Three schools from Türkiye, located in Istanbul, Diyarbakır and Izmir, have been named among the Top 10 finalists for the World’s Best School Prizes 2025, marking a milestone as the country makes its debut on the global stage.
Organized by T4 Education, the awards celebrate schools driving meaningful change in education, community wellbeing and environmental responsibility.
VKV Koç Özel Okulu, based in Tuzla, Istanbul, is a finalist in the Supporting Healthy Lives category for its innovative focus on teacher wellbeing. Responding to rising stress levels among educators, the school launched a program emphasizing emotional intelligence, character development and family engagement.
The initiative has led to measurable improvements in teacher self-awareness, empathy and classroom effectiveness. Complementary student-focused projects include the Maths Week Collaborations Project, which tackles math anxiety through real-life applications, and the Wishing Tree Project, which encourages empathy and inclusion, such as learning sign language to better connect with disadvantaged peers.
In southeastern Türkiye, the Diyarbakır Science and Art Center earned its finalist spot with a student-developed invention designed for emergency response: a medical vending machine that dispenses vital medications when hospitals and pharmacies are inaccessible. Created after the 2023 earthquakes, the prototype, currently awaiting patent approval, has received national and international recognition.
This public school in Bağlar district provides project-based learning in robotics, music, coding and science for gifted students, nurturing a generation equipped with problem-solving skills and social responsibility.
The Arkas Science and Art Center in Narlıdere, western Türkiye’s Izmir, was selected as a finalist in the Environmental Action category. Through hands-on, after-school learning, students tackle climate change, renewable energy and recycling. Their Climate Action Project integrates global climate awareness with activities such as interviews, planting and collaborative research.
The initiative has boosted environmental awareness among students by 95% and engaged over 3.4 million peers from 151 countries through international partnerships. The school has also earned recognition, like the Aquamarine Blue School Certificate, and continues to share its results with other communities.
The World’s Best School Prizes include five categories: Community Collaboration, Innovation, Overcoming Adversity, Supporting Healthy Lives and Environmental Action. Winners will be announced in October and celebrated at the World Schools Summit in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 15-16, 2025. A public vote is also open to select a Community Choice Award winner among the 50 finalists.
T4 Education founder Vikas Pota praised the Turkish schools for their innovation, saying their achievements “give us hope” in a world facing rapid change, climate crises and inequality.
