Three teacher development programs from Turkey, Ethiopia, and Indonesia have been awarded a combined $300,000 in the ninth edition of the Unesco-Hamdan Prize for Teacher Development, presented during a ceremony at Unesco Headquarters in Paris as part of World Teachers’ Day celebrations.
The prize, established in 2008 to recognize exemplary initiatives that enhance teacher performance and improve the quality of education globally, is awarded every two years. This year’s total prize money was divided equally among the three recipients, each receiving $100,000.
The winners are the Teachers’ Academy Foundation (Ögretmen Akademisi Vakfı, ORAV) from Turkey, Gordan College of Teachers’ Education in Ethiopia, and the Guru Belajar Foundation from Indonesia. The 2026 competition attracted its highest participation to date, with 169 applications submitted from 64 countries.
The awards were presented by Sheikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Al Maktoum, Supreme President of the Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Medical and Educational Sciences in Dubai, alongside Professor Chun Chen, Unesco Assistant Director-General for Education.
In remarks made during the ceremony, Lieutenant General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director General of the General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs – Dubai (GDRFA Dubai), emphasized Dubai’s commitment to supporting educators. He highlighted the city’s recent initiative to grant golden visas to outstanding teachers and education professionals, a move endorsed by Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Al Marri described this policy as reflective of Dubai’s vision to invest in knowledge, empower talent, and foster societal development.
Sheikh Rashid noted that the Unesco-Hamdan Prize continues to advance its founding goals by supporting educators, recognizing their achievements, and promoting innovative educational practices worldwide. The prize forms part of broader efforts to enhance teacher development and convey the critical role educators play in shaping future generations.