Tag Archives: food

GEMS EDUCATION GLOBAL TEACHER PRIZE (UP TO US $1 MILLION )

Application Deadline: 30 September 2025 (09:00 GMT)

LOCATION: United Arab Emirates

The Global Teacher Prize is a US $1 million award presented to an exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to their profession.

The Global Teacher Prize serves to underline the importance of educators and the fact that, throughout the world, their efforts deserve to be recognized and celebrated. It seeks to acknowledge the impacts of the very best teachers—not only on their students but also on the communities around them.

ELIGIBILITY:

The Prize is open to currently working teachers who teach children that are in compulsory schooling or are between the ages of five and eighteen. Teachers who teach children age 4+ in an Early Years government-recognized curriculum are also eligible, as are teachers who teach on a part-time basis and teachers of online courses. Teachers must spend at least 10 hours per week teaching children face-to-face and plan to remain in the teaching profession for the next 5 years. The Prize is open to teachers in every kind of school and, subject to local laws, in every country in the world. 

They do not have a specific level of experience required for applicants. However, please look at our criteria page for more information.

Be at least eighteen (18) years old at time of entry;

Must be a currently working teacher who teaches children that are in compulsory schooling or are between the ages of 5 and 18. Teachers who teach children age 4+ in an Early Years government-recognized curriculum are also eligible, as are teachers who teach on a part-time basis and teachers of online courses. 

Spend at least 10 hours per week teaching children face-to-face, and plan to remain in the teaching profession for the next 5 years. 

Not be prohibited from participating in the Contest or receiving the Prize under the applicable law of their country;

Neither the applicant nor any connected person of the applicant has a criminal record.

Neither the applicant nor any connected person of the applicant has conducted themselves (by act or omission) in such a way as to bring the teaching profession or VF, its affiliates, any GEMS Education group company, or their respective directors, officers, employees, agents, and subsidiaries (“VF Parties”) into disrepute or to have been adversely prejudicial to the interests of any of them (as may be determined at the sole discretion of VF);

Not be a previous Prize winner; and 

Not be a previous Top 10 candidate.

(A connected person of an Applicant is: the Applicant’s spouse, civil partner, any person with whom the Applicant lives as a partner in an enduring family relationship, siblings, a child or stepchild of the Applicant or Applicant’s sibling, a child or stepchild of an Applicant’s partner (if living with the Applicant and under the age of 18), or the Applicant’s parents; and any legal person, trust or partnership, the managerial responsibilities of which are discharged by the Applicant or any of the aforementioned persons, or which is directly or indirectly controlled by such a person, or which is set up for the benefit of such a person, or the economic interests of which are substantially equivalent to those of such a person).

BENEFIT:

The Varkey Foundation (“VF”) is launching a US$1,000,000 Global Teacher Prize.

The Prize will be paid to the winner (or, in the event of death, his personal representatives or beneficiary(ies), as applicable) by VF in equal annual installments of US$100,000 over a period of ten (10) years, subject to any tax or other withholding required under applicable law, and otherwise in accordance with these Terms and Conditions.

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WHITLEY FUND FOR NATURE AWARD

Application Deadline: Midnight GMT on 31 October 2025.

LOCATION: United Kingdom

Whitley Awards fund grassroots conservation leaders in the Global South and put an international spotlight on winners’ work. Applications for the 2026 Whitley Awards are currently open and close at midnight GMT on 31 October 2025. Whitley Awards are for dynamic, mid-career conservationists who are leading wildlife conservation projects in the Global South. Winners are nationals of the country in which they are working who are seeking to scale up proven work that is embedded in the local community and would benefit from further funding, a profile boost and international support.

ELIGIBILITY:

Not High Income Economy countries—Wildlife conservation projects led by local leaders based in countries that are not defined as a High Income Economy by the World Bank. Exceptions to this criterion include Equatorial Guinea and certain island nations in the Caribbean. If you have any questions about eligible countries, please contact WFN.

Nationals with local support—The Whitley Awards support nationals of the country in which they are working (i.e., you were born there or have lived there a long time and achieved national status.) If you are not a national but believe you have an exceptional case based on long-term residency (15+ years) and a demonstrable commitment to that country/region, then please contact WFN.

They seek grassroots conservationists who are embedded in and/or from the communities where they work. Applicants should work for or lead locally incorporated NGOs in the Global South. In-country staff employed by NGOs headquartered in the Global North are highly unlikely to be shortlisted for an award unless there are exceptional circumstances. We will consider franchised or locally incorporated offshoots of international NGOs. However, they would need to have a fully local team and prove they lack access to funds from other sources.

Good communicators and passionate people—people who will inspire others and importantly, who will collaborate and share results. Please note applicants must be able to communicate in English. Whilst total fluency in English is not a requirement, the applicant must be able to communicate in English without a translator. This is so that if the applicant is invited for an interview in the UK, they can benefit fully from the Whitley Awards week which involves interviews, networking events, training and media opportunities.

Leadership and teamwork—Whitley Awards are won by individuals backed by an appropriate team/organization. Individuals working in isolation and team/joint entries are not eligible.

Projects that are based on scientific evidence and understanding—this can be in the leader, expertise on the team, or via partners/collaboration.

Work involving (and benefitting) the local community and stakeholders is essential.

Ecosystem/landscape-level projects are preferred. Genuine flagships are accepted, but not if results are purely species-specific.

Projects must be able to demonstrate past success and an evidence-based approach. They do not fund pilot projects or work that is at the start-up stage.

Grassroots, pragmatic work that is realistic but ambitious too. We look for applicants on the cusp of ‘something big’ and work that is replicable or scalable.

Actions that will have clear, measurable outcomes—they look for applications that have given careful thought to what indicators can be measured to evidence impact.

Sustainable projects—they want the work to continue into the future, well past the Whitley Award. Successful proposals will demonstrate long-term planning.

Projects that demonstrate value for money and ability to manage funding at the Whitley Award level (£40,000). Organisations with Audited Accounts are preferred.

Projects for which an Award will make a big difference. Priority will be given to those that can demonstrate need.

Work that needs publicity—ones that will do well if ‘doors can be opened’ via the media and enhanced recognition.

Pure rural/economic/sustainable development where direct conservation benefits are hard to quantify.

Land purchase or projects focused on construction of buildings.

Animal welfare & rehabilitation of captive animals.

Captive breeding—they recognize it as a useful conservation tool, but at the level of funding we have available, we can’t make much impact. Therefore, we would only fund captive breeding where underlying causes of species decline in the wild have been fully addressed prior to breeding species in captivity.

Government employees. However, we are aware that grey areas exist where conservationists will often be affiliated with government institutions in order to operate. If this is the case, please contact WFN.

While WFN strives to fund projects in every country that meets our eligibility criteria, it is occasionally necessary to restrict support in a particular country. If you are unsure if your country is eligible, please get in touch. We keep this list under constant review, and any changes in policy will be advertised on our website.

If you have any questions or require further information, please email info@whitleyaward.org

BENEFIT:

Whitley Awards are worth £50,000 GBP in project funding over one year.

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