The Tools Competition is now open!
Awarding $3+ million to
ed tech innovation.
Accepting abstracts through October 15th.
The Learning Engineering Tools Competition is a
multi-million dollar funding opportunity for edtech innovation
that leverages digital technology, big data, and learning science to meet the urgent needs of learners worldwide.
Sponsors & Partners
Timeline
The 2026 timeline will be announced in September 2025. Sign up for updates.
-
Sept 8, 2025Tools Competition Launch
-
Oct 15, 2025Deadline for Phase I
Abstracts -
Nov 20, 2025Select Participants
Invited to Phase II -
Jan 21, 2026Deadline for Phase II
Proposals -
Mar 16, 2026Finalists Invited to
Phase III Pitches -
April 2026Phase III Pitches
(Virtual) -
June 2026Winners
Announced -
2026-2027Winner
Impact Study
Objectives
Catalyze learning
outcomes
We support cutting edge solutions for the most pressing challenges facing learners worldwide.
Advance learning
science research
We build capacity for edtech to leverage big data to support a better understanding of learning at scale.
Develop all innovators
We welcome individuals and teams at all phases of development—from early ideas to established platforms.
Build the Learning Engineering community
We cultivate a strong network, driving collaboration between edtech, researchers, and educators.
How to participate
1. Find Your Track
The Tools Competition is designed to be inclusive of diverse ideas at all phases of development. We encourage participation from ed tech innovators, researchers, students, and educators alike.
Accelerating K-12 Learning
Tools that accelerate K–12 learning by advancing rigorous, relevant instruction designed to be inclusive and accessible by all learners.
Building Pathways to Postsecondary Success
Tools that advance postsecondary learning and workforce development outcomes, expanding pathways to meaningful careers.
Datasets for Education Innovation
This track supports the creation and release of open, high-quality datasets that advance education research, fuel responsible AI development, and reduce barriers to innovation.
2. Select Your Prize Level
Select a prize level corresponding to your phase of development. Note that the winners of the Datasets track will be eligible for a $100,000 prize.
Catalyst Prizes ($50k)
for early stage tools
Growth Prizes ($150k)
for products with some users and scale
Transform Prizes ($300k)
for established platforms with
10,000 or more users
What is a Tool?
The Tools Competition funds edtech tools and technologies that support learning outcomes and can contribute to learning science research.
Eligible tools have the potential to generate novel learning data that researchers can study to better understand learning at scale. This may include an app, software, dataset, algorithm, or other digital technology that facilitates or supports continuous data collection and has the potential to scale at minimal cost.
Please note that this definition is not exhaustive. As technology continues to develop and innovations are created globally, other tool concepts may also be competitive.
Explore winning tools from previous years to get a sense of compelling proposals.
To date, the Tools Competition:
Awarded
million
Named
winners
across 48 countries
Reaching nearly
million
learners and educators
million
Why Learning Engineering?
The Tools Competition meets an urgent need to leverage cutting edge digital technology and data to support learning science research at scale.
Underpinning the Tools Competition is the growing field of learning engineering, which brings together edtech, researchers, and educators to leverage big data to:
- Expand what we know about learning—what works, for whom, and under what conditions.
- Catalyze a cycle of continuous improvement to develop more effective interventions and drive evidence-based product innovation.
Ed tech has an important role to play in contributing to research at scale. Tools generate rich data that can allow researchers to run studies and better understand the learning process.
All participants will need to detail how their tool contributes to learning engineering.
Learn from Previous
Winners
Teaching Lab’s ‘Innovation Studio’ for EdTech Transformation: From Competition to Collaboration
How Tools Winner AI-Learners Helps A Special Education Teacher Save Time While Reaching Every Student