Welcome to the 2025 Tools Competition, a global edtech competition that encourages innovators at all stages of development to use digital technology, big data, and learning science to conceive of new ways to meet the urgent needs of learners worldwide. This year’s competition will award funding to winning tools that present high-impact ideas for kindergarten through post-secondary learning. This year’s competition opportunities include:
Innovation starts simply – with an idea. Phase I of the Tools Competition allows individuals and teams to submit a brief abstract on the idea for their tool. It’s not necessary to have everything figured out as you submit your abstract in Phase I – the competition is designed to give you time and space to build and refine your ideas over the course of the competition.
For the Phase I abstract, you should focus on crafting the vision for your tool. In evaluating Phase I abstracts, we identify proposals that best articulate potential for impact at scale, novelty, support of diverse learner populations, and commitment to learning science research.
With this in mind, here are some tips to help you develop a strong abstract:
Find the right fit. Select the track or opportunity you feel will be the best fit and describe how your vision and the goals of the opportunity are aligned. Remember to review the track or opportunity page to learn more about the target audience, eligibility requirements, and overall objectives.
Clearly describe your tool. Remember to keep it simple. Share your proposal with a friend unfamiliar with your idea. They should be able to describe your tool and why it matters. Responding directly to the specific prompts in the submission form will help with this.
It’s about quality, not quantity. At this phase, we’re interested in the quality of your idea over the length of your abstract, so really take the time to communicate the key aspects of your tool. Provide a clear understanding of how your tool works and share how it can address an urgent need in education.
Be early. Please note that we cannot accept proposals that are submitted after the submission deadline. If possible, submit your proposal in advance of the October 25 deadline to avoid any technical difficulties or delays. If the platform is not working for you at the last minute, you can submit a complete version of your proposal via email using this template as long as it is BEFORE the submission deadline.
Help is out there – use it.
- Need inspiration? Learn from previous winners. Review winning tools from past competition cycles for examples of competitive ideas. Exploring these tools will give you a sense of what compelling tools look like and may help spark your ideas!
- Utilize available resources. Take advantage of the resources and events designed to support you as you develop your abstract. This blog post includes a full list of supports available for Phase I of the competition.
