iStore Education 2025 Awards Spotlight Innovation in South African Classrooms – IT News Africa

An awards celebration of educators and students who are redefining the learning experience through creative and impactful use of Apple technology.  With 62 finalists selected from a record 225 submissions from 32 schools across 5 provinces, they and their families were invited to an elaborate Awards Evening at the iStore Sandton Drive lounge.

This year’s challenge asked 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 recognize the educators and learners using Apple tools to reimagine what’s possible in education.

Participants were evaluated across three distinct grade categories—Foundation Phase (Grades R–3), Intermediate Phase (Grades 4–7), and Senior Phase (Grades 8–12)—across three core areas:

• Creative Excellence—honoring the most imaginative and inspiring use of Apple technology to engage students and enhance their understanding.
• Curriculum Excellence—recognizing projects that demonstrate seamless integration of Apple products into the curriculum.
• Tech Excellence—dedicated to the future-forward classrooms using AI tools or coding platforms on Apple devices. 

The Senior Phase (Grades 8-12) category combined all three phases for a grand award.

“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,” said Michelle Lissoos, iStore Education Director.

“Technology alone doesn’t transform education—it’s the people behind it who do. Through the Excellence in Education Awards, we honor the teachers and learners who bring learning to life every day in South African classrooms. Their projects are not only inspiring, but they also set the standard for today’s learning.”

The rankings for each category were as follows, with the winners receiving an iPad for the students and supervising educator involved:

CREATIVE EXCELLENCE

Grades R–3:

• 1^st place = Superheroes Adventure (Dorothea Special School, Western Cape)
• 2^nd place = Stop Motion Afrikaans Oral (Rallim Preparatory School, Western Cape)
• 3^rd place = Super Gingerbreadman vs Big Bad Wolf (Dorothea Special School, Western Cape)

Grades 4–7:

• 1^st place = Banksy Stop Motion (Heronbridge College, Gauteng)
• 2^nd place = Edgar Degas (Heronbridge College, Gauteng)
• 3^rd place = Claude Monet (Heronbridge College, Gauteng)

CURRICULUM EXCELLENCE

Grades R–3:

• 1^st place = What Pets Need (Grey Junior, Eastern Cape)
• 2^nd place = Ocean Pollution (Parklands College, Western Cape)
• 3^rd place = Bookcreator Insects and Bugs (The Kusasa Academy, Western Cape)

Grades 4–7:

• 1^st place = Song for a Whale (Cannons Creek, Western Cape)
• 2^nd place = Future Farming: From Seeds to Sales (Parklands College, Western Cape)
• 3^rd place = Biome Blitz: Escape the Poacher (Stirling Primary, Eastern Cape)

TECH EXCELLENCE

Grades R–3:

• 1^st place = Forward Thinking for the Future (Maragon Olympus, Gauteng)
• 2^nd place = Retelling of the Three Little Pigs (Rallim Preparatory School, Western Cape)
• 3^rd place = The Three Little Pigs (Rallim Preparatory School, Western Cape)

Grades 4–7:

• 1^st place = How the Lion Got Its Roar (The Wykeham Collegiate, KwaZulu-Natal)
• 2^nd place = The Great Boerewors Heist of South Africa (Stirling Primary, Eastern Cape)
• 3^rd place = HitSmart: Measure the Hit, Master the Game (Stirling Primary, Eastern Cape)

COMBINED CATEGORIES

Grades 8–12:

• 1^st place = StudyPal (St John’s College, Gauteng)
• 2^nd place = iPlanet, A Living Curriculum on the iPad (Durban Girls College, KwaZulu-Natal)
• 3^rd place = “Ow! My iBack” (Durban Girls College, KwaZulu-Natal)

“I’ve spent a very enjoyable time going through the entries in the Tech Excellence category and I am absolutely blown away by the creativity and passion shared by these students.” — Jacob Woolcock (UK)

“Exploring the projects for the competition was an absolute joy! The entries were creative, entertaining, inspiring and often deeply moving… using Apple technology in thoughtful, innovative ways with passion and originality.” — Bronwyn Desjardins (Mauritius)