Chairperson of Qatar Foundation H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser presenting the 2024–2025 WISE Prize for Education (first place) to Director of Product Engineering at Tumo Path, Vahakn Papazian, yesterday.
Doha, Qatar: Chairperson of Qatar Foundation H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser presented the 2024–2025 WISE Prize for Education to three winners, celebrating their transformative impact on education at the closing of WISE 12 Summit yesterday.
Under the redesigned WISE Prize format aimed at scaling high-impact educational solutions, six finalists were shortlisted, and three winners were announced during the summit’s closing ceremony.
The prize pool of $1m was distributed among the winners, with TUMO receiving $500,000 for first place, Iqrali.jo earning $300,000 in second place, and Darsel awarded $200,000 for third place.
Since its launch, the WISE Prize for Education has become a leading global honour, celebrating visionary individuals and organisations creating lasting, systemic impact in education worldwide.
Among 2024–2025 WISE Prize winners TUMO in Armenia is reinventing after-school creative learning; Jordan-based Iqrali.jo supports children’s Arabic literacy through a parent-focused platform; and Darsel in the USA delivers AI-powered math tutoring tailored for low-connectivity environments.
In his acceptance speech, Director of Product Engineering at Tumo Path, Vahakn Papazian, dedicated the award to young learners worldwide, highlighting their commitment to creating human-centred, innovative, and impactful solutions in education. They emphasised that the recognition from the WISE Prize and Qatar Foundation strengthens their mission to reach communities that are often overlooked and to empower every learner to thrive.
He said, “No matter where you are, what community you come from, no matter your circumstances, gender, beliefs, or aspirations, we will do our best to empower you, so you can thrive and lift up your communities and the world with you through education.”
“We accept this recognition with humility and renewed determination. We pledge to continue to innovate boldly and ensure that every learner everywhere has the opportunity to thrive,” Papazian added.
Under the new WISE Prize model, each finalist received $125,000 to build a Minimum Viable Product addressing urgent educational needs, supported by tailored mentorship, technical expertise, and capacity-building from WISE.
This approach ensures every finalist advances from concept to implementation, with solutions covering literacy, AI-enabled learning, accessible technology, teacher development, and support for marginalised students.
The six finalists bring innovations from across the globe. In addition to the three winners, Bonocle (Qatar) is developing the world’s first Braille entertainment and learning device; Fast Track+ (Nigeria) accelerates foundational literacy for refugee learners; and AprendoLab (Chile) offers AI-powered professional development to help teachers personalise learning. Over the past year, all finalists worked closely with WISE experts to refine and scale their solutions, extending their impact far beyond their home countries.
Addressing the closing ceremony the outgoing CEO of WISE, Stavros N. Yiannouka reflected on 13 years of leadership and the evolution of the WISE Prize.
He said the new incarnation of the prize reflects a deeper commitment to advancing innovation not only by celebrating it but by actively enabling it. Yiannouka highlighted the summit’s three key themes: the need to keep education fundamentally human, the role of technology as a tool that must serve humanity, and the responsibility to ensure emerging forms of artificial intelligence remain aligned with human values.
Expressing gratitude to Qatar Foundation, the WISE community, and the leadership of Qatar, he spoke candidly about the persistence required in educational progress, likening it to the myth of Sisyphus, while expressing confidence in the next leadership that will carry the mission forward.
The designated CEO of WISE, Dr. Asyia Kazmi, OBE emphasised WISE’s growing global reach from its expansive AI-focused research network to upcoming initiatives like the WISE Index, the next WISE Prize cycle, the WISE Accelerator, and teacher-led WISE Testbeds. She underscored both the opportunities and risks facing education today and reaffirmed WISE’s commitment to advancing impactful, values-driven innovation in partnership with its global community.
She said, “Education City is a physical manifestation of your vision which is rooted in Qatar but connected to the world.
“While we close the summit today, we do not close our collective mission; the work continues to realise the potential of education for humanity.”
