An internal committee from the Riley Institute’s Center for Education Policy Leadership review all applications and select 8-10 programs for consideration by the larger WhatWorksSC Awards Selection Committee.

The confidential committee comprising five highly regarded state and national education experts closely evaluates semifinalists based on effectiveness as demonstrated by a grounding in evidence-based best practices; local evidence of impact; and infrastructure for program sustainability, including resource allocation and partnerships. Judges score each semifinalist against a rubric. A winner and two finalists are selected based on overall scores.

Previous award winning programs are not eligible to win the award again. However, organizations with a program that has previously won can apply for separate programs they operate. For example, Teacher Fellows and Teacher Cadets are two separate programs operated by the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement; they won the Award in 2011 and 2015, respectively.

Previous finalists are eligible for consideration after sitting out one full cycle since placing for an award; for example, a finalist of the 2025 award may apply again in the 2027 award cycle (they must sit out the 2026 round).

Any program that is currently under evaluation by the Riley Institute’s research team is NOT eligible for the WhatWorksSC Award.

No. Your program must benefit students enrolled in S.C. public schools, but your program may operate and/or be housed independently of the school system.

Fill out this form. Please note that there is no opportunity to save the application in a partially completed state before you begin filling it out online.

Applications for the 2027 award open on November 8, 2026, and are due December 6, 2026.

There is an online application for the WhatWorksSC Award that must be completed. If available, we also ask that you please upload one supporting document, such as an annual report, logic model, or an evaluation report as an attachment for review. This piece of information will strengthen the application.

Please refrain from including links in your application. Your answers should be thorough and not ask the evaluators to find key information on their own by visiting a separate website.

When we say, “evidence-based programs and practices,” we’re talking about the research—nationally, locally, or within your program—that proves these strategies work​. Ideal applicants should include data or cite studies that draw a clear line between the research, the practices, and the outcomes for student impact.

Yes. Research studies showing that the type of work you are doing has benefits, along with evidence of your program’s fidelity to that model is sufficient (e.g., you may cite a research study that demonstrates that physical fitness improves academic performance and draw links to your program).

We do require that you have some clearly articulated measures of success and evidence of impact, and that these are shared as part of the application.

The WhatWorksSC winner and finalists are honored at a statewide lunch event held in Columbia in the spring. The winner receives a $10,000 cash prize, and their program is highlighted through an on-stage panel discussion during the event. Finalists also receive cash prizes, and all three top honorees receive a promotional video produced by SCETV (a $5,000 value), as well as in-kind consulting services from the Riley Institute’s research and evaluation team.

Read firsthand accounts from past winners and finalists about what receiving this statewide recognition has meant for their programs.