Yidan Prize 2026 Honors Four Scholars for Transforming Children's Education Worldwide
HK01 · 2 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago3 MIN
Summary
The Yidan Prize Foundation unveiled its 2026 award recipients on September 3, recognizing four scholars whose work addresses educational inequality affecting disadvantaged children globally. Professor Paul W. Glewwe from the University of Minnesota received the Education Research Award for his groundbreaking policy research demonstrating how poverty, health, and nutrition factors impede children's learning outcomes. The Education Development Award was jointly awarded to three academics—Susan P. Walker, Sally Grantham-McGregor, and Susan M. Chang-Lopez—for developing the Reach Up early childhood intervention program, which has been implemented across more than 21 countries. Each prize includes HKD 30 million (approximately USD 3.8 million), with the award ceremony scheduled for December 5 during a three-day summit in Hong Kong .
Key Points
- University of Minnesota Applied Economics Professor Paul W. Glewwe became the 2026 Education Research Award laureate for research that integrates children's literacy, numeracy, and abstract reasoning into World Bank household surveys, helping policymakers understand connections between poverty, inequality, and educational gaps .
- Glewwe was among the first economists to apply randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for evaluating educational policies and programs, providing evidence-based guidance for governments and development institutions to allocate resources effectively .
- The three Education Development Award recipients—Susan P. Walker (University of the West Indies), Sally Grantham-McGregor (University College London), and Susan M. Chang-Lopez (University of the West Indies)—created the Reach Up program, which trains caregivers to stimulate cognitive development in children aged 0 to 4 through dialogue, responsive interaction, and play-based activities .
- Reach Up operates in over 21 countries across the Caribbean, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, utilizing existing healthcare, social protection, education, and humanitarian systems, with all curriculum materials freely available .
- The 2026 awards mark the Yidan Prize's tenth anniversary; since 2017, the foundation has distributed HKD 600 million (approximately USD 77 million) to 25 laureates supporting projects in nearly 60 countries and regions .
Why It Matters
The 2026 Yidan Prize highlights how interdisciplinary research combining economics, health, and education can break cycles of generational poverty for millions of vulnerable children. The Recognition of both a policy researcher and practitioners demonstrates the prize's commitment to supporting the entire spectrum from scientific discovery to on-the-ground implementation .
The 2026 Yidan Prize highlights how interdisciplinary research combining economics, health, and education can break cycles of generational poverty for millions of vulnerable children. The Recognition of both a policy researcher and practitioners demonstrates the prize's commitment to supporting the entire spectrum from scientific discovery to on-the-ground implementation .