
Awardees
The Most STOP-Enabled Innovators of 2022
Proving that learning happens when transformational practices are in place for students, each of our winners this year is delivering outstanding results for students overlooked and underrepresented on the honor rolls of traditional US education. Started and led by education entrepreneurs, many of whom started out as the students they serve, they are breathing new life into communities who have been failed by the traditional system. Get to know them – they represent the future of education for all of us!
2022 YASS PRIZE WINNER
Arizona Autism Charter Schools
Phoenix, Arizona
The first autism-focused charter school in the western United States is on a mission to change the narrative about students with autism.

The 2022 Finalists
The 2022 Semifinalists
This year’s semifinalists come from 23 different states and really prove that innovation is alive and well in education. Micro schools, pods and hybrid learning environments almost unheard of two years ago are now being utilized by parents and educators across the nation.
The 2022 Quarterfinalists
Our exceptional awardees hail from 33 states and the District of Columbia as well as groups serving the entire nation. They include schools with one location and some with multiple, and represent 8 different kinds of education providers.
STOP for Arizona Education Awards
Congratulations to these outstanding education providers, winners of the STOP for Arizona Education Awards who have made an incredible commitment to expanding their work to more families to be able to use the state’s pioneering Empowerment Scholarship Accounts for their students.

2021 Award Recipients
Meet the 2021 Yass Prize and STOP Awards Recipients.
Discovery Center Springfield
Springfield, Missouri

I'm deeply humbled and grateful to be part of this group.
The last month has been a tremendous experience and I'm so inspired and motivated by the amazing work this group is doing. Collectively, we’re working towards a real-world goal and it’s leaving me empowered and motivated to apply what we learn.
Remember, you are doing the work of civilization.
You are planting the seeds of a better world, despite any bad news, you’re doing great things.
Entrepreneurs are the engine of the innovation economy.
The work this remarkable group has accomplished is not only inspirational but can be transformative for millions more students.
The fact that education has become partisan is upsetting, and I just hope that this award will encourage more states to view this as a bipartisan issue.
The relationships kids develop at the Boys & Girls Clubs with their peers and the staff have a positive impact on their lives.
Kids develop a sense of belonging, usefulness and competence. They get to find their strengths and their passions. Every child should have that opportunity.
Success happens after many pivots and changes.
This group of innovators has the opportunity to show the world what is possible for kids, what doesn't yet exist for so many children who deserve the opportunity to be entrepreneurs and to shine as out of the box thinkers.
This group of innovators has the opportunity to show the world what is possible for kids, what doesn't yet exist for so many children who deserve the opportunity to be entrepreneurs and to shine as out of the box thinkers.
The real source of wealth in society is the human mind, not material things, because with the human mind, great wealth can be created.
The Yass Prize is more than a competition to me. Yes, we want to win. However, we are winning in so many aspects. Knowledge is power!
I am so grateful to be a part of such an extraordinary group.
The special sauce of our schools is tutoring.
We support our students and their ability to reach their full human potential through the use of tutoring.
The concepts of taking chances and not being afraid to fail all resonated with me and goes against the grain of what I have always practiced and accepted as what education is all about from a traditional lens.
Silicon Valley is a mindset. It is like the Education Revolution that we are seeing. The mindset of Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
Can we have an educational Silicon Valley?