The awards are open to students and teachers in South Africa
iStore has announced the launch of the 2025 Excellence in Education Awards, a national celebration of educators and learners who have redefined the learning experience through creative and impactful use of Apple technology.
Bringing learning to life
2025 marks the 17th year of the awards. The iStore awards aim to continue highlighting the innovative ways South African schools embrace technology throughout their learning journey.
This year’s challenge asks a simple yet powerful question: “How have you used Apple products to bring learning to life?” Whether it’s through artificial intelligence, coding in Swift, digital storytelling, or integrating iPad and Mac into lesson plans. The awards seek to recognise the educators and learners using Apple tools to reimagine what’s possible in education.
The director at iStore Education, Michelle Lissoos, went on to emphasise the transformative role played by technology in the classroom space. “This year’s theme reflects our mission to empower South African teachers and students to explore, create and solve real-world problems using Apple technology through these iStore awards. We’re continually inspired by the incredible talent and innovation we see each year,” she said. “The awards are a platform to celebrate the educators who are shaping future-ready learners through creativity, critical thinking and collaboration.”
Categories to be evaluated
All participants will be evaluated from 3 grade categories. These include the foundation phase (Grade R-3), intermediate phase (Grades 4–7), and senior phase (Grades 8–12). These will be inclusive of entries judged in one of the three following core award areas by a panel of international judges:
- The Creative Excellence Award: This award honours the most imaginative and inspiring use of Apple technology to engage students and enhance their understanding. Entrants in this category are encouraged to push the boundaries of possibility. They should showcase how they’ve made learning unforgettable through original, visually compelling, and emotionally resonant work.
- The Curriculum Excellence Award: This award recognises projects that demonstrate seamless integration of Apple products into the curriculum. Submissions in this category should reflect how educators have used technology to bring academic concepts to life. Regardless of subject area, the aim is to make lessons more interactive, relevant, and impactful.
- The Tech Excellence Award: This is an award dedicated to the future-forward classrooms using AI tools or coding platforms on Apple devices. This category celebrates projects that develop students’ problem-solving abilities. It focuses on creativity and computational thinking in exciting, cutting-edge ways.
Lissoos added, “Technology alone doesn’t transform education—it’s the people behind it who do. Through the Excellence in Education Awards, we honour the teachers and learners who bring learning to life every day in South African classrooms. Their projects are not only inspiring, they set the standard for today’s learning. One of the key aims of the iStore awards is to showcase these outstanding achievements.”
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How to enter the competition
Projects must be submitted online and should include a high-quality mp4, mp3 (up to three minutes) or eBook (up to ten pages). Each submission must include the names of the teacher and student(s), a list of all apps and resources used, and clear evidence of Mac or iPad technology in action. The iStore awards competition is open to both individual and group projects. Each entry is limited to one teacher and up to two students. The submission deadline is 3 October 2025.
Educators and students are encouraged to submit their entries. They should show how they’ve turned curiosity into action, lessons into experiences, and classrooms into creative labs powered by Apple.
All finalists will be invited to an awards celebration in November 2025. The 1st place prizes will include an iPad for the teacher and two more iPads for two student collaborators per winning project.
