Yidan Prize

Yidan Prize Medals

The Yidan Prize (/i:dan/) is a prize founded in 2016 by Chen Yidan for "contributions to education research and development". The prize is financed and governed by a HK$2.5 billion (about US$320 million) independent trust.[1][2][3][4] It is a global, inclusive education award which recognizes changemakers who inspire progress in education for a better world, and has been referred to as the largest education prize on earth.[5]

Laureates

2017

The first prize winners were named in September 2017 as Carol S. Dweck and Vicky Colbert.[2] The award ceremony took place during December 2017 in Hong Kong.[6][7]

2018

The two 2018 winners were Anant Agarwal[8][9][10] and Larry Hedges.[10][11][12]

2019

Usha Goswami and Sir Fazle Hasan.[13]

2020

The American physicist Carl Wieman was awarded the prize for his work in STEM education and for his research-based improvements to university teaching and the transformation of how science is taught in major universities. When awarded the prize, Wieman stated:

I am thrilled and honored to have the work of my research group recognized in this way. This prize will accelerate our efforts to improve education for students throughout the world.

Lucy Lake and Angeline Murimirwa from Camfed, a Non-governmental organization (NGO) that seeks to eradicate poverty in Africa through the education of girls and the empowerment of young women, were awarded the prize for their contributions to education for girls and education development in Sub-Saharan Africa.[14] Lucy Lake, CEO of the NGO stated:

This Prize brings a spotlight to the power of our growing movement led by young women who are the experts on what it takes for the most marginalized girls to succeed. Together, we will launch our ambition to support five million girls in school, and it will be game-changing.

2021

The prize for Education Research was awarded to Eric A. Hanushek, the Paul and Jean Hanna Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University, while the prize for Education Development was awarded to Dr. Rukmini Banerji, CEO of Pratham Education Foundation.[15]

2022

Linda Darling-Hammond and Yongxin Zhu.[16]

2023

Michelene Chi[17] and Shai Reshef.[18]

2024

Prizes

The Yidan Prizes consist of a medal, a cash prize of HK$15 million and a project fund of HK$15 million to each of the two winners. It is supported by a US$320 million endowment.[20] Prizes are awarded at the annual Yidan Prize Awards Presentation Ceremony in conjunction with an education conference.[10]

Adjudication process

Nominations may be submitted by universities, government agencies, and think tanks[21] and are reviewed by a committee involving Kōichirō Matsuura, Andreas Schleicher and Dorothy Gordon.[10][22]

Worldwide "Educating for the Future" Index

In 2017 the Yidan Prize Foundation released a Worldwide "Educating for the Future" Index[23] (researched by the Economist Intelligence Unit)[24] comparing the education in 35 developed and developing economies (ranking by 16 indicators of education policy, "teaching environment" and "socio-economic environment"),[25] placing New Zealand and Canada in the top two places.[26]

References

  1. ^ "Chinese billionaire offers biggest education prize - BBC". BBC News. 18 January 2017. Retrieved 2017-09-22.
  2. ^ a b "Carol Dweck and Vicky Colbert win largest education prize". Independent Education Today. 2017-12-10. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
  3. ^ "Chinese billionaire seeks ideas from Canadian universities for education prize - The Globe and Mail". The Globe and Mail. 2 January 2017. Retrieved 2017-09-22.
  4. ^ "Yidan Prize for Education Research and Education Development announced at MIT - MIT News". www.news.mit.edu.com. Retrieved 2017-09-22.
  5. ^ Newton, Derek. "The Largest Education Prize On Earth". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-09-28.
  6. ^ University, Stanford (2017-09-19). "Stanford psychologist recognized with $4 million prize | Stanford News". Stanford News. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
  7. ^ Flannery, Russell. "Stanford, Colombia Educators Win Tencent Co-Founder's First Yidan Prizes". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
  8. ^ "It's Time for Colleges to Stop Overlooking Hispanic Adults". www.chronicle.com. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
  9. ^ "Anant Agarwal, MIT professor and edX CEO, wins Yidan Prize". MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
  10. ^ a b c d Pao, Jeff (2018-09-17). "Yidan Prizes announced for supporters of education sector". Asia Times. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
  11. ^ "The Billionaire Who Quit Tencent to Pledge His Money to Teachers". Bloomberg.com. 2018-09-15. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
  12. ^ "Yidan Prize names 2018 laureates". The Financial Express. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
  13. ^ 2019 Yidan Prize Laureates Announced, Tech & Learning, September 19, 2019
  14. ^ "Meet Yidan Prize 2020 Laureates". Observatory | Institute for the Future of Education. October 2020. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
  15. ^ "Meet the 2021 Yidan Prize Laureates". Yidan Prize Foundation. 2021-09-28. Retrieved 2021-09-28.
  16. ^ Yidan Prize laureates, Yidan Prize, November 23, 2012
  17. ^ Professor Michelene Chi, 2023 Yidan Prize laureates, Yidan Prize
  18. ^ Shai Reshef, 2023 Yidan Prize laureates, Yidan Prize
  19. ^ Yidan Prize: Laureates
  20. ^ "Stanford professor wins inaugural $4 million Yidan Prize". Times Higher Education. 2017-09-19. Retrieved 2017-09-21.
  21. ^ "Chinese billionaire offers biggest education prize". BBC News. 2017-01-18. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
  22. ^ "2030 vision: 5 ways the world's educators must adapt to the new machine age". South China Morning Post. 2016-06-13. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
  23. ^ "Future not so bright in index". www.thestandard.com.hk. 2017-10-20.
  24. ^ "New Zealand is world-leading in preparing students for the future » Education NZ". enz.govt.nz. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
  25. ^ Holland, Beth (24 October 2017). "The Worldwide Educating for the Future Index - A Blueprint for Change". Education Week. Retrieved 2017-10-27.
  26. ^ "New Zealand 'top in world' for preparing students for future". Times Higher Education (THE). 2017-09-19. Retrieved 2021-04-19.