Applications open for the Global Teacher Prize Chile 2026

Teachers across the country may now apply for a new national edition of the Global Teacher Prize Chile, an award internationally known as the “Nobel Prize for Teaching”. The prize recognises the work of educators throughout the country. In 2026, as in 2025, the competition will include three categories: Holistic Education, Early Childhood Education and Music Education.

For more than 10 years, the Global Teacher Prize Chile has sought to raise the profile of, value and reward the fundamental role of teachers in shaping future generations. The Chilean public-private initiative Elige Educar organizes the national edition, which has adopted the model of this prestigious international award and adapted it to Chile’s educational context. The award is supported by the UNESCO Regional Office in Santiago.

“Recognizing teachers means recognizing those who make the transformation of our societies possible. At UNESCO, we deeply value initiatives such as the Global Teacher Prize Chile, which highlights the leadership, vocation and impact of educators who are changing lives every day. Their work contributes to the development of skills, values and opportunities that accompany people throughout their lives,” said Esther Kuisch Laroche, Director of the UNESCO Regional Office in Santiago.

Verónica Cabezas, Executive Director of Elige Educar, stated: “For us as an organization, this is the time of year when we wear the shirt of appreciation and gratitude for the work of all the teachers and educators in our country. We know that teachers change lives: they are the ones who connect every day with our children, and it is through that connection that Chile’s future is shaped. That is why it is more important than ever to make visible the work that takes place in classrooms and that so often goes unnoticed. Our mission at Elige Educar is for the whole country to recognize it through the Global Teacher Prize Chile.”

Each category seeks to engage different areas of pedagogy. The Early Childhood Education category invites applications from educators working at this level, whether in schools, nurseries, kindergartens, language schools or non-conventional modalities, and is a prize promoted thanks to the collaboration of the Fundación Educacional Oportunidad and Fundación YA.

For its part, the Music Education category is aimed at music teachers working in schools, youth and children’s orchestras, community choirs or other settings where they teach school-age students.

The Holistic Education category calls for teachers in primary and secondary education, youth and adult education, hospital schools and other school-based teaching environments, who teach other subjects within the school curriculum, such as Language, Mathematics, History, Physical Education, English and Special Education, among others.

How to apply

To take part in this new edition of the Global Teacher Prize Chile, members of the public and teachers themselves may apply simply and quickly through the form available on the website www.gtpchile.cl, from 18 May to 21 June.

If there is a teacher or educator who has made a mark on your life, this is the moment to recognize them: simply by nominating them, they will already be part of this edition and may continue advancing in the process. And if you are a teacher, you can also take that step.

The finalists will be selected by a jury of experts, who will choose the most outstanding candidates to enter the final stage and become the next winner, to be announced at the award ceremony on 4 November 2026 at the Municipal Theatre of Las Condes.