#Hong Kong #Yidan Prize #Uri Wilensky #Mamadou Ly

Spotlight on the Yidan Prize 2025

The Yidan Prize Foundation, a renowned global philanthropic organization, has revealed its distinguished laureates for the 2025 Yidan Prize. This prestigious award honors individuals who have made significant contributions to education, particularly focusing on the promotion of competencies in complex systems and multilingual education.

Recognizing Educational Innovators

The 2025 recipients are Professor Uri Wilensky from Northwestern University, recognized for his groundbreaking work in computational thinking, and Mamadou Amadou Ly, the Executive Director of Associates in Research and Education for Development (ARED), celebrated for his impactful contributions to foundational skills development and multilingual education.

Professor Wilensky’s research is primarily aimed at enhancing our understanding of complex systems through agent-based modeling. He developed an open-source tool called NetLogo, which allows users—ranging from young students to seasoned researchers—to explore various complex phenomena, such as climate change and economic instability, by simulating the interactions of individual 'agents'. This tool not only fosters scientific inquiry but also democratizes knowledge about complex systems across diverse educational contexts.

Wilensky's work, as highlighted by Andreas Schleicher, Chair of the Education Research Jury of the Yidan Prize, underscores the necessity of equipping students with the tools to navigate non-linear systems prevalent in today's interconnected world. By enabling learners to engage with complex models, he enhances their confidence and capacity for problem-solving.

On the other hand, Mamadou Amadou Ly’s work focuses on improving literacy and numeracy among children through culturally relevant and bilingual educational models. His initiatives at ARED have significantly advanced foundational skills for children both inside and outside of schools. He emphasizes teaching in languages that children already know alongside new languages they are acquiring, creating a scalable model for bilingual education that fosters inclusivity and equal access to educational opportunities. His approach has influenced national education policies in African nations, including Senegal and Mauritania, advocating for educational strategies that recognize and value linguistic diversity.

The Importance of Education for a Better World

Dr. Charles CHEN Yidan, the founder of the Yidan Prize, states, "Education unlocks potential." He affirms the foundation's commitment to supporting educational innovation at a time when global investment in this sector is declining. The Yidan Prize serves as a beacon, guiding efforts to create a better future through education.

The Yidan Prize consists of two main categories: the Yidan Prize for Education Research and the Yidan Prize for Education Development, both designed to recognize innovative and transformative contributions to education. Each laureate is awarded a project fund of HKD 15 million (approximately USD 1.9 million) to scale their educational initiatives.

Ceremony and Summit

The laureates will be honored on December 6, 2025, in Hong Kong, coinciding with the annual Yidan Prize Summit taking place on December 5-6. Following this event, nominations for the 2026 Yidan Prize will be accepted from October 2025 to March 2026.

In summary, the 2025 Yidan Prize laureates exemplify the transformative power of education and its role in addressing global challenges. Their contributions reflect a commitment to developing innovative strategies that enhance learning experiences and outcomes for students around the world.

For more information, please visit yidanprize.org or follow the foundation on social media platforms.