Frequently Asked Questions
Eligibility
What is a tool? Is my tool eligible?
What are the official rules for the competition?
Please refer to the Official Rules. All participants must agree to these rules to compete.
I don’t live within the United States. Am I eligible to compete?
The Tools Competition is open to participants from across the globe, however, eligibility criteria are dependent on track.
All participants must be able to accept funds from US based entities.
Individuals and entities residing in Belarus, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria, and the Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions of Ukraine are not eligible to participate in the Competition.
Does my submission need to be in English?
Do competitors retain intellectual property and full ownership of their product?
I have no experience in edtech. Am I eligible to compete?
Yes! We are eager to hear and support individuals who are new to the field. We encourage you to compete in the Catalyst award level to be more competitive. Please see more information on award levels for more guidance.
I’m a student, and/or the tool I’m submitting isn’t my full time job. Am I eligible to compete?
Yes! Anyone 18 years or older is eligible, and we are eager to hear from individuals at all stages of the development process.
I would like to submit as an individual. Am I eligible to compete?
Are we allowed to submit a joint proposal with another institution or organization?
I have a conflict with the Pitch period or Product Review Day. Am I eligible to compete?
Developing successful abstracts
How do I compete?
Does my tool need to be new? Or can I build off of an already existing product?
Does my tool need to address a certain age range of learners?
What is the definition of an "active user" when considering how to list the number of active users using my tool? Are there specific criteria?
What are the competition ‘tracks?’
Can I submit the same abstract for multiple tracks?
Can an abstract we submit in one track relate to or support a second abstract we submit in the same or in another track?
Are we able to make changes to our tool/idea between Phase I and Phase II?
How much should we focus on long term vision vs. what we will build with this immediate project?
How can I make my abstract more competitive?
- Focus on the competitive priorities for your selected track.
- Prioritize your tool’s alignment to learning engineering principles. See more on learning engineering here.
- Ensure that you thoroughly describe your tool. It is crucial for reviewers to gain a clear understanding of what your tool is, how it works, what technology powers the tool, how users interact with it, etc.
Do we need to wait until the funding is issued to start developing the tool?
Where do I learn more about learning engineering?
Award Levels & Budget
Which award level should I apply for?
- Catalyst ($50,000): for early stage ideas or products
- Growth ($150,000): for products with some users and scale
- Transform ($300,000): for established platforms with 10,000 or more users
Complete the eligibility quiz to determine which award level best fits your proposal.
What can the product of a Catalyst level proposal look like?
If I have 10,000 or more users, am I required to compete in the Transform award level?
How can I be considered for the Implementation Impact Prize?
How can I be considered for the OpenAI Learning Impact Prize?
What is the budget period for the award?
What are the conditions for the funding?
Feedback & Evaluation
How will submissions be evaluated?
- Potential impact and likelihood to improve learning
- Attention to equity to support learning of historically marginalized populations
- Demand from learners, educators, and families
- Ability to support rapid experimentation and continuous improvement
- Ability to scale to additional users and/or domains
- Team passion, and readiness to execute
For more information on eligibility criteria, refer to the Official Rules. For additional details on what evaluation looks like during each phase of the competition, please refer to the Competition Overview.
Will the competition organizers provide support and feedback before the first submission deadline?
Yes! Multiple competitor support events were hosted and competitor resources provided throughout Phase I of the competition. Learn more and view previous event recordings on our blog.
Additional avenues for support are sent out to our mailing list, so please ensure you’re signed up for updates here.
We also recommend joining the Learning Engineering Google Group. Opportunities for partnership and additional support are also frequently posted there.
What happens after the competition?
How will winners receive their awards?
What is Product Review Day?
Are there any additional opportunities for funding or partnership if I am not selected as a winner?
We also encourage your team, if not selected, to stay connected with the learning engineering community through the Learning Engineering Google Group and with competition organizers by reaching to ToolsCompetition@the-learning-agency.com.
How is the impact of winning tools evaluated?
Competition organizers are eager to support winners and learn from their work to inform future resources for competitors and winners. To do so, all winners will participate in an impact study during which research advisors will work with you to incorporate new measures into your internal evaluation process. In addition, all winners will complete impact surveys data in the years after winning.