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Awardees

Awardees

Meet the 2026 Yass Prize Contenders!

Live from Forbes on Fifth in New York City, the Yass Prize contenders were revealed in a special livestream event. These contenders will now have the opportunity to pitch at the Yass Prize Miami Accelerator, making the case for why they should receive the $1 million Yass Prize.

What unites this cohort is a shared conviction that school needs to look different. Many are parent-driven – education entrepreneurs whose own children’s unique needs pushed them to build models that wouldn’t otherwise exist, opening new learning opportunities for their kids and countless others. Together, they are the “best of”: the single greatest example of the diversity of excellence and transformational innovation our country has to offer. Congratulations!

AMIkids Maritime Academy

AMIkids Maritime Academy

Panama City, FL

Cooking4Autism

Cooking4Autism

Pennsylvania & New Jersey

Cornerstone Christian Academy

Cornerstone Christian Academy

Statesville, NC

Creative Minds Microschool

Creative Minds Microschool

Wendell, NC

DePaul School of Northeast Florida

DePaul School of Northeast Florida

Jacksonville, FL

Flourish Education

Flourish Education

Tennessee

Girard College

Girard College

Philadelphia, PA

Habitat for Aviation

Habitat for Aviation

Swanton, VT

Happy Hands Education Center

Happy Hands Education Center

Broken Arrow, OK

Indiana Microschool Collaborative

Indiana Microschool Collaborative

Indiana

Jalen Rose Leadership Academy

Jalen Rose Leadership Academy

Detroit, MI

Kidvation Global

Kidvation Global

National

Learning Lounge

Learning Lounge

Pine Bluff, AR

Man Up Teacher Fellowship

Man Up Teacher Fellowship

Mempis, TN

Miracle Academy Private Christian School

Miracle Academy Private Christian School

Birmingham, AL

Moreana Boys Academy

Moreana Boys Academy

Gilbert, AZ

Orangeburg High School for Health Professions

Orangeburg High School for Health Professions

Orangeburg, SC

Pine Ridge Girls School

Pine Ridge Girls School

Porcupine, SD

Regina Caeli Academy

Regina Caeli Academy

National

Salt & Light Academy for Boys

Salt & Light Academy for Boys

Philadelphia, PA

St. Anthony Catholic School

St. Anthony Catholic School

Des Moines, IA

Star Lab

Star Lab

Sarasota, FL

TriPoint Schools

TriPoint Schools

San Antonio, TX

University Preparatory Charter School for Young Men (UPREP)

University Preparatory Charter School for Young Men (UPREP)

Rochester, NY

Valor Education

Valor Education

Texas

Wakanyeja Ki Tokeyahci Wounspe Oti (Children First Learning Center)

Wakanyeja Ki Tokeyahci Wounspe Oti (Children First Learning Center)

Mission, SD

When we follow the money, it’s ludicrous how this country is getting away with funding education.

The funding is not following children. We're trying to make better options for kids, for poor kids, middle class kids. Wealthy people have this choice, they opt out of their systems easily, why shouldn't all children have that choice?

Janine Yass
Founder,
The Yass Prize

The Yass Prize is truly changing the landscape of education options across the nation,

and I couldn't be more grateful for what it's done for us, and helping us serve more students and families.

Diana Diaz-Harrison
Founder,
Arizona Autism Charter Schools

One of the missions of the Yass Prize and the Yass Prize movement is really surfacing best practices in innovation—

in innovators who are doing this type of transformational work, so that others can learn from it and replicate it, so that you can actually grow yourselves.

Jeff Imrich
Co-Founder,
Rock by Rock

We used the Yass Prize to launch a program called Skypod catalyst, which is essentially an accelerator to help other people start microschools.

We believe very much that microschools should be bottoms up, they come from the community. They're founded by educators who know their community really well. And they want to design a learning environment for the kids in that community.

Amar Kumar
Founder and CEO,
KaiPod Learning, 2022 Yass Prize Seminfinalist

Everyone knows that without great education, our nation suffers.

Great education is a vital link for students to become successful citizens.

Janine Yass
Founder,
The Yass Prize

If you're committed to wanting to be one of the change makers of the future in education, I believe that this is a place for you.

Not only because of the capital, but because of the knowledge that comes by communing with the diverse group of people as opposed to everybody that thinks the exact same way that you might think.

Taylor Shead
Founder and CEO,
STEMuli Studios

Having the status of Yass Prize Semifinalist has opened doors that we’ve been knocking on for years,

including public recognition from our Governor and partnership conversations with other education innovators from around the country.

Matthew Chaussee
Founder & CEO,
CareerViewXR & BeMoreColorful

The Yass Award is about celebrating and rewarding those who make students the priority.”

Kevin Stitt
Governor,
Oklahoma

It might be the first time you’re speaking where everyone is actually listening and cares about what you’re doing.

I don’t think I’ve been in a room as supportive as the Yass Prize Semifinalist room in Miami.

Brian Curcio
Founder and CEO,
Rapunzl, 2022 Yass Prize Finalist

The Yass Prize has brought together such diverse leaders

from all different demographics, all different states, all different service provider types that you can learn from.

Taylor Shead
Founder and CEO,
STEMuli Studios

The Yass Prize is centered around ensuring that this [program] provides you a stepping stone...

We don’t want you to rinse, wash, repeat. We want you to build and sustain.

Jeanne Allen
Founder & CEO, Center for Education Reform ,
Director, Yass Foundation for Education

Education is one of the most fundamental pillars for democratizing opportunities for success that we have in our society.

It’s thanks to organizations like the Yass Prize that our children are going to have a better tomorrow.

Francis X. Suarez
Mayor,
City of Miami

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