The Ministry of Education, Government of India, has invited online applications for the National Teachers’ Award 2026, which recognises outstanding contributions by school teachers across the country.
The Punjab School Education Department (Secondary) has issued detailed guidelines to all District Education Officers and school heads regarding the application process and selection schedule.
According to the guidelines, eligible teachers can register online on the official Ministry of Education portal till July 10, while the final submission of applications can be completed by July 13.
Regular teachers, headmasters, principals and school in-charges working in government and recognised schools with at least 10 years of regular teaching service are eligible to apply through self-nomination.
However, contractual teachers, Shiksha Mitras, retired teachers, private tutors, educational administrators, education inspectors and staff of teacher training institutions are not eligible for the award.
The selection process will begin at the district level. A district selection committee, headed by the Deputy Commissioner, will verify applications and shortlist candidates.
From July 14 to 21, each district will recommend a maximum of three candidates to the State Selection Committee. The state committee will review the nominations between July 22 and 29 and forward six shortlisted candidates to the national-level independent jury.
The shortlisted teachers will make a 10-minute presentation before the jury between August 3 and 7, highlighting their teaching practices, innovations and achievements.
The final list of awardees is expected to be announced between August 10 and 20. The selected teachers will be honoured at the National Teachers’ Award ceremony to be held on September 4 and 5, as part of the Teachers’ Day celebrations.
The National Teachers’ Award is one of the country’s highest honours for school teachers and aims to recognise excellence in teaching, innovation, leadership and commitment to improving the quality of education.
