UNESCO-Hamdan Prize for Teacher Development 2022 (up to $300,000)

Deadline: February 15, 2022

Nominations are invited for the UNESCO-Hamdan Prize for Teacher Development 2022. 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.

Prize

• 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.

Eligibility

Nominator

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.

Nominees

• 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 program of the candidate, which is ongoing and has been running for at least three years, and meets the selection criteria. Attention should be paid to presenting the project/program 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.

Selection Criteria

The nominations will only be considered if the project/programme meets the following requirements:

• The project submitted by candidates must 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 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
• In addition, the following criteria will be taken into consideration:
  • The program/project must be ongoing for at least three years to allow for an evaluation of results and verification of its effectiveness
  • It must represent an outstanding contribution to the fundamental objectives of UNESCO and the United Nations in the fields of quality education for sustainable development
  • The work accomplished must be exemplary and likely to stimulate similar initiatives; it must have shown itself to be effective in mobilizing new intellectual and material resources.

Nomination

• 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 upload the nomination letter in the online platform.
• 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.

For more information, visit UNESCO-Hamdan Prize.