The Mathical selection panel is drawn from librarians, teachers, mathematicians, early childhood experts, and others. The jury selects winners in five grade-level categories: PreK, K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12.
2026 Prize Co-Chairs
- Chris Nho (co-chair), Director of Community Partnerships, MathHappens Foundation, former secondary school mathematics teacher, and co-founder of Public Math
- Dr. John Urschel (co-chair), Assistant Professor of Mathematics, MIT, and former offensive lineman for the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens
- Sondra Eklund (co-chair), Youth Materials Selector at Fairfax County Public Library, and former college mathematics teacher
- Dr. Terrell Young (co-chair in training), Professor of children’s literature at Brigham Young University
2026 Prize Selection Panel
- Jeanine Brownell, Math Specialist (Grades K-5) at Jane Stenson School, Skokie School District 68, Illinois, and former early childhood educator
- Johanna Cinquegrana, Middle School Mathematics Teacher at New Explorations into Science, Technology + Math (Manhattan, New York)
- Dr. Ranthony Clark, Assistant Research Professor at Duke University
- Gabriella DeLeon-DeHaan, Dual Language Teacher at San Bernardino City Unified School District (NCTE)
- Dr. Daniel Erman, Assistant Professor of Mathematics at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
- Celina Gonzalez, Contractor Program Manager, Instructional Coach, & Curriculum Design, and former multiple subjects teacher/education specialist
- Marcelle Good, Middle school mathematics teacher at MS 447 (The Math and Science Exploratory School) (Brooklyn, New York)
- Genesis Grullón, 6th-7th grade math teacher at the Young Women’s Leadership School (New York, New York)
- Dr. Christa Jackson, Professor of Mathematics, Science, and STEM Education at Saint Louis University (NCTM)
- Latrenda Knighten, President of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and former mathematics curriculum supervisor and K-5 mathematics teacher
- Dr. Holly Krieger, Professor of Mathematics, Murray Edwards College (Cambridge, England)
- Araceli Moreno Lomeli, Bilingual adult services librarian at McHenry Public Library District (Illinois)
- Katie Papesh, 4th grade teacher, Dublin City Schools (Dublin, Ohio) (NCTE)
- Carolyn Pfister, Coordinator of the California Early Math Project, and former elementary and middle school math teacher and K-8 principal
- Linda Riewe, Librarian, Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute (SLMath)
- Dr. Amanda Ruiz, Associate Professor of Mathematics at University of San Diego
- Dr. Tatiana Toro (ex officio), Director of the Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute (SLMath) and Professor of Mathematics at the University of Washington
- Akil Wilson, Mathematics teacher at School of the Future High School (Manhattan, New York)