Nominations Open for Inaugural India’s Best Teachers’ Awards 2026

2026-07-17 07:58:03 News & Society

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New Delhi/Mumbai, 4 June 2026: The Shiv Nadar Foundation, in partnership with Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, has opened nominations for the inaugural edition of India’s Best Teachers’ Awards 2026, a national initiative to recognise exceptional educators teaching Classes 9 to 12 across India.

School principals and heads of government and private schools can submit nominations until July 31, 2026. Award recipients will receive national recognition and a fully funded scholarship to participate in a one-week learning and development programme at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.

The initiative reflects the belief that the quality of an education system is deeply linked to the strength of its teachers. By combining national recognition with structured capability-building through the Oxford learning programme, the awards seek to support and elevate the teaching profession in a sustained way.

India has one of the world’s largest school education systems, with over 98 lakh teachers educating more than 24 crore students across 14 lakh schools. Within this vast and diverse ecosystem, teachers work across varied geographies, school systems, and socio-economic contexts, often addressing very different classroom realities. Across these settings, they play a vital role in shaping how students learn, think, and engage with the world.

As access to information expands beyond textbooks and classrooms, the role of teachers has become even more critical. Today’s educators are helping students build critical thinking, curiosity, creativity, and the ability to apply learning to real-world situations. Recognising excellence in teaching is therefore essential to strengthening educational outcomes and preparing young people for a rapidly changing future.

The awards aim to bring national visibility to exemplary educators whose work is improving learning outcomes, inspiring students, and strengthening school communities. By recognising teachers working in diverse settings, the initiative seeks to highlight the many forms that teaching excellence can take in India.

The awards are open to teachers of Geography, Business Studies and Entrepreneurship, Computer Science, Economics, Physics, English, Environmental Sciences, and Mathematics. Applications will be assessed on subject expertise, innovation in teaching methodology, impact on student learning outcomes, and leadership within schools and communities.

Beyond recognition, the awards seek to promote continuous professional development and peer learning among educators. The week-long Oxford learning programme will provide award recipients with exposure to global perspectives on education, leadership and innovation, while creating opportunities for exchange with a wider community of practitioners and experts.

Shortlisted finalists will be invited to participate in the final stage of the awards process at Shiv Nadar University, Delhi-NCR, on September 4 and 5, 2026. School principals can submit nominations through the awards portal- https://indiateacherawards.evalato.com/

About Shiv Nadar Foundation:

Established in 1994 by Shiv Nadar, Founder of HCL - a US$14.7 billion leading global technology conglomerate - the Foundation is committed to creating a more equitable, merit-based society by empowering individuals through transformational education and bridging the socio-economic divide. Over the last 30 years, the Foundation has directly touched the lives of over 56,000 alumni and students through its marquee institutions in literacy, K12 and higher education. Today, the Foundation has a community of over 100,000 constituents, which includes not only globally dispersed alumni and students but also faculty members, corporate executives, and extended families.

The Foundation has invested over US$1.85 billion in its seven landmark institutions and initiatives across education and art. Currently, over 23,700 students and over 3,600 faculty and staff are part of the Foundation along with more than 32,300-strong globally dispersed alumni community.

The Foundation’s students have gone to study at some of the best institutions globally, including the Ivy League in the US and top universities in other countries, including Australia, Singapore, China and UK. Students are also working in major corporations, including Goldman Sachs, Honda, HP, Schindler, and several others, both in India and across other geographies. Faculty across the Foundation institutions are drawn from the best Indian and international universities, with a strong focus on research and innovation.

The Shiv Nadar Foundation pursues the philosophy of 'Creative Philanthropy'. It is a powerful model which envisages creation of institutions that are built to last and continue to impact future generations. It is an approach that allows sustained institutionalized philanthropy for long-term, high-impact, socio-economic transformation.

About Saïd Business School, University of Oxford:

Oxford Saïd offers a portfolio of accredited degrees and diplomas for undergraduates and postgraduates, a broad range of on-campus and online programmes for business executives, and more recently launched a transformative set of learning experiences and initiatives for pre-university students aged 15–18 yrs and teachers. Through the on-campus summer schools, global competitions, and super-curricular programmes, the School equips young people from around the world with the tools to become responsible future leaders, entrepreneurs, and changemakers in a rapidly changing world.

We develop future leaders, who go into business with purpose, and make real impact. This is mission critical, because only then can business make meaningful impact on the world –the kind of impact that helps address the most pressing issues of our day, from the climate crisis to the AI revolution.