Mumbai : 79 teachers from public and private schools across India have been shortlisted for the national finals of the inaugural edition of Shiv Nadar Foundation- Oxford Saïd India’s Best Teachers’ Awards 2026, following more than 9,400 registrations from 32 States and Union Territories.
Selected finalists from various states, including Bihar, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Telangana, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim, Jammu and Kashmir, and Madhya Pradesh, will travel to Greater Noida from 3rd to 5th September, with the national finals taking place at Shiv Nadar University, Delhi-NCR, on 4 September 2026. They will compete across eight subject categories: Business Studies and Entrepreneurship, Computer Science, Economics, English, Environmental Science, Geography, Mathematics, and Physics.
Established by the Shiv Nadar Foundation and Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, the Awards recognise teachers of class IX to XII for excellence in classroom practice, innovation in pedagogy, student impact and wider leadership within their schools and communities. Rather than assessing academic credentials or length of service alone, the selection process has focused on evidence of how teachers translate subject expertise into effective learning.
The scale and geographical reach of the inaugural edition point to the diversity of teaching practice across India’s school system. Entries were received from educators working in markedly different contexts – from large metropolitan schools to institutions serving smaller cities and communities – and across both public and private education.
At the national finals, each finalist will present their work before a subject-specific jury comprising academics from the University of Oxford, leading academics from India and experts from the wider education sector. The presentations will be followed by questions from the jury, with the final evaluation determining the national winners.
The finalists were selected through a multi-stage evaluation process using subject-specific judging frameworks. The criteria examined areas including conceptual accuracy, classroom methodology, assessment and feedback, inclusion, student engagement, evidence of learning and the extent to which effective practice could be adapted or replicated in other educational settings. From the national finalist cohort, 16 teachers will ultimately be selected as winners, with recognition across public and private school streams and the eight subject categories.
The Awards combine national recognition with a substantial professional-development pathway for the winners. The 16 winning teachers will receive access to a five-week hybrid professional development programme, designed to extend their learning beyond the competition and support the exchange of pedagogical practice. They will subsequently receive a fully funded scholarship to attend a bespoke one-week residential learning and development programme at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. The Oxford programme will bring the winners together for an intensive period of learning, reflection and peer exchange, connecting their classroom experience in India with wider perspectives on leadership, pedagogy and educational change.
The professional development component is central to the design of the awards. The initiative has been conceived not simply to recognise strong teaching at a single point in time, but to invest in educators who can continue to influence colleagues, schools and communities after the competition concludes.
The national finals on 4th September will bring together finalists from across India for presentations and jury deliberations. For the finalists, the gathering will also provide an opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with educators working across different school systems, regions and disciplines, creating a national forum around the practice of teaching as well as a competition.
Founded in 1994, the Shiv Nadar Foundation has built a portfolio of institutions and initiatives spanning school education, higher education, rural education, literacy and the arts. Its approach to philanthropy has centred on long-term institution-building and the use of education as a means of enabling social transformation.
The complete list of finalists is available on the India’s Best Teachers’ Awards website: https://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/about/indias-best-teachers-awards