Beyond the chalkboard: TSC opens nominations for 2026 teacher awards

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has invited nominations for the 2026 World Teachers’ Day awards, seeking to recognise teachers whose work has made an exceptional contribution to teaching and learning across Kenya.

The awards will be presented as part of World Teachers’ Day celebrations on October 5 under the theme “Twawaenzi Walimu – Mashujaa Wetu” (Let us honour teachers – our heroes).

The initiative is designed to identify and celebrate teachers and institutional administrators who have demonstrated excellence beyond routine performance, particularly through dedication, innovation, leadership, inclusivity, resilience and measurable impact.

“The awards are intended to document and reward measurable contributions by teachers, while encouraging replication of effective practices across learning institutions,” TSC said.

The nomination exercise is open to current registered and retired teachers who have made demonstrable contributions to education.

Nominees can come from recognised public, private and international institutions in Kenya, including primary schools, junior schools, secondary and senior schools and teacher training colleges.

TSC says nominees must have been directly responsible for the achievement, initiative, innovation, leadership or contribution cited in their nomination.

They must also demonstrate that their contribution goes beyond routine duties and provide verifiable evidence of its impact.

Such evidence may include institutional records, learner outcomes, testimonials, awards, reports, certificates, photographs and publications.

A nominee can be considered in a maximum of two out of the 13 award categories, and must meet the specific requirements of each category.

Nominations can be submitted by the teacher themselves, a colleague or the head of an institution.

Self-nominators may enter a maximum of two categories, while peer and institutional nominations are limited to two nominees.

Retired teachers are to be nominated through the subcounty where they last served.

To nominate yourself or a colleague, click this link.

The deadline is August 26, 2026, at 11 pm.

The nomination categories are Lifetime Achievement Award; Early Years Educator Award; Sustainable Development Educator Award; Early Career Educator Award; School Leadership Excellence Award; Inclusive Educator Award; Child Protection Champion Award; Co-curricular and Talent Development Award; Teacher Mentor Award; Innovation and ICT Integration in Teaching Award; Most Resilient Teacher Award; National Honours Award; and International Recognition Award.

The requirements for nomination vary by category. For example, the Lifetime Achievement Award requires at least 20 years of teaching experience, while the Early Career Educator Award targets teachers with five years or less of experience by the nomination deadline.

Other categories focus on specific areas such as foundational learning, environmental sustainability, school leadership, inclusion of vulnerable learners, child protection, talent development, teacher mentorship, technology and innovation, resilience and recognised national or international achievements.

For the Innovation and ICT Integration category, eligible contributions must have been demonstrated from 2025, while several other categories, including Sustainable Development Educator, School Leadership Excellence and Inclusive Educator, assess contributions made from 2023.

The selection process will proceed through four stages, beginning with an eligibility check from August 27 to 29.

Subcounty selection will run from August 30 to September 3, followed by county selection from September 4 to 8 and regional selection on September 9 and 10.

The final national recognition list is scheduled for September 11, when the best three nominees in each category will be submitted for recognition during the World Teachers’ Day celebrations.

“Assessment tools and scoring guides have been developed for each award category to support objective, transparent and evidence-based evaluation and selection of awardees,” TSC said.

Judges will consider the relevance of the contribution to teaching and learning, measurable impact, innovation or distinctiveness, inclusivity and responsiveness to learner needs.

Focus will also be on professional or institutional impact, sustainability and potential for wider adoption, the credibility of supporting evidence and alignment with national education priorities and professional standards.

Subcounty and county panels will identify their best three nominees in each category, while regional panels will recognise the best five and forward the top three to the national level.

The framework provides for 13,728 award slots at subcounty level, 1,551 at county level, 495 at regional level and 297 at national level, for a combined 16,071 slots.

TSC notes that these are progressive selections rather than 16,071 separate awardees.

Teachers recognised under the National Honours and International Recognition categories will also be recognised separately.

Kenyan teachers serve a large and diverse learner population across early childhood, primary, junior school, senior school and teacher training college levels.

The teaching service has grown significantly in size over the years, growing from 37,000 in 1967 to over 1,000,000.

As at June 2026, there were 415,000 teachers directly employed by the TSC.