UNESCO Prize for Girls’ and Women’s Education 2019

Application Deadline: 28th May 2019 (midnight, Paris time).

Eligible Countries: UNESCO Member Countries


About the Award: Governments of UNESCO Member States and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in official partnership with UNESCO are now invited to nominate up to three individuals, institutions or organizations who have made outstanding contributions in favour of girls’ and women’s education.
The UNESCO Prize for Girls’ and Women’s Education honours outstanding innovation and contributions made by individuals, institutions and organizations to advance girls’ and women’s education. It is the first UNESCO Prize of this nature and will be unique in showcasing successful projects that improve and promote the educational prospects of girls and women and in turn, the quality of their lives.
The two laureates of the first edition of the Prize were selected by the Director-general of UNESCO on the basis of recommendations by the International Jury, composed of five experts in girls’ and women’s education. The Prize was awarded for the first time to two outstanding projects from Indonesia and Zimbabwe at an official ceremony that was held in Beijing, P.R. China in June 2016.

Type: Award

Selection Criteria: The two Prize winners will be selected by the Director-General of UNESCO on the basis of recommendations made by the independent International Jury of the UNESCO Prize on Girls’ and Women’s Education consisting of five experts from all geographical regions. The project/programme of the nominee will be assessed by the Jury based on the following criteria:

1. Impact: The project/programme’s impact should be qualitatively and/or quantitatively measureable, and deliver tangible results relative to the invested resources. This can include demonstrable changes in: (1) attitudes, beliefs and practices toward gender equality; (2) girls’ educational participation, attendance, completion and learning outcomes; and/or (3) other relevant parameters to advance girls’ and women’s education.
2. Innovation: The project/programme is stimulating, and/or drawing on, innovative approaches advancing girls’ and women’s education. This includes new ways of working where “business as usual” has failed, and transformative “out-of-the-box” thinking and actions. The project/programme can demonstrate innovation in terms of: (1) the themes covered; (2) the methodology employed; (3) the channels used to create change for girls and women; and/or (4) other aspects.
3. Sustainability: The project/programme has taken steps, ideally from its design or implementation phases, to ensure it will have a lasting impact beyond the project lifecycle. This may include efforts to ensure the: (1) continuation of local action; (2) institutionalization of project components; and (3) generation of further initiatives as a result of the project/programme.

Eligibility: In addition to these three criteria, the project/programme should:

• have already been running for at least two years
• show evidence that it may be replicable, scalable and/or provide significant learning potential for initiatives in other contexts
• contribute to one or more of the five priority action areas of the Prize:
  • 1. supporting girls/adolescent girls to transition from primary education to lower secondary education and to complete full basic education;
  • 2. supporting adolescent girls and young women to acquire literacy skills;
  • 3. supporting the creation of a gender-responsive and safe teaching-learning environment, free of school-related gender-based violence;
  • 4. engaging female and male teachers to develop gender-responsive teaching attitudes and practices and be change agents; or
  • 5. supporting adolescent girls and young women to acquire knowledge and skills for them to adequately transition from school to work and lead a fulfilling life.

Number of Awardees: 2

Value of Program: Laureates receive USD 50,000.

How to Apply: Nominations must be submitted in English and French via the online platform, only accessible to UNESCO Member States and NGOs in official partnership with UNESCO. Nominations will be assessed by an independent International Jury of five experts on the basis of the project’s potential for impact, innovation and sustainably.
Nominations must be completed online by the Permanent Delegation to UNESCO(See in link below) of the concerned Member State, or by an NGO in official partnership(See in link below) with UNESCO, through their official account.

Visit Program Webpage for details