The previous and latest award winners of the Yidan Prize, the world's biggest education accolade, were recently invited to Shenzhen for exchanging their experiences on education with Chinese experts.

Founded in 2016 by Charles Chen Yidan, co-founder of the internet giant Tencent, the annual prize aims to create a better world through education. It comprises two awards: one for education research and another for education development. Each winner will be presented a gold medal and 30 million HK dollars ($3.8 million).

This year's two awards respectively went to Michelene Chi, a professor from Arizona State University, and Shai Reshef, founder and president of the University of the People, the world's first nonprofit, tuition-free university, in Hong Kong on Dec 3.

Reshef joined the prize's jury panel on Dec 6 for a tour in Shenzhen, visiting Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone, the headquarters of Tencent, and Shenzhen University.

The tour also attracted Vicky Colbert, the founder and director of Fundacion Escuela Nueva, which has helped improve educational opportunities for rural children in Colombia, and Lucy Lake, the executive adviser of the Campaign for Female Education, an organization dedicated to supporting girls and young women in Africa. Colbert and Lake were the winners of the Yidan Prize in 2017 and 2020.

The tour aimed to gain a better understanding of the city's cultural, technological, and educational plans and innovative practices, as well as to discuss topics related to educational research and development.