20 Years of the German School Award: How Great Ideas Find Their Way into German Classrooms

It began with a simple yet, at the time, unusual message: “There is another way.” When the Robert Bosch Stiftung and the Heidehof Foundation launched the German School Award in 2006, educational policy in Germany was marked by a sense of crisis. The results of the international PISA studies in 2000 and 2003 had shaken confidence in the belief that the German school system ranked among the world’s best. Public debate centered largely on shortcomings and deficits.

The German School Award shifted the focus. Rather than concentrating on problems, it highlighted solutions. The goal was to identify schools that demonstrated how successful learning could be achieved. The underlying idea was straightforward: when outstanding approaches become visible, other schools can learn from them. “From the very beginning, the transfer of good practice was just as important to us as the award itself,” says Andrea Preußker, Head of the Education Team at the Robert Bosch Stiftung. Twenty years later, it is clear that this transfer is where the award’s greatest impact lies.

By 2025, 116 schools had received the German School Award, including 18 grand-prize winners. They come from nearly every region of Germany, from urban and rural areas, from disadvantaged communities and privileged regions alike, and from primary schools, secondary schools, special education schools, and vocational schools. Since 2016, German schools abroad have also been eligible to apply, and five have already received the award.

This diversity is no coincidence. The award does not recognize a particular type of school or promote a single educational method. Instead, it has helped reshape the conversation around what makes a good school. The focus extends beyond academic performance to include the quality of teaching, the ability to embrace diversity, the cultivation of responsibility, a positive school climate, and a school’s capacity for continuous improvement. Today, these quality dimensions are widely recognized well beyond the award itself and influence discussions about educational quality throughout Germany.

The German School Award not only highlights outstanding schools but also reflects the challenges they are addressing. In recent years, issues such as digitalization, civic and democracy education, and mental health have moved increasingly to the forefront. This became especially evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the special competition “German School Award 20|21 Special,” schools were recognized for innovative approaches to remote learning, self-directed learning, and maintaining social connections during periods of disruption. In this sense, the award also serves as a barometer of development within the education system, revealing which issues schools are tackling and how they respond to contemporary challenges.

Over the years, the German School Award has evolved from a traditional competition into a comprehensive professional learning and school development initiative. Its offerings include school visits, development programs, the German School Portal, and a network of award-winning schools. Schools that receive the award become part of this network and remain connected long after the award ceremony.

The school visitation program has existed almost as long as the award itself. Since 2007, 2,722 teachers and school leaders from 1,384 schools have visited award-winning schools to observe lessons, learn about educational concepts, and exchange ideas with colleagues. The impact of this exchange is reflected in a remarkable statistic: 40 schools that later won the award had previously participated in these visits themselves. Effective practices are therefore not simply copied but adapted to fit each school’s unique context.

The same principle underpins the German School Award Forum. Since 2017, 236 applicant schools have taken part in the school development program. The idea is that even schools that do not receive the award can benefit from the application process and from sharing experiences with peers.

These opportunities are complemented by the German School Portal. Since 2018, the platform has provided examples of educational practice, documentary films, journalistic reporting, and professional development opportunities. With more than 70,000 registered users, it has become one of the largest German-language platforms dedicated to school and instructional development. As a result, ideas that emerge in individual schools are made accessible far beyond the community of award winners.

More than 2,800 applications, 372 school visits, and over €4 million in prize money: the history of the German School Award can be measured in numbers. More difficult is the question of its broader impact. Has teaching improved because the German School Award exists? Have schools become more innovative?

School improvement depends on many factors, including educational policy reforms, societal change, available resources, and the commitment of educators and communities. What is evident, however, is that the award has spent two decades identifying and sharing examples of successful practice. In doing so, it has shown countless teachers and school leaders that they are not alone in facing challenges and that they have the power to shape the future of their schools.

The German School Award has not revolutionized the education system. Its contribution lies elsewhere. It has made excellent schools visible and fostered the exchange of their ideas. Over time, what began as a collection of individually recognized schools has grown into a nationwide network. Its greatest impact may therefore lie not in the 116 award-winning schools themselves, but in the many others that draw inspiration from them.