UNESCO-Hamdan Prize for Teacher Development

Published by unesco-admin on April 27, 2021

The UNESCO-Hamdan Prize for Teacher Development was created in 2008 to support the improvement of teaching and learning quality in achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 4 on Quality Education, which is one of UNESCO’s priorities.

Awarded every two years, the Prize is generously supported by the Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic Performance (Hamdan Foundation).

Hamdan Foundation was established in 1998 by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance of the United Arab Emirates. The Foundation targets educational excellence and the sponsorship of giftedness and innovation, to improve educational performance at all levels and sectors, honouring all groups and relevant authorities in the education sector and institutions, as well as the individuals who provide outstanding achievements and creations.

The Prize amounts to US $300,000, which is equally divided between three winners whose projects aim at improving worldwide the performance and effectiveness of teachers.

The winners are selected by an International Jury composed of five distinguished professionals chosen for their high-level of knowledge and experience in teacher-related issues.

Contact: teacherprize@unesco.org – tel.: +33 1 45 68 23 22.

Who is eligible to apply?

Institutions or organizations; international or national governmental or non-governmental organizations; educational or research institutions active in the field of teaching and learning.
Candidate organizations and institutions nominated by an official nominating body:
1. Member States in consultation with their National Commissions
2. Non-governmental organizations in official partnership with UNESCO active in a field
covered by the Prize.
Applications must be submitted in English or in French only.
Only organizations and institutions’ projects will be considered. Self-nominations are not eligible for the Prize and will not be considered.

What are the conditions of the project’s eligibility?

The project must have made a significant contribution to enhancing teaching and learning,
in line with UNESCO’s principles and objectives in this field.
The project must be exemplary and likely to stimulate similar initiatives; it must have shown itself to be effective in mobilizing new intellectual and material resources.
The project must be ongoing for at least three years at the time of the application.

How to nominate a project?

Nominations can be submitted in two ways:

1.Candidates 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 body can nominate up to 5 candidates before the deadline, and the nomination letter must comply with the Prize requirements.
The nomination letter is uploaded by the candidate in the online platform. 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.

How to apply?

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

When is the deadline to apply?

The deadline for applications is 31 October 2021 (midnight, Paris time). The online platform will be closed after the deadline.

Selection process?

The Prize Secretariat reviews all applications received before the deadline and transmits the eligible applications to the International Jury of the Prize.
The International Jury meets in Dubai (United Arab Emirates) to assess the applications.
UNESCO Director-General selects the three winners based on the recommendations of the International Jury.
The Prize is awarded to the winners during an official ceremony organized in October 2022 on World Teachers’ Day at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris (France).

Permission to use candidate information

The candidate agrees to grant to UNESCO a non-exclusive license to re-use the project summary and any photos provided via this form, even if the nominated project is not selected as one of the prize-winners. This content can be freely disseminated through UNESCO’s communication channels as good practices for teacher development, according to the UNESCO’s open access policy. Agreeing to the use of the project information is a mandatory requirement to apply.