Ten Education Projects Vie for UNESCO Prize by Changing How Teachers Learn and Lead

Three winners will be announced on 5 October at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris during the World Teachers’ Day global celebration, with online participation available.

A child learning in a familiar language, a rural teacher finding support from colleagues, or a school keeping lessons going through crisis can all reflect the difference that better teacher support makes. Ten initiatives across nine countries have reached the finals of the 2026 UNESCO-Hamdan Prize for Teacher Development, bringing attention to practical approaches that help educators respond to the needs of their pupils and communities.

Three winners will be announced on 5 October at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris during the World Teachers' Day global celebration, with online participation available. Created in 2008, the biennial prize supports better teaching and learning under Sustainable Development Goal 4, awarding $300,000 equally among three organisations with support from the Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Medical and Educational Sciences.

Making Learning Feel Closer to Home

India's Language and Learning Foundation has trained more than 2,000 teachers through its NEEV Multilingual Education Programme in Bastar, Chhattisgarh, bringing indigenous languages and community knowledge into classroom learning. Its structured teaching and established literacy approach have improved student engagement and learning outcomes, giving teachers ways to connect lessons with the language and culture children already understand.

Ethiopia's Gondar College of Teachers' Education takes a hands-on approach through Maker-Teachers, involving teacher educators, pre-primary trainees, local artisans and communities in creating affordable play kits. Materials reflect Ethiopian languages and cultural symbols and support indoor and outdoor activities, reaching 98 cluster schools and directly benefiting more than 15,000 young learners.

Mexico's Fundación Tarahumara José A. Llaguno supports secondary teachers in indigenous rural communities through its Organizational Capacities Program for Secondary Education. Local advisors, including former participants, provide continuing guidance to strengthen teaching, school organisation and community leadership; the programme has trained 230 teachers to involve families in improvements suited to their communities.

Giving Teachers Space to Learn Together

Brunei Darussalam's education ministry has built a nationwide Teachers Teaching Teachers Collaborative Learning System that connects professional learning with national teaching standards, classroom skills and career progression. The initiative has recorded 33,596 course participations among 6,700 teachers, using peer learning to strengthen teaching quality and equity across the country.

Indonesia's Guru Belajar Foundation encourages educators to organise change together through its Collective Teacher Leadership Development Programme, which has engaged 61,717 teachers across 91 districts and cities. A digital learning platform, shared classroom resources, peer mentoring and reflection help participants mobilise colleagues and lead initiatives within schools and wider communities.

Two finalists come from Türkiye, offering different ways to reduce professional isolation. The Teachers' Academy Foundation's voluntary ÖRAV Education Festival has involved more than 38,000 teachers over ten years through affordable, community-led professional learning that gradually transfers leadership locally. The Rural Schools Transformation Network, KODA, brings teachers together for six meetings combining social-emotional learning and reflection; independent evaluations found stronger motivation to remain in rural areas and greater recognition of rural teaching as a collaborative profession.

Keeping Education Going Through Difficult Conditions

In Palestine, the principal-led Keeping Learning Alive on the Frontline initiative at Waleed Abu Mweis Basic Boys' School supports professional development and learning continuity during prolonged crisis. Its 2022–2025 model brings teachers together to exchange practices, adapt lesson plans and prioritise learning outcomes, benefiting 29 teachers and more than 500 learners and strengthening the school's ability to respond to disruption.

Uganda's Kimanya-Ngeyo Foundation for Science and Education has reached 2,500 teachers across three districts through its Learning to Learn Teacher Development Program. Training spreads through a cascade model, supported by classroom observation, helping educators in underserved primary and secondary schools exercise professional judgement and develop reflective, inquiry-driven lessons centred on learners.

Ukraine's EdCamp-in-a-box programme gives educators opportunities to shape professional development through locally organised events, with particular attention to social, emotional and lifelong learning. Run by EdCamp Ukraine, the initiative has supported 374 events in educational institutions and reached approximately 50,000 educators, helping bring the social and emotional dimensions of education into greater focus.