Education Innovation Showcase & Award

The Education Innovation Showcase honors K-12 education system leaders advancing innovation in their community and fostering meaningful change at the systems level!

Based on our experience, we aim to highlight innovation in two categories: pre-implementation (idea category) and post-implementation (impact category). This update will offer more chances for K-12 leaders worldwide to learn and share. We use a standardized rubric and collaborate with over 35 partner organizations to select the top 5 innovations in each category.

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Be sure to RSVP for our virtual Ask Me Anything session on
Wednesday, December 3rd from 3-4pm ET
as you prepare to submit your application by Monday, January 5th.

In the meantime, check out our Showcase FAQ page for answers to common questions!
Apply Now!
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Past Showcase Winners

Congratulations to the finalists who took home top honor in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
2023 Showcase Winners
2024 Showcase Winners
2025 Showcase Winners

2nd Place

1st Place

3nd Place

Impact Winner

Idea Winner

Impact Winner

Idea Winner

2025 Showcase Finalists

  • ASU Preparatory Academy: Redefining high school with personalized tech, modern curricula, and transformative student agency.
  • Central Middle School Kansas City Public Schools: The Intergenerational Window: A Pre-K to Gray Collaboration Model Driven by Interactive Podcasts.
  • HBCU Early College Prep, NYC Public Schools (District 29): Virtual coaching with college advisors for academic success, progress monitoring, and targeted support.
  • One Stone Lab School: Equipping students with the skills and mindsets to learn and grow with intention.
  • Rogers Park Montessori School: MentorAI empowers educators with tailored mentorship, enabling them to thrive so their students succeed.
  • South Bronx Community Charter High School: Empowering scholars with durable skills via a WBL ecosystem, 1:1 advising, & community at our core.
  • STEM School Chattanooga, Hamilton County Schools: Bridge K-12 STEM skills and workforce readiness through a web-based portfolio platform.
  • Torrance Unified School District: TUSD explores AI in education fostering digital literacy, media skills, and ethical AI use.
  • Utah State Board of Education: Scaling AI innovation to transform Utah K-12 education and empower future-ready learners.
  • Wayne RESA and Van Buren Public Schools: AI-powered multilingual school-family connections, fostering relationships & asset-based communication.

2024 Showcase Finalists

  • Embracing AI: Building Our Own District-Wide Artifical Intelligence (Idea) — Arcadia Unified School District, California
  • Virtual Vistas: Elevating Learning with an Ecosystem of Supports (Impact) — Illinois Virtual Schools & Academy, Illinois
  • Smart Manufacturing Meets Innovate (Idea) — Innovate Academy Preparatory School, Idaho
  • Runway Green - Brooklyn's First K-12 Experiential Learning Ecosystem (Idea) — Launch EL Charter School, New York
  • Reimagining College Counseling with AI (Idea) — San Francisco Bay Region School Districts, California
  • The $50 Study: An Income Floor for Teens (Impact) — Rooted School, Louisiana
  • SparkNC - Igniting Futures in Tech (Impact) — North Carolina School Districts, North Carolina
  • Talent Together: Bridging Educator Shortages Through Collaboration (Idea) — Consortia of 56 Intermediate School Districts in Michigan, Michigan
  • Developing an Inclusive School Environment for Autistic Students (Impact) — Tapestry Public Charter School, Georgia
  • Uxbridge High School Innovation Pathways (Impact) — Uxbridge High School/Uxbridge Public Schools, Massachusetts

2023 Showcase Finalists

  • Bonsall Forward Initiative — Bonsall Unified School District, California
  • Building a Culture to Advance Virtual Innovation — NYC DoE District 08, New York
  • Career Pathways and Career Connected Learning — Westbrook Public Schools, Connecticut
  • Igniting Regional Collaboration for Student Learning Recovery — East Central Educational Service Center, Indiana
  • Launch at Floyd Bennett Field — Launch Expeditionary Learning Charter School, New York
  • Overtime Elite — Overtime Elite, Georgia
  • Putting Rural on the Map — Collegiate Edu-Nation, Texas
  • Skyline: Chicago’s PK-12 Digital Curriculum — Chicago Public Schools, Illinois
  • Success for Our Seniors — Capital School District, Delaware
  • The Studio Experience:  Co-Designed Learning for All — Northern Cass School District, North Dakota

About The Organizers

Started in 2010 with a collaboration between Arizona State University (ASU) and Global Silicon Valley (GSV), the annual ASU+ GSV Summit connects leading minds focused on transforming society and business around learning and work. Our north star is that ALL people have equal access to the future.
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Digital Promise shapes the future of learning and advances equitable education systems by bringing together solutions across research, practice, and technology.

Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools connects and rallies the most forward-thinking leaders of the nation’s school districts.
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LEAP Innovations catalyzes innovation and education to transform how students learn. Fueled by the evidence-based strategies of the LEAP Learning Framework, our work focuses on igniting learner talent and potential by connecting learning experiences to each student's needs, interests and strengths.
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Transcend helps schools create learning environments where every student can thrive. Our diverse team of educators, innovators, and changemakers—many with deep experience as school and system leaders—works alongside educators, families, and communities to design joyful, challenging, future-ready learning. We also spread great ideas across the country so more schools can grow and innovate. Together, we’re building a future where every young person is prepared not only to thrive in the world, but to transform it.
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The Educating All Learners Alliance (EALA) is an uncommon coalition of over 140 organizations committed to resource-sharing and community-building that supports the efforts of the education community to meet the needs of students with disabilities. From working with edtech solution providers to address accessibility and inclusivity in edtech to partnering with schools and districts to support promising practices in the field, EALA is committed to ensuring equity for all learners by bringing together resources from across the fields of disability advocacy, special education, civil rights, and K-12 nonprofits have come together to address and reimagine organizations, approaches, systems, and learning environments.
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TIES, Teaching Institute for Excellence in STEM education is the country’s foremost innovator bringing STEM School design, STEM curriculum, and STEM instructional support to schools, districts, states and the federal government. TIES design teams work to create and build the finest STEM schools throughout the country. TIES recognizes the importance of school design and STEM professional development for all teachers as the basis to improve and advance the character of science, technology, engineering and mathematics teaching for students regardless of grade level. TIES understands the need to shift the teaching of STEM education to focus less on fragmented and isolated bits of discrete information and more on scientific understanding and reasoning. STEM education is trans-disciplinary in nature offering students the ability to use project-based learning to address real-world issues that affect their family, their community and their world. TIES works with regional and state economic development organizations to fuel STEM education curriculum and instructional program development for the benefit of all. Our students are digital natives and TIES works to ensure that the “Technology and Engineering” in STEM drive the relevance of the “Science and Mathematics.”
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This Year's Prizes

As in 2025, we will recognize innovations in two categories:
Idea (pre-implementation) and Impact (post-implementation).

Ten finalists will have the opportunity to travel to the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit with the chance to present LIVE on stage. We will select one winner from each category during the live Showcase in San Diego!
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Both winners in 2026 will receive:
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Personalized virtual consultation and a tailored, full-day, in-person workshop on the LEAP Learning Framework
(valued at $12,000)

2 days of the STEM-on-the-Go Van to provide Digital Fabrication for students grades 6-12 and teacher professional development, and TIES consulting to support AI and or Capstone Project Design for K12
(valued at $10,500)

Consulting with the Noegenesis Group, up to 8 hours of professional consulting to support the procurement of Powerful EdTech, training on the Digital Promise Inclusive Innovation Framework, and complimentary registration & accommodation for any League of Innovative Schools convening or event
(valued at $10,000)

Design sprint with Transcend Education
(valued at $10,000)
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Feature on the EALA Podcast and in a dedicated EALA-hosted webinar, amplifying your work to a national audience of educators and leaders, and 5 hours of personalized virtual consulting with the EALA team to advance accessibility, strategy, and implementation goals
(valued at $5,000)
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Complimentary registration to next year’s ASU+GSV Summit
(valued at $4,800)
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All top 10 finalists in 2026 will receive:
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One-hour virtual consultancy with LEAP Innovations
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Invitation to speak on the EALA podcast

Custom, virtual workshops for the Top 10 finalist group (and appropriate members of their teams) designed and facilitated by Digital Promise, TIES and Transcend
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(1) Complimentary registration to the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit and 4 nights of hotel accommodations in San Diego!