Deadline: October 15, 2025
Are you developing innovative tools that enhance learning and educational outcomes? The Learning Engineering Tools Competition 2026 is now open for applications, offering a chance to win up to US$ 500,000 in funding to advance your work in educational technology, data-driven learning, and learning science research.
This global competition seeks innovators, researchers, educators, students, and technology creators who are designing tools and solutions that improve how people learn across diverse contexts and age groups.
Application Deadline
October 15, 2025 (7:59 PM PST)
About the Learning Engineering Tools Competition 2026
The Learning Engineering Tools Competition 2026 empowers individuals and organisations working to improve learning outcomes through technology, data, and scientific insight. Since its inception in 2020, the competition has distributed over $20 million to approximately 150 winning teams from a pool of more than 5,600 proposals. Past winners have reached tens of millions of learners globally, transforming how education is delivered and experienced.
The competition applies the principles of learning engineering—the use of data, technology, and evidence-based methods to improve educational results—to stimulate the creation and scaling of impactful tools and resources.
Focus Areas / Competition Tracks
Participants can apply to one of three major tracks, depending on their area of innovation and intended impact:
- Accelerating K–12 Learning
Tools and technologies that enhance instruction and student learning in the K–12 education system. - Building Pathways to Postsecondary Success
Innovations that support learners transitioning to higher education and career pathways, strengthening employability and postsecondary outcomes. - Datasets for Education Innovation
Projects that create, improve, or release open, high-quality datasets to support research and the development of AI applications in education.
Prize Categories
The competition recognises and supports projects at various stages of growth through three funding tiers:
- Catalyst (US$ 50,000): For early-stage tools and ideas demonstrating strong potential for impact.
- Growth (US$ 150,000): For tools that have gained some traction, users, or measurable outcomes.
- Transform (US$ 300,000): For established platforms already serving 10,000+ users and showing large-scale impact.
Each category is designed to nurture projects from concept to scale, ensuring that great ideas receive the right level of support to flourish.
Who Can Apply?
The Learning Engineering Tools Competition 2026 is open globally to:
- Innovators, developers, and technology creators
- Researchers and education specialists
- Educators and learning scientists
- Students, startups, and non-profit organisations
Applicants are encouraged to propose projects that leverage digital technology, big data, and learning science to make measurable improvements in education and workforce learning.
Why Apply?
Winners will:
- Gain access to significant funding to advance their solutions.
- Join a global network of learning engineers, educators, and researchers.
- Receive visibility and recognition from leading education stakeholders.
- Contribute to transforming global learning through scalable, evidence-based innovation.
Useful Links
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