Published Jul 16, 2026 2 min read
Tallo helped judge this year’s K12 Innovation Challenge, and the winning projects tackled real problems students deal with every day.
Students in grades 6-12 competed across three categories: Tomorrow’s Classroom, Student Life Hacks, and Gamify It. They pitched original ideas for making school better, and a panel of judges picked the winners, including Tallo CEO Allison Danielsen.
6-8th Grade National Champions and People’s Choice Winners
Rida, Tairah, and Navya, 8th graders at Canyon Park Middle School, took the national title for their project, Transfer Tasks. Their idea won over the judges, and the K12 community agreed: the team also picked up the People’s Choice Award. Each student walked away with $650 in prize money.
9-12th Grade National Champion
Mahum, a 10th grader at Texas Virtual Academy at Hallsville, won the high school division with her project, Early Matters. Judges called out its originality and real-world relevance, along with Mahum’s confident, forward-thinking presentation.
“These students built real solutions to problems they live with every day, things like tools that catch when a classmate needs support before they fall behind. We hear a lot of noise about young people not wanting to work hard. This competition proved otherwise. If we trust them with real problems, we have a lot to look forward to.”
— Allison Danielsen, CEO of Tallo
Congrats to all the winners and everyone who competed this year. For the full list of finalists and judges, check out K12’s winners post.