Sunny Varkey, founder of GEMS Education and the Varkey Foundation, has introduced the Global Schools Prize, a $1 million award aimed at recognising schools worldwide that pioneer innovative teaching, learning, and student wellbeing strategies. The announcement was made in Dubai and builds on the Foundation’s existing Global Teacher Prize and Global Student Prize, completing a trilogy that spotlights educators, learners, and now schools as key drivers of global educational change.
Opportunities for Schools
The Global Schools Prize will reward institutions making significant contributions in areas such as AI transformation, sustainability, inclusivity, and teacher development. Schools on the longlist will receive a Global Schools Prize Badge and gain access to an international network for collaboration and professional growth.
Ten category winners will each receive $50,000, while one school will be named the overall winner, taking home $500,000. UAE schools are eligible to apply immediately, giving local institutions a chance to showcase innovative educational practices on a global stage.
More Than Just an Award
Varkey emphasized that the prize represents a movement to reimagine learning in a rapidly changing world. “By recognising multiple winners, we highlight the diverse ways schools drive progress—from innovation and teacher development to sustainability and student wellbeing. Celebrating these institutions sparks a global conversation and inspires action beyond the classroom,” he said.
Prize Categories and Applications
The prize covers ten categories: AI transformation, arts and creativity, character-driven education, global citizenship, health and wellbeing, overcoming adversity, inclusive education, STEM, sustainability, and teacher development. Applications are open to both government and private schools worldwide through www.globalschoolsprize.org.
Voices from the Education Community
The Global Schools Prize Council will guide the award, co-chaired by Stefania Giannini, UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Education, and Dame Christine Ryan, former Chair of the Ofsted Board. Giannini remarked: “The prize celebrates ideas transforming education, showing that curiosity, resilience, and creativity drive real learning progress.”
Saudi Arabia’s Mansour bin Abdullah Al-Mansour, 2025 Global Teacher Prize winner, added: “The prize highlights how schools everywhere tackle challenges creatively, from student-led sustainability projects to innovative curricula, ensuring the voices of students, teachers, and parents shape the future of education.”
Council of Global Education Leaders
The prize council includes prominent education figures such as:
- Rosalia Arteaga, former President and Vice-President of Ecuador
- Nuno Crato, Portugal’s former Education Minister
- Andreas Schleicher, Director of Education and Skills at OECD
- Dina Ghobashy, Director of Education Transformation at Microsoft
- Lasse Leponiemi, Co-Founder of HundrED Foundation
- Deborah Quazzo, Managing Partner at GSV Ventures
- Heekyung (Jo) Min, Executive VP of CJ CheilJedang
- Giuseppina Cannizzaro, Director at Dolce & Gabbana
Other council members include Jonnie Noakes (Eton), 2019 Global Teacher Prize winner Peter Tabichi, 2023 Global Student Prize winner Nhial Deng, and finalists Kenisha Arora and Kekhashan Basu.
