Nomination for the World's Largest Education Prize is Now Open
China's Philanthropist of the Year Charles Chen Yidan to award $7.6 million annually for education research and development.
HONG KONG, Sept. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The official nomination procedure for the largest international prize in education research and development The Yidan Prize has been launched. The Yidan Prize established by Charles Chen Yidan, core founder of Chinese internet company Tencent and China's Philanthropist of the Year, recognizes individuals whose work transforms education in an innovative way that can be repeated around the world to provide access and improve the quality of education for all.
In early September Mr. Chen visited the USA to introduce the Yidan Prize to leading members of the academic community as well as facilitate dialogue on the future of education with a number of educational institutions including Harvard University, Columbia University, Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also had meetings with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies and among other foundations. During his stay in the USA, Mr. Chen gave a keynote at UBS Philanthropy Forum -- Americas.
Speaking on his visit to the USA, Mr. Chen said: "The idea of the Yidan Prize is to highlight awareness of the best projects and ideas out there today that could benefit people all around the world. There are fantastic initiatives all across the United States. Some schools are working with the idea of games as the way to a child's mind. Others are engaged in 'flipping' the school program, so that children watch their lessons at home and do their homework at school, under the supervision of the teacher. Some are working with nature and the environment as the entry point to a child's mind. Personalization of the school program allows for the interests, strengths and weaknesses of each child to form his or her curriculum, starting from a young age and continuing through higher education. I want not only to show my support with grant money associated with the Prize, but also to spread the word about best practice that could be accessed by all. I hope we receive many nominations from the United States and other countries."
After the Yidan Prize Foundation's visit to the USA, the team will head off to Canada as part of its outreach to North America. During the nomination period from this September to March 2017, the Foundation plans to visit Europe, Asia and other regions to call for more high quality nominations from across the globe.
Each nomination will be reviewed by a jury of highly respected experts led by former director-general of UNESCO Dr. Kichiro Matsuura. The Prize is divided between two categories -- The Yidan Prize for Education Research and the Yidan Prize for Education Development. The two independent judging panels will screen valid nominations and select a candidate for each prize category. Prof Paul Chu Ching-wu, professor of physics, T.L.L., temple chair of science, University of Houston heads the Yidan Prize for Education Research panel, and Dorothy K. Gordon, director-general of the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT leads the Yidan Prize for Education Development panel.
Judging committee will review each nomination based on the criteria covering sustainability, future orientation, ability to achieve transformation and spirit of innovation. The first laureates will be announced in September 2017.
The Yidan Prize in education research and development will become the largest educational prize in the world. Each recipient will receive a total of HK$30 million (about $3.8 million), with a cash award of HK$15 million (about $1.9 million), and another HK$15 million (about $1.9 million) impact investment, to finance the winners' research or projects. The Prize is backed by an endowment trust of HK$2.5 billion (about $320 million).
For nominees:
Nominations can be made by individuals or institutions -- including schools, international organizations and private companies -- from anywhere in the world. Self-nomination is allowed in exceptional cases.
Submissions must be made through the Yidan Prize website by March 31 2017. Nominations will be reviewed by international Judging Committee chaired by Dr Koichiro Matsuura, former director-general of UNESCO. The laureates are to announced in September 2017 and awarded at the Yidan Prize Summit in December 2017.
To submit a nomination: https://nomination.yidanprize.org
Lawrence Lui
Tel: +852-2155-1582
Email: lawrence@yidanprize.org
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