Applications are open for the 2025 UNESCO Prize for Global Citizenship Education, a groundbreaking recognition created to honor outstanding work in the field of global citizenship education (GCED). Introduced in 2024 with the support of the Republic of Korea, this award is the first of its kind and will be presented every two years to two winners, each receiving 50,000 USD. One prize will go to a youth-led organization, while the other will be awarded to an individual, institution, non-governmental organization, or other eligible entity that has made a remarkable contribution to advancing GCED. The deadline for applications is 1 September 2025.

The prize comes at a time when global communities are grappling with increasing violence, deepening inequalities, climate-related crises, and the spread of discrimination and hate speech. UNESCO emphasizes that many of these challenges are rooted in long-standing social injustices. Through GCED, education can be transformed into a tool that not only prevents such issues but also addresses their underlying causes. By shaping learners’ values, skills, and perspectives, GCED aims to nurture future generations capable of building peaceful, inclusive, and sustainable societies.

At its core, GCED equips learners with cognitive, social, emotional, and behavioral skills that help them see the interconnections between local, national, and global realities. It instills respect for human rights, fosters critical thinking, promotes inclusivity, and empowers people to act against injustices. More importantly, it encourages dialogue and cooperation across diverse groups, disciplines, and communities in pursuit of shared solutions to today’s most pressing challenges.

Through this newly established award, UNESCO seeks to shine a spotlight on creative and impactful initiatives that embody these values. The prize is also aligned with the UNESCO Recommendation on Education for Peace, Human Rights, and Sustainable Development, adopted in 2023. This recommendation frames peace not merely as the absence of conflict, but as an active, participatory process built collectively through education, inclusivity, and justice.

Those applying in the youth-led category must represent an organization directed by individuals between the ages of 18 and 30. For the “Other” category, applications are open to individuals, institutions, NGOs, and similar entities. To be eligible, the initiative must have been running for at least one year and demonstrate tangible activities related to GCED. Projects must be independent of UNESCO, with no affiliation or funding links to the organization, and all applications must be formally nominated by a UNESCO National Commission or an NGO that has an official partnership with UNESCO.

By highlighting innovative approaches to education for peace and justice, the UNESCO Prize for Global Citizenship Education aims to inspire and amplify the efforts of changemakers across the globe who are shaping a fairer and more peaceful future.

Scroll down for more details and click on the official link attached below to apply for this opportunity