UNESCO Launches a Special Edition of Its 2025 Prize for the Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence in Education
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has announced the launch of a special edition of its 2025 Prize for the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in education. This edition, which celebrates the 20th anniversary of the UNESCO-Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize, focuses on the following theme: “Preparing learners and educators for the ethical and responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI).”
The aim of this edition is to reward projects that enable young generations and education stakeholders to develop the essential skills related to AI, fostering creativity and critical thinking. UNESCO emphasizes that these skills are crucial for designing and using AI responsibly and ethically in a world where this technology is playing an increasingly significant role.
Innovative project leaders in this field are invited to submit their applications for the prize, with the submission period open until March 28, 2025.
UNESCO asserts that education plays a fundamental role in acquiring a critical culture concerning AI, for both educators and learners. Understanding how this technology operates, its constantly evolving capabilities, as well as its strengths, limitations, and associated risks, requires not just technical knowledge but also an ethical and critical awareness of AI.
By developing these critical skills, both educators and learners will be able not only to understand and ethically utilize tools that incorporate AI in education and beyond but also to actively co-create AI solutions that address the collective and positive goals we seek to achieve.
The UNESCO 2025 Prize for ICT in Education aims to promote best practices in areas such as training programs, curricula, competency frameworks, and professional development models for educators and learners regarding AI, across all levels of education and in both formal and informal learning environments. It also includes institutional guidelines, policy documents, and practical strategies.
For this special edition, four winners will be selected by the Director-General of UNESCO based on recommendations from an independent international jury. Each winner will receive a reward of 25,000 U.S. dollars and international recognition during the award ceremony scheduled for September 2025.
The prize is open to individuals, institutions, and organizations with ongoing projects (operational for at least one year) related to the theme of this edition: “Preparing learners and educators for the ethical and responsible use of artificial intelligence.”
