The top 10 finalists for the GEMS Education Global Teacher Prize 2026 have been announced. They were selected from over 5,000 nominations and applications from 139 countries around the world.
Now in its 10th year, the $1 million Global Teacher Prize is the largest prize of its kind. It is a Varkey Foundation initiative organised in collaboration with UNESCO. It was set up to recognise one exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession as well as to shine a spotlight on the important role teachers play in society. By unearthing thousands of stories of heroes who have transformed young people’s lives, the prize hopes to bring to life the exceptional work of teachers all over the world. Since its launch, the Global Teacher Prize has received over 100,000 applications and nominations from around the globe.
The top 10 finalists for the GEMS Education Global Teacher Prize 2026 are:
- Adeola Olufunke Akinsulure (Nigeria)
- Alfonso Filippone (Italy)
- Ana Hernández Revuelta (Spain)
- Colleen O’Rourke (Australia)
- Ewa Stefania Drobek (Poland)
- Gloria Argentina Cisneros (Argentina)
- Jasmyn Nicole Wright (USA)
- Joshue Castellanos Paternina (Colombia)
- Rouble Nagi (India)
- Timothy James Stiven (USA)
Sunny Varkey, Founder of the Global Teacher Prize, GEMS Education, and The Varkey Foundation, said:
“Congratulations to this year’s top 10 finalists. This honour recognises not only what you teach, but the incredible impact that all of you make every day. Your work extends far beyond the classroom – it touches lives, shapes communities, and helps define our shared future. In a rapidly changing world, it is only by prioritising education that we can safeguard our tomorrows and face the future with confidence.”
Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education, said:
“UNESCO is honoured to stand alongside the Global Teacher Prize in celebrating the extraordinary commitment of teachers everywhere. Our world is navigating profound challenges – from teacher shortages and rapid technological shifts to the urgent demands of climate action. If we are to build a just, inclusive and sustainable future, we must recognise a simple truth: we cannot rise to this moment unless we invest in teachers.”
Next month, the Global Teacher Prize finalists will be in Dubai to attend SPARK.Dubai 2026, a one-day conference that will explore ways to unlock the transformative power of the world’s schools. It will take place across four of Dubai’s leading schools and convene global leaders and education experts alongside teachers and students from more than 50 countries.
The Global Teacher Prize winner will be chosen from the top 10 finalists by the Global Teacher Prize Academy, made up of prominent individuals, and will be announced at the World Governments Summit, taking place in Dubai from 3-5 February 2026.
GEMS Education is one of the world’s leading private K-12 education providers, educating more than 200,000 students from 176+ nationalities across its global network of owned and managed schools. With nearly half a million alumni, GEMS has built a legacy of impact that spans generations and continents. Established in Dubai in 1959, GEMS remains a family-founded and family-led organisation, guided by its visionary founder and chairman Sunny Varkey, and his sons Dino Varkey (Group CEO) and Jay Varkey (Deputy Group CEO).
The prize is open to working teachers who teach children who are in compulsory schooling or are between the ages of five and 18. Teachers who educate children age 4+ in an Early Years government-recognised curriculum are also eligible, as are teachers working on a part-time basis, and teachers of online courses. Teachers must spend at least 10 hours per week teaching and plan to remain in the profession for the next five years. It is open to teachers in every kind of school and, subject to local laws, in every country in the world.
The Global Teacher Prize, Global Schools Prize and Global Student Prize, which Sunny Varkey also founded, complete a powerful trilogy that celebrates educators, learners, and schools as institutions of innovation and change. Together, the three prizes will spark a 360-degree conversation about what it takes to deliver the best possible education, equipping children to face the future with confidence – while rethinking the future of learning for generations to come.
Teachers applying for the Global Teacher Prize are assessed on teaching practices, how they innovate to address local challenges, achieve demonstrable learning outcomes, impact the community beyond the classroom, help children become global citizens, improve the teaching profession, and gain recognition from external bodies.
Interested teachers were able to apply for the Global Teacher Prize at www.globalteacherprize.org before the December closing date.
When teachers are nominated, the person nominating them writes a brief description online explaining why. The teacher being nominated is then sent an email letting them know they have been nominated and inviting them to apply for the prize. Applicants could apply in English, Mandarin, Arabic, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian. To join the conversation online, please follow @TeacherPrize.