The Global Teacher Prize Chile—known internationally as the “Nobel Prize for Teaching” and led in our country by Elige Educar—officially opened its 2026 call for nominations to recognize teachers and educators who are making a significant impact on the lives of children and young people throughout the country.
In this new edition, the award will retain its three categories: Holistic Education, Music Education, and Early Childhood Education. The latter—made possible through a partnership with the Oportunidad Educational Foundation and the YA Foundation—will seek, for the third consecutive year, to recognize early childhood educators who stand out for their commitment, leadership, and impact on children’s early years of learning and development.
Current early childhood educators may participate, whether they work in schools, daycare centers, preschools, language schools, or non-traditional settings.
From May 18 through June 21, interested teachers and educators can apply for the 2026 Global Teacher Prize Chile, while anyone can nominate individuals who stand out for their commitment and impact on early childhood education. Applications will be available at www.gtpchile.cl.
María de la Luz González, executive director of the Oportunidad Educational Foundation, noted that “preschool teachers deserve recognition from society as a whole because they play a fundamental role in children’s education, creating educational interactions that allow children to develop their full potential from the earliest years of life.”
She added that “behind every experience, game, conversation, and everyday moment in the classroom, there is intentional pedagogical work designed to help children learn and develop holistically. Educators plan every moment of the school day to transform preschools and schools into spaces where every minute is a learning opportunity, and this is of profound value to our society.”
For her part, Verónica Cabezas, executive director of Elige Educar, noted that “recognizing preschool educators is to recognize one of the most important roles for the present and future of our country. That is why it has been so important for the Global Teacher Prize Chile 2026 to establish the Early Childhood Education category, because behind every child who feels loved, capable, and supported, we know there was an educator who made a difference.”
Awards and Recognition The three finalists in each category will receive a prize of $2,000,000, while the first-place winner in each category will receive $3,500,000.
Subsequently, from among the winners of the Comprehensive Education, Music Education, and Early Childhood Education categories, the winner of the 2026 Global Teacher Prize Chile will be selected and will receive a prize of $8,000,000 (prizes are not cumulative).
In addition, the winners in each category will receive a scholarship to participate in the Innovation Summit hosted by the Global Leaders Institute in Panguipulli, an international educational and leadership training program that will take place during the first semester of 2027.