International Creativity
in Schools Awards 2025
Empowering Creative Thinking in Education
About
The International Creativity in Schools Awards
2025, co-organized with GIOCT, UNESCO IITE
Worldwide Prize Competition, continues to be
a transformative force in the global education
landscape.
Each year, the Awards aim to recognize and honor creative thinking in education, providing a platform for educators to speak out and share their pioneering ideas that drive sustainable development in teaching and learning.
As part of this groundbreaking program, we invite individuals and organizations to submit their most ambitious projects, which demonstrate creative approaches across the school curriculum.
The Creativity in Schools Awards highlights exceptional examples of creative thinking across subjects, focusing on approaches that foster long-term, sustainable educational impact.
Chosen participants will gain recognition and a platform to share theirachievements in the 2025 Awards, advancing the global dialogue on creative education in “How AI Can Empower Creative Thinking in Education.”
Approximately 3 exemplary projects will be selected, with winners receiving honors that amplify their voices and contributions to the future of education
Award Objectives
Showcase
Spotlight innovative teaching and learning practices that foster student’s creative thinking.
Acknowledge
Honour teachers and educational institutions, elevating the teaching profession’s status on a globalscale.
Promote
Emphasise the significance of creative thinking and encourage the establishment of collaborative communities among educators dedicated to creative thinking in action.
Establish
Build a globally recognised brand symbolising excellence in creative practices in schools worldwide.
Message from the
Chair Of The International Committee
Dear Award Participants and Esteemed Guests, It is a great honor to welcome you to the 2025 International Creativity in Schools Awards on behalf of our dedicated committee. As Chair of this committee, I am deeply inspired by the creative minds and forward-thinking educators who are redefining the role of creative and critical thinking in the classroom. Our focus for the 2025 awards, “How AI Can Empower Creative Thinking in Education,” invites a reflection on the immense potential that artificial intelligence holds in enhancing student engagement, adaptability, and collaborative skills. The wonderful projects submitted each year remind us of creativity’s central role in addressing today’s most pressing global challenges. In education, creativity fosters curiosity, resilience, and a shared drive toward innovation. This is true for both teachers and their pupils. We are privileged to see the inspiring and transformative ideas from educators around the world who are championing these values. As a chair of the committee, I look forward to celebrating each of your achievements and sharing in the exploration of how technology, particularly AI, can support our vision for an adaptive, inclusive, and creative education system. Thank you for joining us in this journey and for your commitment to making a lasting impact on education.
Chair
Andreas Schleicher
Director for Education and
Skills, Special Advisor on
Education Policy to the Sec-
retary-General, OECD
International Committee 2025
Chair
Andreas Schleicher
Director for Education and Skills, Special Advisor on Education Policy to the Secretary-General, OECD
Vice-Chair
Asha Singh Kanwar
Chair , UNESCO IITE
Governing Board
Vice-Chair
Stéphan Vincent-Lancrin
Deputy Head of Centre for Educational Research and Innovation, OECD
Honorary Advisor
Tao Zhan
Director, UNESCO IITE
Director of Organising Committee
Frankie Lowe
Founder and CEO, GIoCT,
Frankie Lowe Foundation
Muriel Poisson
Team Leader a.i., Knowledge Management and Mobilisation, UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP)
Mark A. Runco
Director of Creative
Research and Programming,
Southern Oregon University
Trustee, GIoCT
Laura McBain
Co-Interim Managing
Director, Hasso Platter
Institute of Design at Stanford
and Co-Director of the K12 Lab,
Member of Advisory
Committee, GloCT
Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni
Minister Delegate to the Head of Government in charge of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform, Morocco
International Creativity in Schools Awards 2025
Empowering Creative Thinking in Education through AI
In selecting “Empowering Creative Thinking in Education through AI”
as the theme for 2025, we recognise that our time marks a pivotal moment in understanding and leveraging AI within education.
As AI continues to evolve and impact teaching and learning, 2025 represents a crucial time to explore its emerging role in enhancing creativity in classrooms globally.
This year, we are especially looking to reward educators and innovators who have used AI to not only promote creative thinking but also to foster a culture where teachers and students alike are encouraging to speak out and share their ideas, thus contributing to a sustainable and forward-thinking educational ecosystem.
By focusing on AI’s potential to drive creative thinking, we aim to highlight and amplify examples of AI applications that support UN sustainable development goals in education, ensuring these practices can be scaled up to benefit current and future generations. The 2025 awards will celebrate those who set a standard for using AI to empower creative expression in schools and inspire educators and institutions worldwide to embrace technology’s role in building an innovative and sustainable future.
Sub Themes
Digital Tools for
Creativity
Using digital tools to en-hance students’ creativity and encourage digital literacy and fluency in ways that align with local curricula.
AI-Powered
Creative Assessment
IInnovative approaches to assessing creativity in students through AI-driven tools that offer real-time feedback and adaptive and authentic assessments.
Cultural and Artistic
Expression
Exploring how AI can be used to enhance cultural and artistic projects in schools, allowing students to express their creativity in new ways.
Sub Theme
Digital Tools for Creativity:
Using digital tools to
enhance students’ creativity and encourage digital literacy in ways that align with creative thinking.
AI-Powered Creative Assessment:
Innovative approaches to
assessing creativity in students through AI-driven tools that offer real-time feedback and adaptive assessments.
Cultural and Artistic Expression:
Exploring how AI can be used to enhance cultural and artistic projects in schools, allowing students to express their creativity in new ways.
Timeline
We are thrilled to open the doors to another year of extraordinary contributions and transformative ideas. Let’s make the 2025 International Creativity in Schools Awards a powerful platform for change in education.
September 17-18 , 2025
Global Award Ceremony
UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, France
Award Rules
The 2025 International Creativity in Schools Awards are designed to encourage the sustainable development of school creativity projects, emphasizing collaboration and creativity over competition. To support this vision, we invite project submissions in multimedia formats to capture the dynamic spirit of each initiative. GloCT has set the prizes as follows:
£2,000
£2,000 will be awarded to each of the first 50 organizations or teams that submit their proposals before September 8, 2024, to assist with video production as part of their final submissions.
£8,000
An additional £8,000 will be granted to each of the top three projects to sustain and further develop their work throughout 2025.
Award Rules
- We encourage you to submit ongoing projects or new proposals as soon as possible before September 8, 2024. Proposals will be reviewed in the order received, with grants awarded to qualifying submissions from the earliest groups. The submission form is provided in the following pages.
- To ensure fairness across regions worldwide, the £2,000 grant will be distributed with regional balance in mind: no more than 10 projects per continent, no more than 2 per country, and no more than one per organization. For example, if four applicants from the same country submit proposals, only the first two with qualifying submissions will each receive the £2,000 grant.
- In cases where demand is high and there are exceptionally outstanding projects, we will maintain a waiting list for possible additional grants. If any proposal is disqualified upon preliminary review, projects on the waiting list will advance in priority.
- Grants will be released to each of the 50 qualifying organizations or teams upon sub mission of the required final application form and video.
These Awards aim to speak out for creativity in education by enabling educators and teams to share their creative visions globally, aligning with the goals of sustainable development in the field of education.
Scoring Rubric
- Content and Relevance (30 points)
Clarity of Presentation (10 points):
Does the project clearly convey its message about fighting climate challenges?
Relevance to Theme (10 points):
How well does the project address the theme/sub-theme?
Educational Contexts (10 points):
Are the educational contexts accurately presented in the video?
- Creativity and Originality (20 points)
Creativity of Methodology (10 points):
How creative and original is the project approach to the theme/sub-theme?
Innovation of New Ideas (10 points):
Does the project present new ideas on fighting climate challenges?
- Visual Quality (10 points)
Is the video visually appealing and well-produced (e.g. good lighting, clear images)?
- Engagement and Impact (20 points)
Emotional Impact (10 points):
Does the video evoke an emotional response that inspires action?
Audience Engagement (10 points):
Is the video engaging and likely to hold the audience’s attention?
- Outcome and Expectation (10 points)
Is the project viable in an educational context?
- Resilience (10 points)
Does the project help to resolve educational challenges?
Content and Relevance (30 points)
Clarity of Presentation (10 points):
Does the project clearly convey its message about fighting climate challenges?
Relevance to Theme (10 points):
How well does the project address the theme/sub-theme?
Educational Contexts (10 points):
Are the educational contexts accurately presented in the video?
Creativity and Originality (20 points)
Creativity of Methodology (10 points):
How creative and original is the project approach to the theme/sub-theme?
Innovation of New Ideas (10 points):
Does the project present new ideas on fighting climate challenges?
Visual Quality (10 points)
Is the video visually appealing and well-produced (e.g. good lighting, clear images)?
Engagement and Impact (20 points)
Emotional Impact (10 points):
Does the video evoke an emotional response that inspires action?
Audience Engagement (10 points):
Is the video engaging and likely to hold the audience’s attention?
Outcome and Expectation (10 points)
Is the project viable in an educational context?
Resilience (10 points)
Does the project help to resolve educational challenges?
Scoring breakdown
Criterion
Points
Content and Relevance
Clartiy of Presentation
Relevance to the Theme
Educational Contexts
10
10
10
Creativity and Originality
Clartiy of Presentation
Clartiy of Presentation
10
10
Technical Quality
Visual Quality
10
Engagement and Impact
Emotional Impact
Audience Engagement
10
10
Outcome and Expectation
Practicality of Methodology
10
Resilience
Resolve educational challenges
10
In Total
100
Scoring Breakdown
| Content and Relevance | |
| Clarity of Presentation | 10 |
| Relevance to the Theme | 10 |
| Educational Contexts | 10 |
| Creativity and Originality | |
| Clarity of Presentation | 10 |
| Technical Quality | |
| Visual Quality | 10 |
| Engagement and Impact | |
| Emotional Impact | 10 |
| Audience Engagement | 10 |
| Outcome and Expectation | |
| Practicality of Methodology | 10 |
| Resilience | |
| Resolve educational challenges | 10 |
| In Total | 100 |
Eligible Nominees
The International Committee, in adherence to its established rules and categories, will select the award winners for the competition. Teachers and educators who are eligible can come from any level of K-12 education. To partake in the competition, participants must be nominated with an original case study that has withstood the test of time, demonstrating its enduring value and impact. If participating as a team or representing a school, no additions or substitutions of team members are permissible once the shortlisted projects are announced. Moreover, each organisation can nominate only one case study for consideration. Based on the nominated case studies, the international committee will proceed to nominate candidates for either group prizes or individual accolades. These guidelines are integral to maintaining fairness and integrity throughout the nomination and award process.
CES@Magazine
The monthly publication CES@MAG will continue to report every project submission for the International Creativity in School Award 2024, while providing the earliest updates on the progress of the 2025 awards. We aim to ensure that the work of every creativity education practitioner is seen, shared, and supported for sustainable development. The latest issue of the magazine will be available in November 2024.
50 + 3 Award
As one of the flagship books in the GIoCT Press Creative Thinking series, an annual ‘50 + 3 Case Studies Collection’ is published alongside the International Creativity in Schools Award results. The “50” represents ten selected case studies from each of the five continental regions, while the “3”
highlights the year’s top three most promising projects. The collection also features diverse feedback on the project from the members of the International Committee of the Year. The case studies offer a valuable way to foster exchange and learning. Look forward to this practical tool book, set to be
released before the end of 2024.
Co-Organisers
GIoCT
The Global Institute of Creative Thinking is an institute in the UK, and now a registered charity, the Global Institute of Creative Thinking has always stayed true to its roots. GIoCT’s mission remains the same, to nurture creative thinkers, empower those we teach, and inspire futures. GIoCT wants to make a purposeful contribution with the seeds we plant to bring about meaningful lifelong learning. The main activities of the institute include evidence-based advocacy, international conferences and workshops, teacher-professional learning courses, and creative thinking programmes run in collaboration with schools.
UNESCO IITE
The Institute for Information Technologies in Education (UNESCO IITE) is a specialized agency established by UNESCO to promote the innovative use of ICT in education. Situated in Moscow, Russia, the institute focuses on assisting member states in developing policies and capacities related to ICT in education. Its activities include research, advocacy for ICT-enabled pedagogy, promoting ICT skills among teachers, sharing knowledge on best practices, enhancing inclusive education, and developing partnerships to support educational goals related to Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4).
