iStore announces excellence in education awards
The awards are a national celebration of teachers and students who are redefining the learning experience.
Picture: iStore, Sandton City. Picture: iStore
“How have you used Apple products to bring learning to life?”
This is the question that will be posed to South African schools during the 2025 Excellence in Education Awards.
Authorised Apple reseller, iStore Education, announced the launch of the awards last week.
Apple tech
iStore said the awards are a national celebration of teachers and students who are redefining the learning experience through creative and impactful use of Apple technology.
Now in its 17th year, the awards highlight the innovative ways in which South African schools are embracing technology to deepen learning and spark creativity.
Whether it’s through artificial intelligence, coding in Swift, digital storytelling or integrating iPad and Mac into lesson plans, iStore said the awards seek to recognise the teachers and pupils using Apple tools to reimagine what’s possible in education.
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Tech in the class
Michelle Lissoos, Director at iStore Education, emphasised the transformative role of technology in the classroom.
“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.
“We’re continually inspired by the incredible talent and innovation we see each year. The Awards are a platform to celebrate the educators who are shaping future-ready learners through creativity, critical thinking and collaboration,” Lissoos said.
Categories
Participants will be evaluated across three distinct grade categories—Foundation Phase (Grades R–3), Intermediate Phase (Grades 4–7), and Senior Phase (Grades 8–12)—with entries judged in one of the three following core award areas by a panel of international judges:
- The Creative Excellence Award honours the most imaginative and inspiring use of Apple technology to engage students and enhance their understanding.
- The Curriculum Excellence Award recognises projects that demonstrate seamless integration of Apple products into the curriculum.
- The Tech Excellence Award is dedicated to the future-forward classrooms using AI tools or coding platforms on Apple devices.
Finalists will be invited to an awards celebration in November 2025.
Prizes
First-place prizes include an iPad for the submitting teacher and iPads for up to two student collaborators per winning project.
The competition is open to both individual and group projects, limited to one teacher and up to two students per entry. The submission deadline is 3 October, 2025.
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