HundrED and the Khalifa Award for Education have opened applications for the Spotlight on Early Learning Impact 2026, a major international opportunity recognizing outstanding educational innovation and research that improves learning and development for children from birth to eight years old.

The global call is looking for two different kinds of contributions to early childhood education:

1. Programmes, curricula, teaching methodologies and practices that can demonstrate meaningful improvements in the quality of early learning and/or in children’s learning and development.
2. Published research and studies that offer innovative solutions, generate new insights into learning and teaching, and strengthen the evidence available to policymakers and practitioners.

One winner will be selected in each category. Each winner will receive USD $100,000, international recognition from HundrED and the Khalifa Award for Education, inclusion in a HundrED Spotlight report, and an invitation to attend the award ceremony in Abu Dhabi in April 2027.

Applications are open globally and close on:

31 December 2026

The screening and selection period will continue through March 2027, with the final celebration scheduled for April 2027.

---

About the Spotlight on Early Learning Impact

The Spotlight on Early Learning Impact is a collaboration between HundrED and the Khalifa Award for Education focused specifically on early childhood learning and education.

HundrED is an international education innovation organization that identifies, studies and amplifies promising educational approaches around the world. Its Spotlight projects are thematic or regional initiatives developed with partner organizations to identify effective and scalable educational solutions.

The Khalifa Award for Education, based in the United Arab Emirates, was established in 2007 and recognizes outstanding contributions to education across different academic and learning fields. Under this collaboration, the partners are specifically searching for innovations and research that can strengthen early learning for children aged 0–8.

The selected winners will receive the Khalifa International Award for Early Learning through the Spotlight initiative.

---

Why Early Learning Is the Focus

The years from birth through age eight represent a foundational stage in children’s development.

During this period, children develop many of the cognitive, emotional, social, linguistic and behavioural foundations that influence later learning and well-being.

The call therefore seeks work that can improve early childhood education in practical and evidence-based ways.

Relevant work may focus on:

• Early childhood education
• Teaching practices
• Curriculum design
• Learning methodologies
• Teacher development
• Family and community engagement
• Child development
• Inclusive early education
• Learning environments
• Education policy
• Evidence-based early childhood interventions

HundrED specifically welcomes work supporting children between 0 and 8 years old and notes that eligible initiatives may operate in formal, informal or non-formal educational settings.

---

Two Award Categories

The competition has two separate award categories.

Category 1: Best Programs, Curricula, and Teaching Methodologies and Practices

This category is intended for initiatives, projects and programmes that seek to improve early learning.

Applicants should be able to demonstrate meaningful improvements in:

• The quality of early learning
• Children’s learning outcomes
• Children’s development
• Teaching or learning practice

The work should not simply present an interesting idea.

HundrED states that applications must demonstrate rigorous evaluation, meaning applicants should provide credible evidence showing that their programme or approach has produced meaningful results.

This category is particularly suitable for organizations or innovators implementing an educational intervention in practice.

Possible applicants could include:

• Schools
• NGOs
• Social enterprises
• Education companies
• Teacher networks
• Foundations
• Early childhood centres
• Community organizations
• Universities
• Individual educators
• Innovation teams

HundrED explicitly welcomes applicants from individuals, teams and organizations, including both nonprofit and for-profit entities.

---

Examples of Work That May Fit the Programme Category

A strong programme submission might involve an initiative that improves:

• Literacy or early language development
• Numeracy
• Play-based learning
• Teacher practice
• Social-emotional learning
• Parent engagement
• Learning for children with disabilities
• Rural early childhood education
• Digital learning
• Teacher professional development
• Community-based early education
• Child-centred learning
• Inclusive learning environments

The central requirement is not that the innovation falls into a particular topic.

Instead, it should demonstrate a meaningful contribution to early learning.

---

How Programme and Innovation Applications Are Evaluated

Applications in the programmes, curricula and teaching-practices category are evaluated against four criteria:

1. Innovativeness
2. Importance
3. Impact
4. Feasibility and sustainability

Each criterion carries equal weight in the assessment.

Applicants must also demonstrate rigorous evaluation.

This means a strong submission should explain not only what the programme does, but why there is credible reason to believe it works.

---

Innovativeness

Judges will consider whether the programme introduces a meaningful improvement, new approach or creative solution to an early learning challenge.

Innovation does not necessarily mean inventing an entirely new educational technology.

It could involve:

• Adapting a teaching method effectively to a new context
• Creating a better delivery model
• Improving teacher support
• Combining existing approaches in a novel way
• Solving a persistent access or quality problem

---

Importance

Applicants should explain why the problem they are addressing matters.

Strong applications should clearly identify:

• The learning challenge
• Who is affected
• Why existing approaches are insufficient
• Why the proposed intervention is relevant

A programme working on a major unmet need in early childhood education may demonstrate particularly strong importance.

---

Impact

Impact concerns the evidence that the programme produces meaningful results.

Applicants should be prepared to demonstrate changes such as:

• Improved learning outcomes
• Better child development outcomes
• Improved teaching quality
• Increased access
• Improved participation
• Better support for teachers or families

HundrED stresses the need for evidence and rigorous evaluation.

---

Feasibility and Sustainability

The programme should also be capable of functioning effectively and continuing beyond a short pilot period.

Applicants may therefore need to demonstrate:

• Practical implementation
• Appropriate resources
• Community or institutional support
• Potential for continuation
• Potential for adaptation or replication

---

Category 2: Best Research and Studies

The second award category is intended for published research studies related to early learning.

The research should contribute:

• Innovative solutions to existing problems
• New insights into learning and teaching
• Stronger evidence for policy
• Stronger evidence for educational practice
• Knowledge that could contribute to meaningful improvement in early learning

This category is especially suitable for:

• Researchers
• Academics
• University-based scholars
• Research teams
• Education research institutes
• Independent researchers
• Policy researchers

provided the submitted work satisfies the published research requirement and relates directly to early learning.

---

What Kind of Research May Be Relevant?

Research may potentially focus on topics such as:

• Early childhood pedagogy
• Child development
• Learning science
• Teacher training
• Early literacy
• Early numeracy
• Education policy
• Family engagement
• Education technology
• Learning assessment
• Equity and inclusion
• Disability and special educational needs
• Multilingual learning
• Social-emotional development
• Education systems
• Community-based early childhood programmes

The defining requirement is that the research contributes meaningfully to understanding and improving learning or teaching for young children.

---

Evaluation Criteria for Research and Studies

Research submissions are evaluated using four criteria:

1. Innovativeness
2. Importance
3. Methodological rigor
4. Impact

Each criterion is given equal weight.

---

Methodological Rigor

Methodological rigor is particularly important in the research category.

Applicants should ensure that the submitted study clearly demonstrates:

• Appropriate research design
• Clear methodology
• Credible data
• Appropriate analytical methods
• Transparent findings
• Evidence supporting conclusions

The strength of the evidence base will therefore matter substantially.

---

Research Impact

The strongest research submissions should not simply add another academic publication to the literature.

They should show how the findings can inform:

• Teaching
• Curriculum
• Programme design
• Education policy
• Teacher development
• Family engagement
• Early childhood systems

The call explicitly values research capable of strengthening the evidence base for policy and practice.

---

Who Can Apply?

The Spotlight has a broad international scope.

HundrED states that it welcomes applications from:

• Any country
• Individuals
• Teams
• Organizations
• Nonprofit organizations
• For-profit organizations

Applicants do not appear to be restricted by nationality or continent.

This is therefore a genuinely global opportunity.

---

Education Settings That Can Be Considered

Eligible work can take place in a wide range of environments.

HundrED explicitly mentions:

• Formal education settings, such as schools
• Informal education settings, such as after-school activities
• Non-formal education settings outside conventional schooling

The call is therefore not restricted to traditional schools.

Community programmes, family-focused initiatives and alternative education models may also qualify.

---

Teacher Development Can Qualify

Applications do not need to work directly with children in every case.

HundrED specifically states that eligible initiatives may support:

Teacher education and professional development.

For example, an initiative training preschool educators in evidence-based teaching methods could qualify if it ultimately improves early learning.

---

Family and Community Programmes Can Also Qualify

The call also welcomes initiatives that support:

• Families
• Communities

This is important because early childhood development does not occur exclusively in classrooms.

Parents, caregivers and communities play a major role in children’s learning.

An intervention supporting parents to strengthen children’s language development, for example, could potentially fit the call.

---

Prize Value

There will be:

One winner in each category.

Each winner will receive:

USD $100,000.

With two categories, the awards therefore represent a combined prize pool of:

USD $200,000

across the two winning entries.

The prize is intended to recognize and support impactful work in early learning.

---

International Recognition

The winners will receive international recognition from both:

• HundrED
• Khalifa Award for Education

This visibility may be valuable for innovators and researchers seeking to:

• Scale their work
• Build partnerships
• Attract additional funding
• Share evidence internationally
• Connect with education policymakers
• Expand professional networks

---

HundrED Spotlight Report

Both winning entries will be featured in a:

HundrED Spotlight report.

HundrED’s Spotlight reports showcase selected education innovations and research to an international education audience.

Being featured can therefore increase the visibility of a programme or study beyond the award itself.

---

Invitation to Abu Dhabi

Both winners will also be invited to the award ceremony taking place in:

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

in:

April 2027.

The official materials supplied do not specify in the public Spotlight page whether every travel-related expense is separately covered.

Applicants should therefore avoid assuming that airfare, accommodation or travel costs are automatically included unless Khalifa Award confirms this in its detailed application conditions.

---

Application Deadline

Applications close on:

31 December 2026.

The current timeline is:

• Applications: open now
• Application deadline: 31 December 2026
• Screening and selection period: through March 2027
• Final selection celebration: April 2027

Applicants should avoid waiting until the final day because the programme category in particular requires more than one submission step.

---

How to Apply for the Programmes, Curricula and Teaching Practices Category

Applicants in the Best Programs, Curricula, and Teaching Methodologies and Practices category must complete two steps.

Step 1: Submit the Innovation to HundrED

Applicants must create or submit their innovation page on the HundrED platform through the Submit Innovation option.

Step 2: Complete the Khalifa Award Application

Applicants must also complete the relevant application form through the Khalifa Award for Education system.

Both components are part of the application process for this category.

Applicants should not assume that submitting only to HundrED completes the entire process.

---

How to Apply for the Research and Studies Category

Applicants entering the:

Best Research and Studies

category submit their work directly through the Khalifa Award for Education website.

This category therefore follows a different application pathway from the innovation/programme category.

---

Which Category Should You Choose?

Choose Best Programs, Curricula, and Teaching Methodologies and Practices if you have an implemented educational solution such as:

• Programme
• Curriculum
• Teaching methodology
• Educational practice
• Practical intervention

Choose Best Research and Studies if your primary submission is:

• A published study
• Academic research
• A research report that meets the publication and evaluation requirements

The two categories are related, but they are not interchangeable.

---

How to Prepare a Strong Programme Application

A competitive programme submission should clearly explain:

1. The early learning problem.
2. The target population.
3. How the innovation works.
4. What makes it different.
5. What evidence demonstrates impact.
6. How children benefit.
7. How the programme can continue or grow.
8. Why the approach is feasible in its context.

Because all four criteria carry equal weight, applicants should avoid focusing heavily on innovation while providing weak evidence of impact.

---

How to Prepare a Strong Research Submission

Research applicants should clearly demonstrate:

• The research question
• Why the question matters
• Methodological quality
• Original contribution
• Findings
• Implications
• Potential policy relevance
• Potential practice relevance

The strongest research is likely to combine rigorous methodology with conclusions that practitioners or policymakers can actually use.

---

A Global Opportunity

HundrED explicitly states that applications are welcomed from any country.

This means applicants may potentially come from:

• Africa
• Asia
• Europe
• North America
• Latin America
• Caribbean
• Middle East
• Oceania

There are no published geographic quotas on the HundrED call page.

---

Key Details at a Glance

Opportunity: Spotlight on Early Learning Impact

Organizers: HundrED and Khalifa Award for Education

Theme: Early learning and education

Children’s age range: Birth to 8 years

Category 1: Best Programs, Curricula, and Teaching Methodologies and Practices

Category 2: Best Research and Studies

Winners: One per category

Prize: USD $100,000 per winner

Total prize value across two winners: USD $200,000

Additional recognition: HundrED Spotlight report

Ceremony: Abu Dhabi, April 2027

Eligible countries: Worldwide

Eligible applicant types: Individuals, teams, nonprofits and for-profit organizations

Deadline: 31 December 2026

Selection period: Through March 2027

Final celebration: April 2027

Official Information

APPLY HERE

---

Conclusion

The HundrED and Khalifa Award Spotlight on Early Learning Impact 2026 offers an exceptional international opportunity for educators, researchers, innovators, organizations and education teams working to improve learning for children from birth to age eight.

Two separate awards are available: one recognizing outstanding programmes, curricula, teaching methodologies and practices, and another recognizing outstanding published research and studies.

The programme category looks for demonstrated improvements in early learning quality or children’s learning and development, while the research category seeks studies generating innovative solutions and stronger evidence for education policy and practice. Both categories require rigorous evidence and are evaluated against clearly defined criteria.

The opportunity is global. Individuals, teams and organizations—including nonprofit and for-profit entities—from any country may potentially participate if their work meets the relevant category requirements.

One winner will be chosen in each category. Each will receive USD $100,000, international recognition, inclusion in HundrED’s Spotlight report and an invitation to the awards ceremony in Abu Dhabi in April 2027.

Applications close on:

31 December 2026

Organizations and researchers with strong evidence of impact should begin preparing early, particularly applicants in the programme category who need to complete both the HundrED innovation submission and the Khalifa Award application process.

To discover more global opportunities, VISIT HERE.