FAQs

Who gets the cash prize - the school or the educator?

The educator or team of educators who submitted the winning entry receive the cash prize. The prizes will not be awarded to schools.

What is the prize?

Winners receive a $36,000 unrestricted cash prize for The Kohelet Prizes for Interdisciplinary Integration, Real World Learning, Learning Environment, Differentiated Instruction and Development of Critical and / or Creative Thinking and $18,000 for the Kohelet Prize for a New Iteration of Existing Entry.

Do I have to teach in a Jewish Day School to enter?

Yes.

What if I taught in a Jewish Day School last academic year, but not 2018-19?

To be eligible, the educator must be employed by a Jewish Day School for the 2018-19 academic year.

Do I have to teach at a “progressive” Jewish Day School to enter?

Definitely not! We know so well that there are many educators around North America employing progressive methodology in a great variety of schools. We’ve met some of them, read about others, but we want to know all of you and most importantly, we want to connect you to each other.

I teach in a pre-school class. Can I enter to win the prize?

Only teachers of grades Kindergarten and above are eligible. Teachers of Pre-Kindergarten and early childhood classes are not eligible.

Can an administrator enter to win the Kohelet Prize?

Only educators who directly educate groups of students on a regular basis may enter to win the Kohelet Prize. A school administrator who does not directly educate groups of students on a regular basis is not eligible. Heads of school, principals and similar administrators and not eligible.

Can my entry be theoretical or should it have been tested? And if tested, need I have results/analytics?

Entries must represent teaching that has already been implemented in the classroom, and cannot be just an idea or plan. It should describe impact on students as well as which aspects of the model worked and which did not and why. Entries need not include analytics.

Do I have to be Jewish to enter?

No.

Must my entry be about Jewish subjects?

No. Entries need not be about Jewish subjects.

Who is funding this prize?

The Kohelet Foundation. Please visit https://koheletprize.org/about-foundation/ to learn more.

Is this prize a grant that will be used to implement a great idea I’ve had for a long time?

No, the entry cannot be just an idea or plan. The entry must represent teaching that has already been implemented in the classroom.

When are entries due?

Entries must be submitted by 11:59 pm on November 27, 2018 PST.

Can I submit more than one entry?

Educators or teams of educators may submit multiple different entries to the Kohelet Prize. Each entry may be submitted to one category only. Multiple entries submitted by one educator or one team of educators must differ significantly from each other.

Can I nominate someone to the Kohelet Prize?

No. The Kohelet Prize entry must be submitted by the teacher or team of teachers that created the project.

Who are the judges?

The judges for the 2017-18 Kohelet Prize were Jamie Field Baker, Rina Hoffman, Barry Kislowicz, Ben Kornell, Shmuel Mandelman, Rona Novick, Gil Perl, and Rebecca Ruffo-Teper.

What happened to the Risk Taking and Failure Category?

It’s been replaced with the New Iteration Category!

What is the New Iteration Category? Can I use a previous entry that won a prize, or only one that didn't win a prize?

The new iteration prize is for an iteration of *someone else’s* prize. The prize for this is $18,000. It can be either an entry that won a prize previously or an entry that didn’t. The new entry will win a prize only if it is significantly improved and changed. Click here to read the full description of the New Iteration Category.

Why is the award for the New Iteration prize $18,000?

Developing a completely new idea is more difficult than revising an existing one.

"I would love some feedback about my idea for an entry." "Is my entry in the right category?"

This year, if you have a question or wish to receive feedback about an entry, please send an email to prize@koheletfoundation.org.

After October 31st, we cannot guarantee an answer to a question about the content of your entry.

May I re-submit an entry that I have submitted in a previous year?

You can submit a “2.0” version of *your own* previous entry into any category, as long as it is significantly changed or improved. The prize is $36,000, just as any entry in the given category. This is different from the New Iteration Category. Please check out the FAQ about that category for information.

Explore the Database!

Check out all of the entries in the Kohelet Prize Database!

View the Database