National Awards to Teachers 2026 Guidelines, Apply Online

National Awards to Teachers 2026 Guidelines, Apply Online, National Award to Teachers 2026 Eligibility, Guidelines, Procedure, Criteria and Online Application, National Award to Teachers for the Year 2026-27 Guidelines, Procedure, Registration, Online Application Link  for national awards 2026 to Teachers Criteria for Selection of Teachers for National Awards.

School Education Department - National Awards 2026 - Online self-nomination by teachers from 15.06.2026 to 10.07.2026 - communication of timelines and guidelines - instructions - Regarding  Memo.No.3302054/TRNG-CSE/2026, dt.25-06-2026

Ref: Guidelines and Timeline of National Teacher Awards - 2026.

 

The attention of all the Regional Joint Directors of School Education and the District Educational Officers in the State is invited to the reference cited above and informed that the Government of India, Ministry of Education, Department of School Education & Literacy, Kartavya Bhawan, New Delhi, has issued timelines and guidelines for self-nomination of Teachers for National Awards for the year 2026 through https://nationalawardstoteachers.education.gov.in/.

 

S.No	Activity	Timeline
1	Opening of web-portal for registration of inviting online self-nomination by teachers	15-06-2026 to 10-07-2026
2	Date of final submission of self-nomination by teachers	13-07-2026
3	Shortlisting of teachers by District/ Regional Selection Committee and forwarding to the shortlist to the State/ Organization Selection committee through online portal	14-07-2026 to 21-07-2026
4	Constitution of Independent National Jury by Hon’ble Union Education Minister	In the middle of July, 2026
5	State Selection Committee/ Organization Selection Committee shortlist to be forwarded to Independent National Jury through online portal.	22-07-2026 to 29-07-2026
6	Intimation to all the shortlisted candidates (154 Max) for selection by Jury through VC interaction as may be decided	30th & 31st July, 2026
7	Selection process by Jury through VC interaction as may be decided	03-08-2026 to 07-08-2026

 

8	Finalization of names by Independent National Jury	08-08-2026
9	Intimation to selected candidates after approval of Hon’ble Union Education Minister	10-08-2026 to 20-08-2026
10	Rehearsal & Award Ceremony	4th & 5th September 2026

 

Therefore, all the Regional Joint Directors of School Education and the District Educational Officers in the State are hereby instructed to give wide publicity through highly circulated Newspapers, electronic media and display the guidelines along with schedule at notice board of Collectorate, offices of the District Educational Officer and Mandal Educational Officers in the State to opt eligible teachers in online self- nomination for National Awards - 2026 through website https://nationalawardstoteachers.education.gov.in/ Immediately.

 

Further, as per the Government of India guidelines, the first level of scrutiny shall be undertaken by the District Selection Committee may be constituted by State/UT Education Dept (DSC) under the Chairmanship of the District Educational Officer, with the following composition:

1. District Educational Officer – Chairperson
2. Representative of the State Government – Member
3. One reputed academician nominated by the District Collector – Member

Further, all the Regional Joint Directors of School Education in the State are informed that they are hereby nominated as a member( representative of state ) in the District Selection Committee (DSC) for National Awards - 2026 in their respective Regions and they are requested to co-ordinate with the respective District Educational Officers concerned, as Chairperson of the District Selection Committees for smooth conduct of work pertaining to National Awards - 2026 and complete the short-listing process as per the guidelines and schedule given by the GOI, New Delhi.

 

The major functions to be performed by DSC are as under:

• Physical verification of the facts/ information provided by the applicant by forming verification teams.
• Evaluation/ marking of the applicants as per the format at Annexure-I
• Certificate by DSC: The DSC shall certify that marks have been awarded after due verification of the facts.
• After the detailed evaluation of the applications, DSC will shortlist 3 names and forward these to State Selection Committee through online portal along with vigilance clearance certificate of each of the 3 applicants.
• In addition to the applications received, the DSC in exceptional circumstances, may Suo-moto consider name of maximum one person among the outstanding teachers including special educators and differently abled teachers/heads of The evaluation will be done as per the format at Annexure-I.
• DSC may take into account performance of teachers in various streams of studies viz. science, arts, music, physical education etc

Therefore, all the Regional Joint Directors and District Educational Officers are requested that to give wide publicity to the National Teachers Awards–2026 through newspapers, social media and direct communication (e-mail/SMS) to encourage eligible teachers to submit online self-nominations.

 

Note: All the above officers in the State are requested to select eligible teachers for the award without deviating from the given norms and guidelines. Additionally, it is informed that "Manual proposals etc., are not allowed.

 

Encl: As stated above.

 

Revised Guidelines for Selection of Teachers for National Awards to Teachers from 2023

 

Introduction

 

The purpose of National Awards to Teachers is to celebrate the unique contribution of some of the finest teachers in the country and to honor those teachers who through their commitment and industry have not only improved the quality of school education but also enriched the lives of their students.

 

Conditions of Eligibility of Teachers for consideration for the Awards:

 

School teachers and Heads of Schools working in recognized primary/middle/high/higher secondary schools under the following categories:

1. Schools run by State Govt./UTs Administration, schools run by local bodies, schools aided by State Govt. and UT Administration and Private schools affiliated to State/UTs Board.
2. Central Govt. Schools i.e. Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs), Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs), Sainik Schools run by Ministry of Defence (MoD), Schools run by Atomic Energy Education Society (AEES) and Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) run by Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
3. Schools affiliated to Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) (other than those at (a) and (b) above)
4. Schools affiliated to Council for Indian Schools Certificate Examination (CISCE) (Other than those at (a), (b) and (c)above
   1. Normally retired teachers are not eligible for the award but those teachers who have served a part of the calendar year (at least for four months i.e. up to 30th April in the year to which National Awards relate) may be considered if they fulfill all other conditions
   2. Educational Administrators, Inspectors of Education, and the staff of training Institutes are not eligible for these awards.
   3. Teacher / Headmaster should not have indulged in tuitions.
   4. Only regular Teachers and Heads of Schools with minimum ten years of services are eligible.
   5. Contractual Teachers and Shiksha Mitras are not elegible.

Considerations to guide the selection of teachers upto State/UTs/Organization levels:

Teachers will be evaluated based on the evaluation matrix given at Annexure-I. Evaluation matrix contains two types of criteria for evaluation:

1. Objective criteria: Under this the teachers will be awarded marks against each of the objective criteria. These criteria are given a weightage of 10 out of 100.
2. Criteria based on performance: Under this, teachers will be awarded marks on criteria based on performance e.g. initiatives to improve learning outcomes, innovative experiments undertaken, organization of extra and co-curricular activities, use of Teaching Learning Material, social mobility, ensuring experiential learning, unique ways to ensure physical education to students etc. These criteria are given a weightage of 90 out of 100.

Procedure for application and selection:

1. All the applications would be received through an online web
2. Ministry of Education would ensure coordination with States/UTs regarding timely submission / entry into the portal and resolution of technical and operational issues during data entry into portal through the portal development agency.
3. Ministry of Education will bear the entire expenditure for development and maintenance of the portal.
4. In case of State/UTs, teachers and heads of schools themselves shall apply directly by filling the application form online through the web portal before the prescribed cut-off date.
5. Every applicant shall submit a portfolio, online along with the Entry Form. The portfolio shall include relevant supporting material such as documents, tools, reports of activities, field visits, photographs, audios or videos etc.
6. Undertaking by the applicant: Each applicant shall give an undertaking that all the information/data submitted is true to the best of his/her knowledge and if anything is found at any later date to be untrue then he/she will be liable to disciplinary action.

District Selection Committee (DSC)

District Selection Committee may be constituted by State/UT Education Dept

First level scrutiny will be done by District Selection Committee (DSC) headed by the District Education Officer. Members of DSC would be as under:

• District Education Officer: Chairperson
• Representative of State/UT : Member
• One Reputed academician nominated by District Collector: Member

Efforts may be made to the extent possible to change the names of nominated members every year.

The major functions to be performed by DSC are as under:

• Physical verification of the facts/ information provided by the applicant by forming verification teams.
• Evaluation/ marking of the applicants as per the format at Annexure-I
• Certificate by DSC: The DSC shall certify that marks have been awarded after due verification of the facts.
• After the detailed evaluation of the applications, DSC will shortlist maximum 3 names and forward these to State Selection Committee through online portal along with vigilance clearance certificate of each of the 3 applicants.
• In addition to the applications received, the DSC in exceptional circumstances, may suo-moto consider name of maximum one person among the outstanding teachers including special educators and differently abled teachers/heads of schools. The evaluation will be done as per the format at Annexure-I.
• DSC may take into account performance of teachers in various streams of studies viz. science, arts, music, physical education etc.

The State Selection Committee (SSC)

The State Selection Committee (SSC) will be headed by Principal Secretary/Secretary of State Education Department. Members of SSC will be as under:

• Principal Secretary/ Secretary of State Education Department: Chairperson
• Nominee of Union : Member
• Director / Commissioner of Education: Member Secretary
• Director, SCERT or equivalent if there is no SCERT: Member

Efforts may be made to the extent possible to change the names of nominated members every year.

The major functions to be performed by SSC are as under:

• Re-verification of the facts/ information/marks of the nominations received from all the DSCs.
• Evaluate all the nominations and prepare shortlist of the best candidates, subject to the maximum number allotted to the States/UTs as per Annexure-III and forward the same to Independent Jury at National level through online portal.

Regional Selection Committee (RSC) (For Organizations and Autonomous Bodies)

1. RSCs may be constituted by the Organizations
2. The major functions to be performed by RSC are as under:
   1. Physical verification of the facts/ information provided by the applicant by forming verification teams.
   2. Evaluation/ marking of the applicants as per the format at Annexure-I
   3. Certificate by RSC: The RSC shall certify that marks have been awarded after due verification of the facts.
   4. After the detailed evaluation of the applications, RSC will shortlist maximum 3 names and forward these to Organization Selection Committee through online portal along with vigilance clearance certificate of each of the 3 applicants.
   5. In addition to the applications received, the RSC in exceptional circumstances, may suo-moto consider name of maximum one person among the outstanding teachers including special educators and differently abled teachers/heads of schools. The evaluation will be done as per the format at Annexure-I.
   6. RSC may take into account performance of teachers in various streams of studies viz. science, arts, music, physical education etc.

Organization Selection Committee (OSC) (For Organizations and Autonomous Bodies)

The composition of OSC is as under:

• Chairperson/ Director/ Commissioner/ Head of the Organization: Chairperson
• One officer from the Organization nominated by the Chairperson
• Nominee of Union : Member
• One reputed academician deputed by the Chairperson: Member

The major functions to be performed by OSC are as under:

• Re-verification of the facts/ information/marks of the nominations received from all the RSCs.
• Evaluate all the nominations and prepare shortlist of the best candidates, subject to the maximum number allotted to the Organizations as per Annexure-III and forward the same to Independent Jury at National level through online portal.
• Efforts may be made to the extent possible to change the names of nominated members every year.

Independent Jury at National level

1. There will be a Five Member Jury. All five members should have extensive experience in aspects related to school education. At least two members may be drawn from government, working or retired, but at or above the level of Joint Secretary. The Independent Jury at National Level will be headed and chaired by any of the experienced members of the Jury, as may be selected by the Union Education Minister.

Process for selection –

1. The Independent Jury would review the list of candidates as forwarded by all the SSCs and OSCs and carry out fresh assessment, using the criteria and weightages given in the Evaluation Matrix for National Award to Teachers (Annexure I & Annexure II)
2. Each applicant is required to:
   1. Submit an application letter (maximum 1500 words either in English/Hindi) addressed to the jury with a narrative that shows how they have fulfilled the criteria for the award. Further, this application letter should also include the names of a few (maximum five) students with whom the teacher’s interaction has resulted in a positive outcome like retention in school despite adverse circumstances OR a student who is pursuing higher studies OR a student who has been recognised / awarded in the field / subject that the teacher is giving instruction in OR whose aspirations for higher achievements have been moulded by the candidate, etc
   2. Make a 10 minute presentation before the Jury, elucidating his/herspecial qualifications, actions, achievements, abilities, etc

• The Independent Jury would identify the best candidates through their qualitative assessment, on the basis of the application letter and the presentation, against each category using the indicative criteria given in Annexure II.
• The jury may determine the category under which the teacher is recommended for the award, based on the qualitative assessment which would be highlighted
• The jury will submit list of recommended candidates along with commendations about exemplary work done by each of the candidates.
• The jury shall select candidates subject to the maximum of 50 (this may include two candidates from Special Category for differently abled teachers etc.).
• Secretarial assistance to the Jury will be provided by NCERT

The Independent Jury at National Level will submit their recommendations to Hon’ble Education Minister for acceptance and final approval.

TA/DA for the awardees and their companions shall be paid by Ministry of Education at the entitlement notionally equivalent to group A officer at entry level in the central government.

This has the approval of Hon’ble Union Education

 

Annexure - I

The selection of teachers for the awards will be done based on their performance in the following indicative areas:

1. Innovative pedagogy and joyful learning - Using joyful activities like story-telling, arts, games, sports, examples, etc in order to ensure that education is maximally relatable, relevant, interesting, and effective for our students.
2. Use of technology for learning – Innovating and channeling cost-effective tech resources for enriching classroom learning, creating content using ICT as envisioned under NEP.
3. Learning material and mentorship – Creation of low cost teaching learning materials, undertaking mentorship and nurturance beyond classroom walls for holistic development of students.
4. Engagement of community – Mobilizing stakeholders in the community and engage them meaningfully in various school development activities like school management committee, social audit, increasing enrolment, uplifting deprived children, mobilizing resources, etc.
5. Governance – Strengthening school administration by adopting innovative measures to improve attendance, school management systems, staff training, programme monitoring, etc
6. Delivery of FLN – Adoption of various strategies to improve foundational literacy and numeracy skills in school

 Evaluation Matrix for National Award to Teachers up to State/UT/ Organization Level

Category A: Objective Criteria
S.No	Criteria	Maximum Marks         / Ceiling
1	Publication (Research    papers/Articles in international / national journals{with ISSN}, Books {with ISBN}, etc.) in the last 5 years	2
2	Annual Performance Appraisal   Reports or other performance appraisal tools of last 3 years. (Two marks will be awarded only if the candidate is graded ‘outstanding’ in last three years. Else no marks)	2
3	Is the teacher attending school regularly without any complaints? (Certificate from controlling officer needs to be uploaded)	1
4	Whether the teacher has attended any in-service training he/she is deputed to? (Certificate from controlling officer needs to be uploaded)	1
5	Work done by teacher to increase enrolment and reduce dropouts. (Certificate from controlling officer needs to be uploaded)	1

 

6	Whether the teacher is enrolled for any course under SWAYAM or any other MOOCS platform. Any other efforts undertaken by the teacher individually to upgrade their skills along with educational improvements	1
7	Development of e-contents, textbooks, teacher handbooks for SCERTs, Boards or NCERT	2
Subtotal		10

 

Category B: Performance against criteria
S.No.	Criteria	Maximum Marks
1. Use of technology, innovative pedagogy and       joyful learning	A. Use of ICT Innovating and channeling cost-effective technological resources for enriching classroom learning, creating content using ICT as envisioned under NEP, etc B. Joyful learning technique, creative methods, etc like story-telling, arts, games, sports, examples, etc undertaken by teacher for greater impact of his/her teaching on the students.  C. Development and use of appropriate pedagogic approaches in day to day teaching activities including delivery of FLN involving adoption of various strategies to improve foundational literacy and numeracy skills in school, etc D.   Active involvement in the process of improving teaching practices in classroom to create an environment conducive to learning, using enrichment activities for students, relating the topic to real life situation, encouraging open discussions, etc (Each Sub-head carries a maximum of 7.5 marks )	30
2.Learning material   and mentorship	A. Development and use of Teaching Learning Material, Low cost teaching aids etc. (Based on number, scale and impact of innovations/experiments)  B. Successful teacher disseminates and shares, participating in collaborative effort.  C. Capacity building and acting as mentor for other teachers.  D. Undertaking mentorship and nurturance beyond classroom walls for holistic development of students E. Organization of extra and co-curricular activities (Based on number, scale and impact of experiments/activities) (Each Sub-head carries a maximum of 6marks )	30

 

3.Governance and engagement of community	A. Strengthening school administration by adopting innovative measures to increasing enrollment, improving attendance, school management systems, programme monitoring, etc. B. Mobilizing stakeholders in the community and engage them meaningfully in various school development activities like school management committee, social audit and mobilizing resources through parents, alumni to contribute to school in anyway i.e., physical infrastructure, computers, PM POSHAN, books, Scholarship, etc. C. Work done by teacher for spreading social awareness among children, especially in socially sensitive issues like nutrition, toilet and menstrual hygiene, child marriage, uplifting deprived children, etc . D. Promotion of nation building and national integration (Each sub-head carries a maximum of 7.5 marks)	30
Subtotal		90
Grand Total		100

 

Annexure - II

Qualitative Assessment by Independent Jury & Criteria for category of awards

Candidates will be evaluated based on their application letter and a presentation comprising of following aspects, which are indicative in nature, not exhaustive

• Demonstration of an innovative mindset.
•  Teacher’s design and implementation of methods showed innovation and out of the box thinking.
• The innovation in the methodology addressed a felt need/issue in school / classroom / students / community.
• Besides innovation, the design and delivery of the pedagogy reflected on sustainability, quality, inclusiveness and impact.
• Contributed significantly to strengthening collaboration and communication in the school teaching community.
• Demonstration of community spirit and going the extra mile for others in the interactions with students and their parents.
• The teacher has been able to effectively align the school's / nation’s vision and mission with the aspirational goals of the student and parents.
• Demonstration of a clear-cut idea and vision for change
• Designing and implementing actions for achieving the change
• The interventions adopted showed a clear visualisation of the change sought and the process to be followed for making that change happen.
• The teacher was able to achieve the change sought successfully and it made a visible difference in the students and community.
• The design and delivery of the interventions ensured that the changes were long-term and sustainable in nature.
• The teacher demonstrated agreed community values throughout the initiative.

Annexure - III

State / UT / Organizations wise maximum number of nominations allowed

S.No	States/UTs/Organizations	Max. nominations
1.	Andhra Pradesh	6
2.	Arunachal Pradesh	3
3.	Assam	3
4.	Bihar	6
5.	Chhattisgarh	3
6.	Goa	3
7.	Gujarat	6
8.	Haryana	3
9.	Himachal Pradesh	3
10.	Jharkhand	3
11.	Karnataka	6
12.	Kerala	6
13.	Madhya Pradesh	6
14.	Maharashtra	6
15.	Manipur	3
16.	Meghalaya	3
17.	Mizoram	3
18.	Nagaland	3
19.	Odisha	6
20.	Punjab	6
21.	Rajasthan	6
22.	Sikkim	3
23.	Tamil Nadu	6
24.	Telangana	6
25.	Tripura	3
26.	Uttar Pradesh	6
27.	Uttarakhand	3
28.	West Bengal	6
	Subtotal	126
	Union Territory
29.	A&N Islands	1
30.	Chandigarh	1
31.	D&N Haveli and Daman & Diu	1
32.	Delhi	2
33.	Jammu and Kashmir	2
34.	Ladakh	1
35.	Lakshadweep	1
36.	Puducherry	1
	Subtotal	10
	Others
37.	Atomic Energy Education Society under Department of Atomic Energy)	1
38.	CBSE	6
39.	C.I.S.C.E.	2
40.	Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan	5
41.	Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti	2
42.	Sainik Schools Under M/o Defence	1
43.	Eklavya Model Residential Schools under Ministry of Tribal Affairs	1
	Subtotal	18
	Grand Total	154

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