HundrED is proud to announce a new partnership with the Khalifa Award, a United Arab Emirates-based organisation recognising research, teaching practices and solutions to advance Emirati and Arab educational outputs and standards at all levels.
“Early childhood education is where families, educators, and policy-makers can make the first and most lasting impact on a child. Tending to a child's holistic development is of utmost importance at this early stage. Through this partnership with HundrED, we want to learn about proven, impactful approaches from around the world and help bring them to the children who need them most,” explained His Excellency Humaid Al-Houti, Secretary-General of the Khalifa Award for Education.
Through the Spotlight on Early Learning Impact, HundrED and the Khalifa Award will identify innovative solutions and impactful research in early childhood learning and education for the Khalifa International Awards for Early Learning. One solution will receive an award for “Best Programs, Curricula, and Teaching Methodologies and Practices,” and one research paper will be awarded the “Best Research and Studies Award.” Each prize winner will receive $100,000 USD to further develop their work. Both winners will be featured in a Spotlight report published by HundrED and invited to the awards ceremony in April 2027 in Abu Dhabi.
“We're thrilled to partner with the Khalifa Award on this Spotlight because it lets us shine a light on early learning innovators the world doesn't hear enough about," said Lasse Leponiemi at HundrED. “If you're building something that supports early learning, we want to hear from you.”
Calling for global solutions supporting early learning
If you are working on an educational practice or have published a research report that supports early learning, you might be a good candidate for this Spotlight. We welcome applicants from any country, including those that:
- Support early childhood education (ECE) for 0-8 year olds;
- Promote teacher education and/or professional development;
- Provide innovative solutions to problems and support improvements in practice;
- Support families and/or communities;
- Take place in formal (school), informal (e.g., after school), and non-formal (e.g., outside of school) education settings;
- Are from individuals, teams, or organisations (non-profit or for-profit);
- Enrich the evidence base for policy and practice in ways that can lead to meaningful improvements in early learning.
Applications are now open and close on December 31, 2026.
Learn more about the application process on the Spotlight page.