ONTARIO SCHOOL NAMED IN THE TOP 50 SHORTLIST FOR $1 MILLION GLOBAL SCHOOLS PRIZE 2026
LONDON, May 1, 2026 /CNW/ - Pickering College in Newmarket, Ontario, has been named in the top 50 shortlist for the Global Schools Prize 2026, an initiative of the Varkey Foundation celebrating the world's most innovative and impactful schools that are reimagining education for the future.
The school was selected from almost 3,000 nominations and applications from 113 countries around the world. It is a finalist in the Sustainability category, supported by World's Largest Lesson, a global education initiative that brings the Sustainable Development Goals into classrooms around the world.
Founded by renowned education pioneer and philanthropist Sunny Varkey, the $1 million Global Schools Prize is the largest prize of its kind. This top 50 announcement recognizes outstanding schools worldwide that demonstrate exceptional drive and ambition for their students, regardless of circumstance, ensuring every learner has the chance to thrive.
The top 50 shortlisted schools are awarded a Global Schools Prize Badge, symbolizing world-class impact and achievement in areas ranging from AI transformation to teacher development. These schools are also welcomed into the Global Schools Network, gaining access to partnerships, professional development, and global collaboration opportunities with other leading institutions.
Founded by Quakers in 1842, Pickering College has placed sustainability and social justice at the heart of education for nearly two centuries. This JK-12 independent school of 550 students is shortlisted for the Global Schools Prize 2026 in Sustainability, and its track record speaks for itself.
The school's 77-acre Blue & Silver Farm, gifted in 2021, has become a smart-farm learning laboratory where students build bat boxes with temperature probes, use micro:bit sensors for soil analysis, develop solar-powered Wi-Fi systems, design robotic harvesters, and grow 1,200 kg of produce annually for local food banks. Through their CAP framework (Connections, Academics, Purpose) and K-12 Global Leadership Program, all 550 students participate in experiential sustainability projects each year.
Pickering College is the first independent school in Ontario with full UNESCO Associated Schools Network membership, has held Ontario EcoSchools Platinum status for over a decade, and is a five-time recipient of the StudyTravel Secondary School Award in the North American School category. Teacher Ethan Bishop received a 2024 Class ACT Award for reconciliation work and the school's educators regularly present at global conferences and partner with Queen's University.
Prize funds would be used to eliminate invasive buckthorn and build a thermally heated geodesic classroom, extending outdoor learning year-round.
Sunny Varkey, Founder of the Varkey Foundation, the Global Schools Prize, and GEMS Education, said: "Congratulations, Pickering College. Your approach to teaching and learning powerfully demonstrates how schools play a defining role in equipping young people with the knowledge, skills, and values needed to shape our rapidly evolving world. By highlighting your achievement, we hope to inspire a global movement to reimagine learning and turn bold ideas into real-world impact. This is more than an award – it's a platform to spark a global conversation about scaling the best ideas in education and advancing action far beyond the classroom."
Alison Bellwood, Executive Director Youth and Education, Project Everyone and World's Largest Lesson, said: "World's Largest Lesson is honoured to support the Global Schools Prize's Sustainability category. Congratulations to this year's finalists - your commitment is not only transforming your communities, but inspiring schools everywhere to be creative, bold, and determined in building a better future for people and planet."
Dr. Cinde Lock, Head of School, Pickering College, said:
"This recognition affirms something we have long believed: when education is grounded in connection, purpose, and real-world relevance, students do not just learn about the future, they help shape it. From our Blue & Silver Farm, where students engage in hands-on sustainability work, to our K–12 Global Leadership Program, where they partner with others in the community, think critically, and act locally and globally, our learners are not just participating – they are developing solutions for a better future. To be recognized on a global stage alongside schools advancing this work is both an honour and a responsibility we take seriously."
Julia Hunt, Assistant Head of School, Strategic Initiatives, Pickering College, said:
"What is most meaningful about this recognition is that it reflects a whole-school approach to innovation. Our students are not engaging with sustainability as an abstract concept. They are applying systems thinking, collaborating across disciplines, and testing ideas in real-world contexts. It affirms the importance of designing learning environments where students can take informed action and see themselves as contributors to meaningful change."
The Top 50 will be narrowed down to 10 category winners, who will each be awarded $50,000. Of those, one extraordinary school will receive the Global Schools Prize and $500,000 to scale its impact.
The categories are:
- AI Transformation
- Arts, Culture and Creativity
- Character and Values Driven Education
- Global Citizenship and Peacebuilding
- Health and Wellbeing
- Overcoming Adversity
- SEND/Inclusive Education
- STEM Education
- Sustainability
- Teacher Development
The winner is expected to be announced at the Education World Forum in London in May.
A Global Schools Prize Council, made up of some of the most respected and influential figures in global education, technology, and philanthropy, is guiding the prize and providing strategic insight. It is co-chaired by Stefania Giannini, former Assistant Director-General for Education at UNESCO, and Dame Christine Ryan, former Chair of the Ofsted Board. Its members include Rosalia Arteaga, former President and Vice-President of Ecuador, Nuno Crato, Portugal's former Education Minister, Andreas Schleicher, Director of Education and Skills at the OECD, Dina Ghobashy, Director of Education Transformation, Microsoft, Lasse Leponiemi, Co-Founder and Chairman, HundrED Foundation, Deborah Quazzo, Managing Partner, GSV Ventures and co-founder of the ASU+GSV Summit, Heekyung (Jo) Min, Executive Vice President, CJ CheilJedang, Jonnie Noakes, Director of The Tony Little Centre for Innovation and Research in Learning, Eton, 2019 Global Teacher Prize winner Peter Tabichi, 2023 Global Student Prize winner Nhial Deng, and Global Student Prize finalists Kenisha Arora and Kekhashan Basu.
The Council is part of a wider Global Schools Prize Academy, which will choose the winner.
The Global Schools Prize joins the Global Teacher Prize and Global Student Prize, completing a powerful trilogy that celebrates educators, learners, and now schools as institutions of innovation and change. Together, the three prizes spark a 360-degree conversation about what it takes to deliver the best possible education, equipping children to face the future with confidence – while rethinking the future of learning for generations to come.
Interested schools were able to apply for the Global Schools Prize at www.globalteacherprize.org/global-schools-prize before the closing date.
Notes to editors:
- The Varkey Foundation believes every child deserves a vibrant, stimulating learning environment that awakens and supports their full potential. The foundation believes nothing is more important to achieving this than the passion and quality of teachers. They support global teaching capacity and seed excellence and innovation in the next generation of educators. They also founded the GEMS Education Global Teacher Prize to shine a spotlight on the incredible work teachers do all over the world.
- World's Largest Lesson is a global education initiative that brings the Sustainable Development Goals into classrooms around the world. It provides free resources and campaigns to help young people understand global challenges and take action for a better future. World's Largest Lesson is proud to partner with the Global Schools Prize on the Sustainability category.
- Pickering College is Canada's only Quaker-founded independent day and boarding school for students from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12. Founded in 1842 and established in its current Newmarket location since 1909, Pickering College's vision is to develop innovative, courageous and compassionate global citizens who take action, true to Quaker values. The school's international network of alumni includes prominent academics and scientists; lawyers and judges; artists, musicians and filmmakers; social entrepreneurs and business innovators; and government and public service members. Pickering College is a full member of UNESCO's Associated Schools Network (ASPnet).
SOURCE Pickering College
For more information, please contact: Naomi Côté, Senior Communications, Manager, [email protected]
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