Lerner Award Finalists/Winners Archives
Lerner Award Finalists/Winners Archives
Lerner Award – 2023
Award Ceremony- May 17th, 2023
Winner: Mark Indermaur
- Foundation: Indermaur Chess Foundation
- Location: Raleigh, NC
Finalist: Jose Garza
- Foundation: Chicago Chess Foundation
- Location: Chicago, IL
Finalist: Matthew Morales
- School: Success Academy Charter School
- Location: New York City, NY
Finalist: Vaughn Bennett
- School/Affiliation: D.C Chess
- Location: Washington, D.C
Finalist: Carlos Graupera
- School: PS. 503
- Location: Brooklyn, NY
Lifetime Achievement Winner: Vincent Bogart
- School: PS. 279
- Location: Bronx, NY
Lerner Award – 2024
Award Ceremony- April 16th, 2024
Educator Category:
Winner: Elizabeth Spiegel
- School: I.S. 318
- Location: Brooklyn, NY
Finalist: Keyron Jarvis
- School: Bold Charter School
- Location: Bronx, NY
Finalist: Lauren Jahn
- School: Sturgis Brown High School
- Location: Sturgis, SD
Lifetime Achievement Winner: David MacEnulty
- Location: New York, NY
Admin/Finalist:
Winner: Eliot Weiss
- School: Edward R. Murrow High School
- Location: Brooklyn, NY
Finalist: Abel Talamantez
- School: Rise Hamilton K-8 School
- Location: Novato, CA
Finalist: Judy Viertel
- School: Marshall Elementary School
- Location: San Francisco, CA
Lifetime Achievement Winner: Margaret Russo
- School: PS. 160
- Location: Brooklyn, NY
Lerner Award – 2025
Award Ceremony- May 29th, 2025
Educator Category:
Winner: Brian Ribnick
- School: Nicollet Middle School, ISD 191
- Location: Burnsville, MN
Finalist: Salema Jackson
- School: University Prep Charter Middle School
- Location: Bronx, NY
Finalist: Michael Herbst
- School: Bronx Academy for Multi-Media
- Location: Bronx, NY
Admin/Finalist:
Winner: David Heiser
- School: Renaissance Knights Chess Foundation
- Location: Chicago, IL
Finalist: Richard Abshire
- School: PS. 199
- Location: Bronx, NY
Finalist: Adam Geisler
- School/Foundation: Bateman School Chess Team; Chicago Chess Foundation
- Location: Chicago, IL
Chess in the Schools Legacy Award Winners:
Yury Lapshun
Mitchell Fitzko
The winners received a monetary prize of $10,000 that included a $5,000 award to the educator and $5,000 to the affiliated organization. Four finalists each received a $2,000 award, split between them and their chess programs.
Questions may be directed to Marilyn Lucero, CIS Development Associate: (646) 688-0724, mlucero@chessintheschools.org