Global Schools Prize opens 2027 applications

Australian schools are being invited to apply for the second edition of the Varkey Foundation's $1m Global Schools Prize, with applications opening this week for institutions "reimagining education for the future," according to the foundation.

The prize, organised by the Varkey Foundation, is described by the organisation as the largest of its kind. It joins the Global Teacher Prize and Global Student Prize, both also founded by education philanthropist Sunny Varkey.

The prize's first winner was announced in May. Lebanon's Alsama Project, a refugee-led organisation educating displaced Syrian and Palestinian teenagers, was named the inaugural winner at the Education World Forum in London, selected from nearly 3,000 applications and nominations spanning 113 countries, according to Gulf News, which reported the win was announced by filmmaker and campaigner Richard Curtis. Alsama received $500,000 to expand its work, according to Khaleej Times.