Official Terms and Conditions AI4EDU26

 

Article 0 – Definitions 

For the purposes of these Official Terms and Conditions, the following terms shall have the meanings set out below: 

AI4EDU26 
The AI for Education Awards 2026 organised by d-teach online school. 

Award Category 
One of the three categories within AI4EDU26, namely the Teacher Innovation Award, the Teacher Training Award, and the Student Innovation Award. 

Competition Track 
Either the European Competition or the Global Competition as defined in Article 3. 

Entrant 
Any individual, teacher, team, organisation, institution or authorised representative who submits a Submission to AI4EDU26. 

Submission 
The complete set of materials, documentation, information and declarations submitted by an Entrant through the official website for participation in AI4EDU26. 

Finalist 
An Entrant whose Submission has been selected by the jury as one of the shortlisted entries within a specific Award Category and Competition Track. 

Laureate 
The Entrant designated by the jury as the award winner within a specific Award Category and Competition Track. 

Organiser 
d-teach online school ivzw, established in Belgium, acting as the sole legal organiser of AI4EDU26. 

Website 
The official website of the AI for Education Awards, accessible at www.aiawards.education.

Empowerment Programme 
The post-award structured programme organised by the Organiser for Finalists and Laureates, as described in Article 12. 

Privacy Declaration 
The official data protection and privacy notice applicable to AI4EDU26, published on the Website. 

Article 1 – Organiser 

The AI for Education Awards 2026 (AI4EDU26) are organised by: 

d-teach online school ivzw 
BE 0758.861.682 

Hamoirlaan 12, box A05 
1180 Ukkel 
Belgium 

www.d-teach.com 
info@d-teach.com 

d-teach online school acts as the sole legal organiser of the competition and is responsible for its governance, administration, jury appointment and data processing. 

Strategic partners, conference hosts, sponsors or collaborators may support the organisation of specific events or activities but do not act as co-organisers unless explicitly stated. 

Article 2 – Purpose of the Awards 

The AI for Education Awards 2026 aim to identify, recognise and scale responsible and human-centred uses of Artificial Intelligence in K12 education. 

The Awards focus exclusively on initiatives implemented within primary and secondary education (K12). Projects implemented solely within higher education are not eligible, except where the initiative demonstrably concerns the training of future K12 teachers. 

AI4EDU26 operates as an international competition framework consisting of: 

• A European Competition 
• A Global Competition 

Both tracks are governed by the present Terms and Conditions. 

Article 3 – Competition Tracks 

3.1 European Competition 

The European Competition is open to eligible initiatives implemented within K12 education in Europe. 

The European Award Ceremony will take place in Brussels in May 2026. 

3.2 Global Competition 

The Global Competition is open to eligible initiatives implemented worldwide. 

The Global Award Ceremony will take place in Geneva in July 2026. 

3.3 Advancement mechanism 

Laureates of the European Competition automatically advance to the Global Competition and are eligible for recognition at the Global Award Ceremony. 

The organiser reserves the right to determine the practical modalities of this advancement. 

Article 4 – Award categories 

AI4EDU26 consists of three award categories applicable to both the European and Global Competition Tracks. 

4.1 Teacher Innovation Award 

This category recognises pedagogically grounded AI initiatives designed and implemented by teachers within K12 education. 

Eligible submissions must: 

• Be initiated and implemented by an individual teacher or a team of teachers actively working in K12 education. 
• Demonstrate effective classroom implementation. 
• Show measurable or observable educational value. 

Commercial entities may not submit to this category unless the submission is clearly teacher-led and pedagogically owned. 

4.2 Teacher Training Award 

This category recognises sustainable initiatives aimed at training, coaching or structurally empowering teachers in the responsible and pedagogically sound use of AI in K12 education. 

Eligible submissions must: 

• Target teachers working in K12 education. 
• Demonstrate structural embedding and sustainability. 
• Show evidence of impact on professional practice. 

Submissions may be made by organisations, institutions or partnerships, provided they formally represent the submitted initiative. 

4.3 Student Innovation Award 

This category recognises AI-based educational initiatives led by students within a K12 educational setting under pedagogical supervision. 

Eligible submissions must: 

• Be implemented within a recognised K12 educational context. 
• Be submitted jointly by participating students and the supervising teacher or teacher team. 
• Clearly indicate the names of the participating students. 
• Demonstrate responsible and supervised AI use. 

The supervising teacher or teacher team: 

• Confirms that parental or legal guardian consent has been obtained for the participation of minor students. 
• Confirms that guardians have been informed of and accept the applicable Privacy Declaration of AI4EDU26. 
• Assumes responsibility for ensuring compliance with applicable data protection laws. 

The organiser reserves the right to request proof of consent where necessary. The organiser shall not be held liable for inaccurate, incomplete or invalid consent declarations provided by supervising teachers. 

Students may not submit independently without teacher supervision. 

Article 5 – Eligibility and resubmission 

5.1 General eligibility 

Submissions must concern initiatives that have been effectively implemented within a K12 educational context before 1 January 2026. 

Purely conceptual proposals, pilot concepts without practical implementation, or projects launched after 1 January 2026 are not eligible. 

Eligible submissions must: 

• Demonstrate documented implementation in an authentic educational setting. 
• Be compliant with applicable laws and regulations. 
• Not infringe intellectual property rights of third parties. 
• Respect principles of responsible, ethical and supervised AI use. 

Projects implemented exclusively within higher education are not eligible, except where the initiative demonstrably concerns the training of future K12 teachers. 

The organiser reserves the right to request evidence of implementation where deemed necessary. 

The burden of proof regarding compliance with eligibility requirements rests with the entrant. 

5.2 Resubmission of projects from the 2024 edition 

Projects submitted to the 2024 edition may be resubmitted only if they demonstrate substantial development, expansion, or structural embedding since the previous submission. 

Entrants must clearly describe: 

• The modifications made since 2024. 
• Evidence of further implementation, scaling or impact. 

The organiser reserves the right to determine whether the degree of development justifies eligibility. 

Article 6 – Submission requirements 

Entries must be submitted via the official website www.aiawards.education within the submission period applicable to the relevant Competition Track.

The opening and closing dates of the submission period are published exclusively on the official website. The website constitutes the authoritative source for all deadlines. 

The organiser reserves the right to extend or modify the submission deadline where deemed necessary. Any extension or modification will be communicated solely via the official website. 

No submissions will be accepted after the published deadline, unless an official extension has been announced on the website prior to the expiry of the original deadline. 

An entry shall only be considered admissible if all mandatory fields and required documentation, as indicated on the submission platform, have been fully completed and submitted within the applicable deadline. Entrants must ensure that all submitted hyperlinks are accessible without login requirements and remain available until 31 August 2026. 

Incomplete submissions, missing mandatory documentation, or entries that do not comply with the formal submission requirements may be declared inadmissible at the discretion of the organiser. The organiser is not obliged to request missing information after the submission deadline. 

Each entry may be submitted to only one Award Category. 

Submissions must: 

• Be completed in English. 
• Include a detailed project description. 
• Provide supporting documentation where relevant. 
• Provide access to software or digital platforms where essential for evaluation. 
• Clearly indicate the language(s) in which the project operates. 

Entrants warrant that they possess all necessary rights and permissions to submit the entry and related materials. 

Article 7 – Transparency regarding the use of artificial intelligence during submission process 

AI4EDU26 promotes responsible AI literacy and transparent practice. 

Entrants must disclose the use of generative AI tools in the preparation of submission materials where such tools have: 

• Substantively shaped the conceptual framing of the submission, 
• Generated visual or written materials presented as original content, or 
• Influenced intellectual property ownership. 

The use of AI tools for translation, language correction or minor editorial support does not require disclosure. 

Failure to disclose substantial AI-generated content may result in disqualification. The organiser may request clarification regarding the extent of AI use in the preparation of submission materials. 

Article 8 – Intellectual property and licence 

Entrants retain full intellectual property rights to their submitted project, programme, product and accompanying materials. 

By submitting an entry, the entrant grants d-teach online school a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to: 

• Assess and evaluate the submission. 
• Display visual materials and excerpts of the submission for promotional and communication purposes related to AI4EDU26. 
• Publish the executive summary, project title, name of the entrant(s), affiliated institution and logo in connection with the announcement of finalists and laureates. 

Such use shall be limited to activities directly related to the promotion, documentation and dissemination of the AI for Education Awards and the Empowerment Programme. 

The organiser is under no obligation to publish or exploit any submitted material. 

The entrant represents and warrants that: 

• The submission does not infringe third-party intellectual property rights. 
• All necessary permissions and licences have been obtained. 
• The content complies with applicable laws and regulations. 

The entrant agrees to indemnify and hold harmless d-teach online school against claims arising from breach of these warranties. 

Article 9 – Data protection and privacy 

d-teach online school acts as data controller for the processing of personal data in the context of AI4EDU26. 

All personal data are processed in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (General Data Protection Regulation – GDPR) and applicable Belgian data protection legislation. 

Participation in AI4EDU26 requires acceptance of the applicable Privacy Declaration, published on the official website. 

Personal data of participants located outside the European Union are processed under the legal framework applicable to the organiser. Where required, appropriate safeguards for international data transfers will be implemented in accordance with applicable data protection law. 

In the context of the Student Innovation Award, the supervising teacher confirms that: 

• Parental or legal guardian consent has been obtained where required. 
• Guardians have been informed of and accept the Privacy Declaration. 
• The participation of minors complies with applicable data protection laws. 

The organiser reserves the right to request evidence of compliance where necessary. 

Personal data will be processed solely for purposes related to the administration, evaluation, communication and dissemination of AI4EDU26. 

Further details regarding data processing, retention periods and data subject rights are set out in the Privacy Declaration. 

Article 10 – Jury procedure and decision authority 

All eligible submissions are evaluated by an independent international jury appointed by d-teach online school. 

The jury evaluates submissions in accordance with the category-specific evaluation criteria published on the official website. These criteria form an integral part of the competition framework. 

The evaluation process may consist of multiple stages, including an initial screening and a final deliberation phase. 

The organiser reserves the right to: 

• Reject entries that do not meet eligibility requirements. 
• Reassign an entry to a more appropriate category where justified. 
• Disqualify an entrant at any stage in case of fraud, misrepresentation, plagiarism, violation of intellectual property rights or breach of these Terms and Conditions. 

The decisions of the jury are final and not subject to appeal. 

Article 11 – Recognition and advancement 

For each category within each Competition Track, the jury may designate: 

• Finalists 
• One Laureate (Award Winner) 

The number of finalists may vary depending on the quality and volume of submissions. 

European Laureates automatically advance to the Global Competition and are eligible for recognition during the Global Award Ceremony. 

Finalists and Laureates may be publicly announced through official communication channels, including the website and partner events. 

Finalists and Laureates receive official recognition as determined by the organiser, which may include certificates, public presentation opportunities and participation in the Empowerment Programme. 

Article 12 – Empowerment Programme 

Finalists and Laureates are invited to participate in the structured Empowerment Programme organised by d-teach online school following the Award Ceremonies. 

The Empowerment Programme may include: 

• Structured feedback sessions 
• Collaboration with educational and technological experts 
• Dissemination activities 
• Public presentations and publications 

Participation in the Empowerment Programme is voluntary unless otherwise specified. The organiser reserves the right to determine its format, timeline and modalities. 

Article 13 – Liability and amendments 

The organiser shall not be liable for: 

• Technical failures affecting submission. 
• Loss, delay or corruption of submitted materials. 
• Decisions taken by the jury in good faith. 

The organiser reserves the right to: 

• Amend the present Terms and Conditions where necessary. 
• Modify procedural aspects of the competition. 
• Cancel or postpone the competition in case of force majeure or circumstances beyond reasonable control. 

Any amendments will be published on the official website and shall enter into force upon publication. 

These Terms and Conditions are governed by Belgian law. Any dispute arising in connection with AI4EDU26 shall fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts of Brussels, Belgium.