UNESCO International Literacy Prizes application and nomination process

• Institutions, organizations and individuals promoting literacy through effective and innovative programmes.
• Programmes must be still in operation and have a proven record of innovative work in the field of literacy for at least 2 years.
• Programmes that have not been awarded the UNESCO International Literacy Prizes in the past five years.

• Before completing the application, you are invited to read about previous prize winners, noting points that make them distinctive and noteworthy
• You are encouraged to avoid jargon and wide generalisations to ensure that someone without your organization’s knowledge is able to understand.  You may ask an external to review your application before submission.
• You don’t need to explain or justify the value of literacy. The Prizes are about how to achieve effective literacy programmes and practices, not whether literacy is important.
• Please note:
  • the Prizes are not intended as a means to fund current programmes or proposed projects. They are also not intended as a means of funding research
  • the Prizes are not intended for programmes in early stages of ideation or development. They aim to reward programmes that have a proven record of implementation. (Please see the eligibility criteria: at least two years of operations)
  • any files or websites should be clearly named and titled.

The first stage is for an applicant to fill in and submit an application form through either a National Commission for UNESCO or an International Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) maintaining official relations with UNESCO.

The second stage is for the concerned National Commission or international NGO to review and nominate the successful candidatures to the Secretariat of the UNESCO International Literacy Prizes. 

• To begin with, the applicant needs to request the access to the online form through this link and specify in particular the submission channel (either a government via the National Commission for UNESCO, or an International Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) maintaining official relations with UNESCO). Once your access is granted by the Secretariat, the applicant will receive an automatic notification to the email address indicated*.
• The applicant needs to complete the online form (in English or in French). The applicant can attach relevant supporting materials (e.g. reports, publications) of less than 100 pages in total.
• The applicant who opts for the government channel will then send the submission form with supporting materials to the appropriate National Commission (by selecting ‘YES’ under ‘Submit the application to a National Commission and clicking on “Save” at the bottom) by 5 July 2024 (midnight, Paris time).
• The applicant who opts to apply through an international NGO maintaining official relations with UNESCO, needs to obtain a nomination letter from the NGO in question that recommends them for the Prizes. This nomination letter must be attached to the submission form by the applicant.
• For this purpose, please identify an International NGO in official relations with UNESCO which is active in the related fields, notably literacy and send your application with supporting documents to that NGO. The applicant should then submit the electronic application form with the written nomination letter and supporting materials to UNESCO (by selecting ‘YES’ under ‘Submit the nomination to UNESCO (via NGO)” and clicking on “Save” at the bottom) by 19 July 2024 (midnight, Paris time).
• If applicants have difficulties reaching an appropriate nominating entity, they should contact the Secretariat of the UNESCO International Literacy Prizes for further guidance.
• Please note that self-nominations will not be taken into consideration, and that any submission form missing a written recommendation issued by a Government of a Member State through the National Commission for UNESCO (directly in the form), or an International NGO which maintains official relations with UNESCO (a nomination letter in attachment), will not be accepted by the Secretariat of the UNESCO International Literacy Prizes.
   

The relevant National Commission will receive a notification every time an application form is submitted to them for their nomination. The notification will contain a link to the online form, which will be accessible through the e-mail address associated with its generic UNESCO account.

• To access the nomination form, the National Commission should:
  • Follow the link provided to the application.
  • On the login page, enter the username (in this format natcom.yourcountryname@natcom.unesco.org) (For example, the username for the National Commission of China is natcom.china@natcom.unesco.org); and
  • Enter the password associated with the UNESCO account of the National Commission.
• The National Commission reviews the forms received and nominates up to three submissions for the UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize and up to three submissions for the UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy
• To nominate a candidate, the National Commission should edit the form by entering a written recommendation in the appropriate fields, in English or French, and cover the following:
  • A description of the nominee’s background and achievements;
  • A summary of the work or the results of the work, publications and other supporting documents of major importance, submitted for consideration;  
  • A succinct evaluation of the nominee’s contribution to the Prize’s objectives.

It should then select ‘YES’ under ‘Submit a nomination to UNESCO’ and click on the button ‘Save’ at the bottom of page. The applicant will then be informed of the nomination.
Please submit the nomination(s) with a written recommendation to UNESCO via the online platform before 19 July 2024  (midnight, Paris time).  

A NGO which maintains an official relation with UNESCO, if solicited by a candidate and wishing to submit the nomination, should provide the applicant with a nomination letter to be attached by the applicant to the application form.

Kindly send the recommendations to the concerned applicants via e-mail or mail before 19 July 2024 (midnight, Paris time).  

All the eligible nominated applications submitted to UNESCO will be examined by an international jury, composed of distinguished experts appointed by UNESCO’s Director-General, which meets in Paris once a year.

Based on its recommendations, the Director-General of UNESCO makes a final decision about the Prizewinners of 2022.

The Prizes are awarded every year at an official ceremony on the International Literacy Day, 8 September (TBC).

The programme/project is pertinent to the areas focused by the UNESCO International Literacy Prizes and the specific theme of this year.

The programme/project is relevant to the individual and societal needs in a given context.
The programme/project is robust and effective in its design, delivery, structure, management, monitoring and evaluation.

The quality of teaching and learning involves interrelated dimensions such as the effectiveness, the efficiency, the equality, the relevance and the pertinence .

The ‘impact’ relates to both positive and negative changes made by a programme/project, to beneficiaries, communities and broader societies. Changes include both intended and unintended ones demonstrated by qualitative and/or quantitative evidence.

The Innovative features are concerned with new/original ideas, solutions, approaches, methods, devices and perspectives or new ways of adapting traditional ones which can adds value and make a concrete impact.

Sustainability is regarding lasting benefits and impacts of a programme/project beyond the lifecycle of the current programme/project.
This may involve the concrete activities of a programme/project designed to ensure sustainability of its results and impacts, the contributions to enriching literate environments in which learners can acquire, use, sustain, and advance literacy skills and the availability of future plan.

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

• be ongoing and proven record of innovative work in the field of literacy for at least two years.
• have not been awarded the UNESCO International Literacy Prizes in the past five years.
• promote literacy through effective and innovative projects or programmes.