WISE Prize for Education
Opens in Q1, 2026
Two-year Cycle
2024–2025 WISE Prize for Education Winners
The three winners of the 2024–2025 WISE Prize for Education were revealed at the WISE 12 Summit, with a 1st, 2nd and 3rd Prize place awarded by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser.
TUMO’s AI-powered model has reached more than 20,000 students in Armenia, achieving over 95 percent success on first attempts while reducing teacher feedback time by 94 percent. Pilots in Armenia, Mumbai, and Beirut, including an Arabic version, laid the foundation for global expansion across technology, design, and foundational skills.
Iqrali.jo supports early Arabic literacy through evidence-based tools designed for parents. In a two-week pre-pilot in Jordan, 69% of families used it daily, average reading time reached 17 minutes, frequent reading increased from 10% to 41%, and 96% of parents reported that it helped them build a reading routine.
Darsel’s WhatsApp chatbot delivered strong results in a two-month pilot across 10 underserved schools in Jordan. Reaching 320 students, it achieved a 0.25 SD improvement in math (0.31 LAYS). Students solved more than 607,000 problems, and teachers reported high engagement.
Jury Members
2024–2025 WISE Prize for Education Runners-Up
Innovators in Action
WISE Prize Finalists
The 2024-2025 WISE Prize finalists develop a Minimal Viable Product (MVP) to address enduring education challenges, with the support and guidance from WISE. Each finalist receives 125,000 USD to design and refine their solution, along with tailored mentorship and support of WISE.
WISE will further extend its contribution to broadening the impact in education by selecting three winners to advance the development of their MVPs. With expert guidance and support from WISE, a total prize fund will be awarded to the three winning solutions.
By designing and developing innovative educational programs and products, WISE leads the curation of these solutions to help improve quality of life and learning outcomes worldwide.
2024-2025 Semi-Finalists
Important Notice
The WISE Prize follows a two-year cycle, culminating at the upcoming WISE 12 Summit on November 24-25, 2025. The next call for applications will open in Q1, 2026. In the meantime, we invite you to subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest updates and announcements
Since 2009, the WISE Awards and WISE Prize for Education have highlighted over 100 global innovative solutions and individuals in education and, throughout the past 15 years, many of them have grown to become more impactful, have contributed to the work of WISE, have scaled to new regions, and more. The legacy of the WISE Awards and WISE Prize for Education stemmed from the vision of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, with the aim to elevate players in the field of education.
It is our aim that this Prize should raise global awareness of the crucial role of education in all societies, and create a platform for innovative and practical solutions that might help alleviate some of the challenges which education faces around the world.
Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser
Chairperson of Qatar Foundation
Now, in 2024, WISE is launching the next generation of the WISE Prize as one sole initiative, identifying a group of finalists to partake in this 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 one of the following key education challenges:
Improving the teaching of Arabic language
Develop a solution to improve the effectiveness of teaching, acquisition and use of the Arabic language.
Accelerating foundational literacies
Create a personalized learning tool to accelerate basic literacy and numeracy skills, particularly in under-resourced areas.
Addressing challenges in A.I.
Design a tech-based intervention to equip youth with skills to navigate challenges of increasing presence in an A.I.-driven market and society, such as biases and disinformation.
WISE Prize Committee
Process and Guidelines
Download The Full Guideline
Process and Guidelines
- Organizations submit a proposal to address one of three education challenges
- A shortlist of applicants undergo a thorough due diligence process
- An external committee of education experts identify 4-6 finalists
- Finalists develop an education solution over a 12-month period
- Financial support of $100k – $150k USD provided to support the solution development
- Access to tailored mentorship to drive solution development
- Access to capacity-building for team members
- Progress monitoring and support from WISE
- A $1 million USD Prize* awarded at the 2025 WISE Summit*see T&Cs for conditionals of the monetary prize.
Credentials: Applicants have a record that back their ability to solve the challenge
Innovation: Applicants address the education challenge in an evidence-based approach that has not been tested or implemented before.
Feasibility: Proposals have a coherent Minimum Viable Product timeline with clear resource allocation and manpower planning.
Scalability: Proposed solutions should demonstrate potential to expand and detail sustainable funding over time.
Contextualization: Proposed solutions are adaptable to different geographic and social contexts
Any type of legally registered organization including colleges, universities, academic networks, schools, civil society, community organizations, governments, international agencies, private-sector companies and non-profit entities working in the field of education are invited to apply. The organization should be in operation for at least 12 months with established programs or products.
Representation from any education sector including pre-primary, primary, secondary, tertiary, EdTech, vocational training, higher education, special needs education, informal learning, lifelong learning and more, are welcome to apply.
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, originate the project, and should not hold WISE liable for any action or claim from a third party with respect to the project submitted.
APPLICATIONS
Applications should be for original works and projects, and should be submitted by a representative that will be assigned to work on the solution development. 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.
PREVIOUS APPLICANTS
Anyone who has submitted a previous application to any previous programs run by WISE can submit a new application for other works.
PREVIOUS WINNERS
Individuals or organizations that are previous recipients of the WISE Awards/WISE Prize are eligible to apply for the WISE Prize for Education as long as the proposed solution is a new project. The solution should not be under the same project that was previously recognized by WISE.
MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS
Only one application can be submitted for a single educational activity or project. Individuals may only submit a single application. Other individuals working for the same organization are allowed to submit different applications for different educational activities.
Applicants should have evidence of the transformative impact on individuals, communities and society in education already achieved from previous ventures, with:
- A strong record of proven success
- Minimum 2 years in operation
- More than one source of funding
- At least one dedicated full-time team member (or full-time equivalent) to drive the solution development
- A clear plan indicating the project’s objectives and development in response to the education challenge it will address
- A scalable solution and ability to replicate in other contexts and regions
The call for applications opens 12:00 GMT 24 January – 17:00 GMT 15 March, 2024.
SUBMISSION PROCESS
- In order for the application/nomination form to be eligible, your submission must:
- Be entered into the official form on the online system
- Be complete and accurate
- Be submitted in English
- Be submitted online by the official deadline at https://WISE-qatar.awardsplatform.com/
- The form must include the contact details of two supporters
TIMELINE
- The deadline for submission of applications is 15 March 2024, 17:00 GMT
- A shortlist of projects will undergo a due diligence process April – August 2024
- The external committee will review shortlisted applications
- A group of finalists will be revealed October 2024
- Solution development, support and mentorship will run November 2024 – November 2025
- The $1 million USD Prize* will be awarded at the 2025 WISE Summit
The initial applicant will receive the WISE Prize on behalf of the project. Teams should select one project representative to apply and be the recipient of the WISE Prize for Education.
THE MONETARY PRIZE
The finalists of the 2024-2025 WISE Prize will receive $100,000 – $150,000 USD to support the development of their solutions. A $1 million USD Prize will be awarded at the 2025 WISE Summit to further advance the solution.
Both finalists and winners agree to document, report and share updates of their solution development throughout the WISE Prize cycle 2024-2025 and thereafter.
MINIMUM VIABLE PRODUCT
The finalists agree to mention WISE as a supporter of their Minimum Viable Products in their external communication about the product.
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 shortlist stage of the WISE Prize, contestants agree to provide photos and all required documentation at the time of their shortlisting 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 winners agree to provide WISE with information on any developments related to their works that may be a result of, or linked to, WISE and the WISE Prize for Education.
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.
SELECTION PROCESS
An external committee and external jury are involved in the selection of the WISE Prize finalists and the winning solution. To maintain the integrity of the process, judges have the right to abstain from grading, voting and commenting on any submissions with which they may have a conflict of interest. This ensures that the evaluation remains fair and unbiased. Declarations of abstention are made during the initial rounds of judging.
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. WISE 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 [email protected].
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
Insofar as is permitted by law, WISE will in no circumstances be responsible or liable to compensate the winner or accept any liability for any loss, damage, personal injury, or death occurring as a result of the Prize. WISE reserves the right to modify the conditions of the call for projects and/or the Prize 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 WISE Prize.
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 Prize for Education 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 2025 WISE Prize for Education please visit the official website. For any queries, please contact the WISE Team by emailing [email protected].
ACCEPTANCE OF THE RULES OF “THE 2024-2025 WISE PRIZE FOR EDUCATION”
Applying for the 2025 WISE Prize for Education implies full acceptance of and respect for these rules by the applicants.
Interpretation of these rules falls within the exclusive competence of WISE.
THE MONETARY PRIZE
The finalists of the 2024-2025 WISE Prize will each receive 125,000 USD to support the development of their solutions. A shared 1 million USD prize will be awarded to three winning solutions during the WISE 12 Summit to further advance their impact.
Both finalists and winners agree to document, report, and share updates of the development of their solutions throughout the 2024-2025 WISE Prize cycle and beyond.
Explore our list of innovators and community members
WISE Awardees
Since 2009, the WISE Awards has acknowledged six successful and innovative projects addressing global educational challenges each year. WISE has received more than 5,300 applications from over 151 countries. Today, 90 projects have been awarded, from a wide variety of sectors and locations for their innovation, positive contribution and ability to adapt and scale.
Browse our Innovators Directory to learn more about the finalists and winners.
WISE Prize Laureates
The WISE Prize for Education Laureates are inspiring role models for all those concerned with building the future of education as the foundation for a more secure, prosperous, and sustainable world. Established in 2011 by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, the WISE Prize for Education was the first distinction of its kind to recognize an individual or a team for their outstanding and lifelong contribution to education. The WISE Prize for Education helps to raise the status of education by giving it similar prestige to other areas for which international prizes exist – such as literature, peace, and economics.
Previous Jury and Committee Members
WISE has worked closely with an established panel of education experts to support the selection of the WISE Awards & WISE Prize winners each year. Panels are comprised of active members of the WISE community with pivotal roles in the education sphere largely as policymakers, government officials, founder board members, and more.
Find out more about members of the WISE Awards and WISE Prize panels from recent years here.
