assessing applications, it is strongly recommended that applicants pay particular attention to ensuring that their applications can be properly understood in English.

  • ELIGIBLE SUBMISSIONS

    It is possible to apply for a WISE Awards on behalf of your own project, or to nominate another project for the WISE Award.

    In order for the application/nomination form to be eligible, your submission must:

    • Be entered into the official form on the online system (curriculum vita or other forms of documents will not be considered)
    • Be complete and accurate
    • Be submitted in English
    • Be submitted online by the official deadline at https://programs.wise.org.qa/ 
    • In the case of an application, the form must include the contact details of two supporters (e.g. former donors, local governments, other NGOs, etc.)

     

    TIMELINE

    • The deadline for submission of applications is 1 December 2022, 13:00 GMT.
    • The Pre-Jury will review shortlisted eligible applications.
    • The shortlisted Finalists will be announced in April 2023.
    • An Innovation Assessment will be organized, as described below.
    • The Jury will review the finalists based on the submitted forms and the due diligence conducted remotely.
    • Announcement of the six winners September 2023.

INNOVATION ASSESSMENT

In the event that your project is amongst the finalist projects, applicants agree and allocate time for a remote innovation assessment. This assessment will be conducted virtually from a distance between January and May of 2023.

PRE-JURY

A Pre-Jury of education experts will be responsible for evaluating the initial applications or nominations and will propose a shortlist of finalists based on the criteria and the information provided in the application forms. WISE will approve the selection of around 12 finalists.

JURY

The shortlisted applications of the finalists will be reviewed by a Jury composed of prominent educational figures drawn from government, civil society, the private sector, international organizations, universities and social entrepreneurs. The Jury will select the six winning projects.

Prior to any decision by the Pre-Jury and the Jury, and during the entire selection process, WISE and/or the Pre-Jury or the Jury reserve the right to ask for clarification or supplementary information or documentation from the applicants. Additionally, information provided on the submitted forms will be reviewed and, in the event of any false or inaccurate information, the application will be deemed invalid.

PROJECT REPRESENTATIVE

In the case of an application, initial applicant will receive the Award on behalf of the project. Teams should select one project representative to apply and be the recipient of the Award.

In the case of a nomination, the project will be asked to select one project representative, should the project reach the finalist stage.

COMMUNICATION

WISE reserves the right to publicize the finalists and the winning projects by means of any kind of communication (internal and/or commercial advertising), through any promotional media (press, magazines, catalogues, websites, etc.) and all over the world.

This communication may be in the form of pictures, recordings (audio and video) and texts supplied by each of the Finalists and winning projects.

By reaching the finalist stage of the WISE Awards, contestants agree to provide photos and descriptions of their projects at the time of the Awards and for a period of at least two years following the Awards. They also acknowledge the right of the WISE initiative to use this material.

Finalists and winning projects agree to provide the WISE initiative with information on any developments related to their projects that may be a result of, or linked to, the WISE initiative and the WISE Awards.

The representatives of the winning projects also agree to give full access and facilitate, when necessary, the film production and innovation assessment conducted by a third party assessor.

DATA PROTECTION

By taking part in this competition, applicants agree that their personal details will be included in a database owned by the WISE initiative, which will be the exclusive custodian of the said details for the purpose of managing the specified competition. The WISE initiative will not sell or distribute applicants’ personal data to third parties.

Applicants have the right to access and modify any personal data concerning themselves. Applicants also have the right to refuse to be included in a database and may exercise these rights at any time by making the appropriate request in writing to awards@wise.org.qa.

LIABILITY

WISE reserves the right to modify the conditions of the call for projects and/or the Awards at any time.

WISE shall not be liable if the call for projects is extended, shortened, modified or cancelled, or if problems arise with the website or due to loss of materials in e-mail and/or postal services.

Applicants cannot dispute the choice of Finalists or the winning projects nor can they dispute the allocation of the Awards.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

WISE owns the intellectual property rights for texts, photos, films, documentaries, etc. made for the WISE initiative and also for the trademarks and logos appearing in various supporting media. Consequently, the applicants cannot use them, in whole or in part, unless they have received specific authorization from the WISE Team.

GOVERNING LAW – JURISDICTION

These rules for the WISE Awards are governed by Qatari law and, in the event of a dispute regarding their interpretation or performance, such a dispute shall be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts in Doha, Qatar.

INFORMATION AND QUERIES

To access the application system and for further information about the 2023 WISE Awards please visit the official website: http://www.wise-qatar.org/wise-works/wise-awards. For any queries, please contact the WISE Team through the website or by email: awards@wise.org.qa.

ACCEPTANCE OF THE RULES OF “THE 2023 WISE AWARDS”

Applying for the 2023 WISE Awards implies full acceptance of and respect for these rules by the applicants.

Interpretation of these rules falls within the exclusive competence of WISE.

2023 WISE Awards

Six projects from five different countries have been selected as 2023 WISE Awards Winners for their innovative approach to pressing education issues and positive social impact. This year, 404 projects applied or were nominated for the WISE Awards.

2023 Winners

Ahlan Simsim

International Rescue Committee (IRC) – in partnership with Sesame Workshop

2023 Finalists

WISE Awards 2023 Jury

Emiliana Vegas

Emiliana Vegas

Professor of practice, Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE)

 
Dr. Shannon May

Shannon May

Co-founder & President, NewGlobe

 
Fahad Hamad Hassan Al- Sulaiti

Fahad Hamad Hassan Al- Sulaiti

CEO, Education Above All Foundation

 
Tim Howarth

Tim Howarth

Founding CEO & Board Advisor, United World Schools

 
Anthony B Maddox

Anthony B Maddox

Director and Co-Founder, Center for Engineering in Education

 

Abeer Al-Khalifa

President, Pre-University Education, Qatar Foundation

 

Vishal Talreja

Co-Founder, Dream a Dream

WISE Awards 2023 Pre-Jury Members

2022 WISE Awards

Six projects from five different countries have won the 2022 WISE Awards for their innovative approach to pressing education issues and positive social impact. This year, 488 projects applied or were nominated for the WISE Awards.
The winning projects address access to quality, affordable childcare; provide universally accessible project-based learning resources; create learning opportunities through peer networking; increase access to quality education through social financing; activate youth to solve climate and civic issues, and empower educators to instill wellbeing in schools.

2022 Winners

Remake Learning

Remake Learning

Remake Learning

Educating for Wellbeing

Educating for Wellbeing

AtentaMente Consultores A.C.

Opportunity EduFinance

Opportunity EduFinance

Opportunity International

2022 Finalists

WISE Awards 2022 Jury

Dayoung Lee

Dayoung Lee  

Associate Partner, Dalberg

 
Emiliana Vegas

Emiliana Vegas

Professor of practice, Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE)

 
Anthony B Maddox

Anthony B Maddox

Director and Co-Founder, Center for Engineering in Education

 
Tim Howarth

Tim Howarth

Founding CEO & Board Advisor, United World Schools

 
Dr. Shannon May

Shannon May

Co-founder & President, NewGlobe

 
Nieves Segovia

Nieves Segovia Bonet

President, SEK Education group

 
Fahad Hamad Hassan Al- Sulaiti

Fahad Hamad Hassan Al- Sulaiti

CEO, Education Above All Foundation

 

WISE Awards 2022 Pre-Jury Members

  • Ana Raad, Founder, Fundación REimagina and AprendoEnCasa.org
  • Dr. Rana Dajani, Scientist and University Professor, Hashemite University in Jordan
  • Dr. Tarek Chehidi, Global Lead, Future of Work and Public Sector, Teach For All
  • Louka Parry, CEO and Founder, The Learning Future
  • Lydia Wilbard, Executive Director, Camfed Tanzania
  • Nadia Naviwala, Senior advisor on Global Partnerships ,The Citizens Foundation (TCF)
  • Tracey Burns, Strategic Advisor, National Center on Education and the Economy 

2021 WISE Awards

The innovative projects tackle a number of pressing educational issues including: implementing early childhood education access for all parents; promoting social-emotional across public schools; creating trauma informed curriculums in schools; providing civic education and teacher training education to marginalized and vulnerable populations; increasing access to platforms of knowledge; bridging the digital divide; increasing literacy and numeracy; empowering underprivileged women through skilling and entrepreneurship; initiatives addressing out of school girls; encouraging reading in early grades in marginalized communities.

2021 Winners

onebillion

onebillion children

ProFuturo Digital Education Program

Telefonica Foundation and “la Caixa” Foundation

Taleemabad

Orenda Project

Trauma Informed Schools

Maya Vakfı (Foundation)

2021 Finalists

WISE Awards 2021 Jury

Fahad Hamad Hassan Al- Sulaiti

Fahad Hamad Hassan Al- Sulaiti

CEO, Education Above All Foundation

 
Dayoung Lee

Dayoung Lee  

Associate Partner, Dalberg

 
Liesbet Steer

Liesbet Steer

Director, Education Commission

 
Kate Wang

Kate Wang

Vice President of International Partnership, MyCOS Data

 
Alejandro Caballero

Alejandro Caballero

Principal Education Specialist, IFC (the World Bank Group)

 
Dr. François Taddei

François Taddei

Director, The Center for Research and Interdisciplinarity

 

Nisha Ligon

CEO, Ubongo

 

WISE Awards 2021 Pre-Jury Members

2020 WISE Awards

Six projects from five countries have won the 2020 WISE Awards for their innovative solutions to education challenges and their positive social impact. This year 625 projects have applied or been nominated for the WISE Awards.

The six winners join the WISE Awards community of projects that are supporting the replication of cutting-edge practices and encouraging new collaboration around the world.

2020 Winners

2020 Finalists

WISE Awards 2020 Jury

Carolyn Acker

Founder, Pathways to Education

 

Nisha Ligon 

CEO, Ubongo

 
Lisbet Steer

Liesbet Steer

Director, Education Commission

Beth Yu, Executive Secretary-General, Jack Ma Foundation

Beth Yu

Executive Secretary-General, Jack Ma Foundation

Randa-Grob-Zakhary

Dr. Randa Grob-Zakhary

Executive Director, Insights for Education Foundation

 

Dr. François Taddei

Dr. Francois Taddei

Director, The Center for Research and Interdisciplinarity

 

Veronika Zonabend

Veronika Zonabend

Founder, RVVZ Foundation

WISE Awards 2020 Pre-Jury Members

2019 WISE Awards

Six projects from four countries have won the 2019 WISE Awards for their innovative solutions to education challenges and their positive social impact. This year 481 projects have applied or been nominated for the WISE Awards.

The six winners join the WISE Awards community of projects that are supporting the replication of cutting-edge practices and encouraging new collaboration around the world.

Get to know the projects:

2019 Winners

Akilah Institute

Akilah Institute

Davis College

Micro:bit Educational Foundation

Micro:bit Educational Foundation

Micro:bit Educational Foundation

2019 Finalists

 

To date, the WISE Awards have recognized 72 projects for their innovative, transformative impact. Explore the growing network of WISE Awards winning projects and learn more about these outstanding initiatives.

WISE Awards 2019 Jury

Claudio Sassaki

Claudio Sassaki

CEO, Geekie

 

Ben Nelson

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Minerva Project

Emad Al-Khaja

Emad Al Khaja

CEO, INJAZ Qatar

Kate Wang

Vice President of International Partnership, MyCOS Data

Randa-Grob-Zakhary

Dr. Randa Grob Zakhary

Executive Director, Insights for Education Foundation

Peter Materu

Dr. Peter Materu

Chief Program Officer, Mastercard Foundation

Beth Yu, Executive Secretary-General, Jack Ma Foundation

Beth Yu

Executive Secretary-General, Jack Ma Foundation

WISE Awards 2019 Pre-Jury Members

Network of projects

Since 2009, WISE has identified, showcased and promoted innovative educational projects through the WISE Awards. Find out more about previous WISE Awards winning projects.