WASHINGTON, DC –  Having completed a four-week Accelerator that culminated in their final pitch, the 33 semifinalists, including Mike Felton, St. George MSU Superintendent, for a Yass Prize are now just days away from the final decision, to be announced on Dec. 13 in New York City. The Yass Prize, in partnership with Forbes, is known as the Pulitzer of Education Innovation, and winning the coveted $1 million Prize or one of eight finalist awards each worth $500,000 creates an exponential impact on the students they serve. 

“The experience of the four-week Accelerator which gave the semifinalists access to industry leaders from business, education and policy, coupled with intensive collaboration with past and present awardees makes this effort distinctive and unique among education impact funds like ours,” said Jeanne Allen, founder and CEO of the Center for Education Reform who oversees the Yass Prize and related initiatives, in a news release. “Each and every awardee is already providing impactful education and programs to break the cycle of ineffective education that fails too many students in this nation and picking just nine is an overwhelming task.”

From Miami Mayor Francis Suarez to GSV Ventures Michael Moe and Michael Sorrell, President of Paul Quinn College, America’s oldest historically Black college west of the Mississippi, the 2023 Yass Prize cohort were challenged to think more expansively about reaching millions more students. 

In addition to the major prizes being announced Dec 13, semifinalists will receive a $200,000 STOP Award. A new initiative, the Parents Choice Award, powered by the same technology used by American Idol, garnered over 65,000 votes from parents and others closest to the students of each Semifinalist. The winner of the Parents Choice Award will receive an additional $100,000 to use to improve programs that further benefit their community.

The Yass Prize Semifinalists serve millions nationally. They include education providers who deliver AI-infused personalized learning in both traditional and new forms of schooling; small learning environments that give students curricular and program choice; lifesaving education and certifications for marginalized and at-risk populations; core content delivery and recruitment training; and empowering programs for underrepresented teachers, parents and school leaders.

For more information on the 33 Yass Prize Semifinalists visit:YassPrize.org/Awardees