Rwanda Coding Academy is running for $1 million global prize

Rwanda Coding Academy (RCA) in Nyabihu, Rwanda, has been named in the top 50 shortlist for the Global Schools Prize 2026, an initiative of the Varkey Foundation celebrating the world’s most innovative and impactful schools that are reimagining education for the future. 

The school was selected from almost 3,000 nominations and applications from 113 countries around the world. It is a finalist in the AI Transformation category, supported by Fab AI, a not-for-profit organisation that develops and evaluates AI technologies to improve education in low and middle-income countries. 

Founded by renowned education pioneer and philanthropist Sunny Varkey, the $1 million Global Schools Prize is the largest prize of its kind. Today’s top 50 announcement recognises outstanding schools worldwide that demonstrate exceptional drive and ambition for their students, regardless of circumstance, ensuring every learner has the chance to thrive. 

The top 50 shortlisted schools are awarded a Global Schools Prize Badge, symbolising world-class impact and achievement in areas ranging from AI transformation to teacher development. These schools are also welcomed into the Global Schools Network, gaining access to partnerships, professional development, and global collaboration opportunities with other leading institutions. 

Founded in 2019 in Rwanda’s Nyabihu District, RCA is a government-run specialist high school transforming 280 of the country’s most talented 14-19-year-olds into ethical software engineers and AI innovators. More than a school, it is a bold national bet on youth-led digital transformation. 

RCA’s entry for the AI Transformation category stands out because ethics and responsibility are embedded into every project. Students don’t just build AI, they interrogate its fairness, privacy implications, and social impact. A flagship student project uses computer vision to detect road accidents in real time, trained on local data and deliberately designed to protect privacy by avoiding facial recognition. 

The results speak loudly. Students have developed over 70 functional tech projects, and in 2025 RCA students swept 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place at picoCTF-Africa 2025, beating peers from over 20 African countries. RCA students also won 1st place at the 2026 AI Ideathon organized by the Rwanda Education Board – they will be representing Rwanda at the global level in Switzerland. International partnerships with South Korea (KOICA), hackathons, and cyber-resilience forums have put Rwandan teens on the global stage. 

With the Prize, RCA would expand infrastructure, teacher training, and community outreach. This is Africa’s next generation, not waiting for the future, but coding it themselves. 

Sunny Varkey, Founder of the Varkey Foundation, the Global Schools Prize, and GEMS Education, said:   

“Congratulations, Rwanda Coding Academy. Your approach to teaching and learning powerfully demonstrates how schools play a defining role in equipping young people with the knowledge, skills, and values needed to shape our rapidly evolving world. By highlighting your achievement, we hope to inspire a global movement to reimagine learning and turn bold ideas into real-world impact. This is more than an award – it’s a platform to spark a global conversation about scaling the best ideas in education and advancing action far beyond the classroom.” 

Mathias Esmann, Director of Partnerships, Fab AI, said: 

“Fab AI is honoured to support the Global Schools Prize’s AI Transformation category. Congratulations to this year’s outstanding finalists – trailblazing schools that are harnessing the enormous potential of AI to expand access, free up time for teachers and deliver measurable impact for learners. Their work is an inspiration for the future of education worldwide.” 

The Top 50 will be narrowed down to 10 category winners, who will each be awarded $50,000. Of those, one extraordinary school will receive the Global Schools Prize and $500,000 to scale its impact. 

The categories are: 

• AI Transformation 

• Arts, Culture and Creativity 

• Character and Values Driven Education 

• Global Citizenship and Peacebuilding 

• Health and Wellbeing 

• Overcoming Adversity 

• SEND/Inclusive Education 

• STEM Education 

• Sustainability 

• Teacher Development 

The winner is expected to be announced at the Education World Forum in London in May.  

A Global Schools Prize Council, made up of some of the most respected and influential figures in global education, technology, and philanthropy, is guiding the prize and providing strategic insight. It is co-chaired by Stefania Giannini, former Assistant Director-General for Education at UNESCO, and Dame Christine Ryan, former Chair of the Ofsted Board. Its members include Rosalia Arteaga, former President and Vice-President of Ecuador, Nuno Crato, Portugal’s former Education Minister, Andreas Schleicher, Director of Education and Skills at the OECD, Dina Ghobashy, Director of Education Transformation, Microsoft, Lasse Leponiemi, Co-Founder and Chairman, HundrED Foundation, Deborah Quazzo, Managing Partner, GSV Ventures and co-founder of the ASU+GSV Summit, Heekyung (Jo) Min, Executive Vice President, CJ CheilJedang, Jonnie Noakes, Director of The Tony Little Centre for Innovation and Research in Learning, Eton, 2019 Global Teacher Prize winner Peter Tabichi, 2023 Global Student Prize winner Nhial Deng, and Global Student Prize finalists Kenisha Arora and Kekhashan Basu.   

The Council is part of a wider Global Schools Prize Academy, which will choose the winner. 

The Global Schools Prize joins the Global Teacher Prize and Global Student Prize, completing a powerful trilogy that celebrates educators, learners, and now schools as institutions of innovation and change. Together, the three prizes spark a 360-degree conversation about what it takes to deliver the best possible education, equipping children to face the future with confidence – while rethinking the future of learning for generations to come. 

Interested schools were able to apply for the Global Schools Prize at www.globalteacherprize.org/global-schools-prize before the closing date.