We are thrilled to announce 50 finalists for the 2026 Tools Competition, which will award more than $3 million this year! This cycle drew more than 1,400 submissions addressing some of the most critical problems facing learners, educators, and educational systems across K-12 and postsecondary settings.
Access the links below to learn more about the finalists:
- Accelerating K-12 Learning Track
- Building Pathways to Postsecondary Success Track
- Datasets for Education Innovation Track
Proposals showcased the vast potential of technologists, researchers, educators, and entrepreneurs to improve learning outcomes, while advancing learning engineering as a whole.
Finalists represent some of the most promising work at the intersection of education and technology today — spanning tools that deepen how students learn, strengthen how teachers teach, expand access to postsecondary and career pathways, and build the open data infrastructure the field needs to innovate responsibly. Many are harnessing frontier AI methods to unlock new possibilities for personalized, inclusive, and effective learning.
The Tools Competition has three phases of evaluation and multiple prize levels to help winners create or enhance their tools at all phases of development. As they enter the third and final phase, track finalists will pitch their tool before a panel of judges who will nominate winners of the competition.
The Tools Competition has previously named 150 winners from 48 countries, reaching nearly 50 million learners and educators worldwide, from early childhood to adulthood. Winners for all tracks in the 2026 competition cycle will be announced in summer 2026.
The 2026 Tools Competition is a program of Renaissance Philanthropy, organized by The Learning Agency, and is supported by: the Walton Family Foundation, Griffin Catalyst, Axim Collaborative, Oak Foundation, Cinelli Family Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.
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