Once the first round of finalists are chosen, they participate in a fast-paced and jam-packed Accelerator which drives them into unique conversations with industry experts from the fields of journalism, finance, politics, and beyond, who in turn end up utlizing the expertise of the Yass Prize cohort members. Throughout, the participants at every stage of the competition are fueling new pathways that enable more students to have access to what they deliver, and advocating for change to make it happen for others. “Enlightening doesn’t even come close” to describing the experience, said one of the participants. We couldn’t agree more.

It’s not just about building expertise, but about building new relationships that inspire a new kind of activism built around growing Sustainable, Transformational, Outstanding, and Permissionless education across the nation. It’s precisely that kind of inspiration that attracted the attention of Members of Congress and Governors with whom the 2022 Awardees met in February, 2023, leading to numerous new calls for the Yass Prize movements involvement on the ground in their states and guiding national policy.