Varkey FoundationAward

$50,000 Global Schools Prize

Dec 16, 2026 23:59:00 GMT

Opportunity type

Award

Funding

Fully Funded

Location

Global

Deadline

Dec 16, 2026 23:59:00 GMT

About this opportunity

The Varkey Foundation, the London charity behind the Global Teacher Prize and the Global Student Prize, runs a US$1 million prize for schools that are rethinking what education can do. Ten category winners each receive $50,000, and one of them is chosen as the overall winner and receives a further $500,000 to scale its impact. Schools can apply directly, and anyone can nominate a school they know.

What you get:

$50,000 for each of the ten category winners
A further $500,000 for the one overall winner, chosen from the ten category winners
A Global Schools Prize Badge for every longlisted school
Membership of the Global Schools Network for longlisted schools, with partnerships, professional development and links to other leading schools
Prize money is paid to the school, to be spent on charitable education purposes such as equipment and infrastructure

What you'll do:

Complete the application form on the Varkey Foundation's prize platform, entering one or more of ten categories
Longlisted schools take part in online interviews and possibly a school visit
Choose from ten categories: AI Transformation, Arts and Culture, Character and Values, Global Citizenship, Health and Wellbeing, Overcoming Adversity, SEND and Inclusive Education, STEM Education, Sustainability, and Teacher Development
Or, as a student, parent, teacher or anyone else, nominate a school through the short nomination form

Key dates:

Applications opened 16 September 2026
Applications and nominations close 16 December 2026
Top 50 finalists announced March 2027
Winner announced at a prize ceremony in May 2027

More information:

Eligibility and categories: https://globalteacherprize.org/pages/eligibility-and-criteria
Terms and conditions: https://globalteacherprize.org/pages/terms-and-conditions
Nomination form: https://tinyurl.com/y6ka6nyz (Varkey Foundation Google Form)
Schools may enter more than one category

Who can apply

Open to all government-run and privately funded schools in every country, subject to local laws and to any restriction under the laws of England and Wales on the Varkey Foundation sending funds to that country
A school means an institution that students of compulsory school age (or aged 4 to 18) attend; pre-schools, nurseries, colleges and universities are not eligible
State, fee-paying, selective, faith and special schools are all eligible
The school must not be insolvent, under special measures or the local equivalent, under regulator investigation, or subject to material safeguarding investigations
Winners must hold a bank account in the school's own name with at least two authorised signatories; the prize is never paid to an individual
Prize money must be used for charitable education purposes and is subject to the Foundation's grant terms and annual reporting on spending over US$5,000
Anyone may nominate a school; the school itself is the applicant

AI Verification

✓ AI Verified

Our AI read the official sources and cross-checked the key facts. Here is what held up, and what it could not confirm.

We could not fully verify this organization or all of its details. Check it independently on the official website before you apply, and never share sensitive personal or financial information until you are sure a request is genuine.

LOT Verification ScoreSolid

Cross-checked 8 of 11 key facts

Confirmed Our best read Not stated

Good to know

+Run by an established UK registered charity (1145119) behind the Global Teacher Prize
+Selection audited by MediaSense and PricewaterhouseCoopers per the terms
+Second edition; the 2026 inaugural prize was awarded to Lebanon's Alsama Project from nearly 3,000 applications and nominations across 113 countries
+Free to enter or nominate a school

Worth checking yourself

!The applicant is a school, not an individual; a young person can take part only by nominating a school
!No closing time is published, so submit well before the end of 16 December
!The US$1 million is the total pool: $50,000 per category winner plus a further $500,000 to the overall winner
!Prize money is restricted to charitable education spending, may be paid in instalments, and must be reported on annually
!Applicants grant the Foundation a perpetual, royalty-free licence to use and modify their application, including commercially
!Applicants that do not reach the longlist will not be notified

Sources checked

GLglobalteacherprize.orgApplyGLglobalteacherprize.orgApplyGLglobalteacherprize.orgApplyVAvarkeyfoundation.orgOfficialVAvarkeyfoundation.orgOfficialVAvarkeyfoundation.orgOfficialTItinyurl.comOfficialOPopportunitydesk.orgOfficial

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