UNESCO-Hamdan Prize for Teacher Development

Governments of UNESCO Member States via their National Commissions to UNESCO and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in official partnership with UNESCO can make up to 5 nominations. Self-nominations are not accepted.

• National Commission: the nomination letter is drafted by the President or Secretary General.
• NGO in official partnership with UNESCO: the nomination letter is drafted by the President or Director-General at headquarters. If the NGO has branches,  the Head of the NGO branch may draft the nomination letter, however a communication confirming that the candidate nomination has been approved by the executive leadership at headquarters should be joined to the nomination letter from the branch

Institutions or organizations; international or national governmental or non-governmental organizations; educational or research institutions active in the field of teaching and learning.

Nominations must focus on an established project or programme of the candidate, which is ongoing and has been running for at least three years, and meets the selection criteria (see below). Attention should be paid to presenting the project/programme of the candidate in a clear and structured way.

Projects from individuals are not eligible for nominations and will not be considered. Only projects from organizations and institutions may be nominated.

Candidates to the Prize may be individuals representing institutions or organizations; international or national, governmental, or non-governmental organizations (NGOs); educational or research institutions and local, national, or regional communities. Applications are not open to individuals. 

The project submitted by candidates shall have made a significant contribution to enhancing teaching and learning, in line with UNESCO’s principles and objectives in this field:

• by demonstrating innovation aimed at promoting the effectiveness of teachers;
• by producing teaching materials or other special aids designed for the development of innovative teaching and learning;
• by mobilizing initiatives and/or means likely to contribute to enhancing teacher effectiveness;
• by strengthening coordination and research that inform and enhance teacher effectiveness.  

As well as the conditions described above, the project must:  

• have been implemented for at least three years so its results can be evaluated, and its effectiveness verified; 
 
• represent an outstanding contribution to the fundamental objectives of UNESCO and the UN in the field of quality education for sustainable development; 
 
• be such that it can be reproduced elsewhere and is likely to foster similar initiatives; 
 
• have shown itself to be effective in mobilising new intellectual and material resources. 

Nominations can be submitted in two ways:

1. Candidates wishing to be nominated for the Prize may contact the National Commission for UNESCO of their country or an Organization maintaining official relations with UNESCO to request a nomination letter.
2. Nominating bodies identify nominees and send them a nomination letter.

Each nominating body can nominate up to 5 candidates no later than the deadline. Any additional nominations will not be taken into consideration.

The nomination letter must comply with the Prize requirements:

• It is on official paper, stamped and signed by the nominating body and include the date of the nomination
• It is submitted in French or English only
• It indicates the starting date and expected end date of the project. It indicates if the project has no expected end date.
• It explains how the nominating body has known the candidate organization and the reason(s) why it is nominating the candidate project for the Prize
• It certifies that the nominating body has reviewed the information included in the candidate’s application and that it is accurate.
• The nomination letter is no more than 300 words. 

The nomination letter is uploaded by the candidate in the online platform once received.

The nominating body receives an automatic notification of the candidate application once it is submitted.

In exceptional cases where candidates do not have access to Internet, nominating bodies can request access to the online platform to submit the candidate nomination and application. In that case, National Commissions to UNESCO and NGOs in official partnership with UNESCO may access the online submissions platform through their official UNESCO account.

In exceptional cases where candidates do not have access to Internet, nominating bodies can request access to the online platform to submit the candidate nomination and application:

• National Commissions to UNESCO may access the online submissions platform through their official UNESCO account. 
• NGOs in official partnership with UNESCO must request access to the platform by sending their email address to Ms. Zenab CHOUG, Prize Coordinator, at: teacherprize@unesco.org

1. Candidates must register online(link is external) to request an account. In doing so, candidates must comply with the eligibility requirements.
2. After registration is completed, only eligible candidates receive an invitation link via email to access and complete the online application form. Candidates upload the nomination letter in the online platform.
3. Candidates receive an email notification once they submit their application. The nominating body also receives an automatic notification of the candidate application.
4. The nominated application is received by the UNESCO Secretariat, the application process is complete.

Please consult the user guide if you need further guidance for the online application process.

For any question regarding the UNESCO-Hamdan  Prize for Teacher Development nomination and application process, please contact the Secretariat of the Prize at the Section of Teacher Development at UNESCO: Ms. Zenab CHOUG, Tel: +33 (0) 1 45 68 23 22; e-mail : teacherprize@unesco.org(link sends e-mail).

• Launch of the call for nominations: April
• Submission of applications online until February
• Meeting of the International Jury (January - February)
• Award ceremony and announcement of the laureates (October, World Teachers’ Day)

• Download the statutes of the Prize.

The laureates are selected by an international jury composed of five distinguished professionals chosen for their extensive expertise and experience in teacher-related issues. The Director-General of UNESCO nominates the jury members. They represent each region of the world, according to UNESCO’s regional classification.  

• Composition of the international jury

• teacherprize@unesco.org
• Tel.: +33 1 45 68 23 22