UAE’s Hala Shahin Makes Top 50 Shortlist for $1M Global Teacher Prize 2026

Uae Teacher Hala Shahin Named in The Top 50 Shortlist for $1 Million Gems Education Global Teacher Prize 2026

Hala Abdelmoemn Mohamed Kotb Shahin, a mathematics teacher at Khawla Bint Tha’albaa School in Sharjah, UAE, has been named in the top 50 shortlist for the GEMS Education Global Teacher Prize 2026, a Varkey Foundation initiative organised in collaboration with UNESCO.

Hala, shortlisted for the GEMS Education Global Teacher Prize, was selected from over 5,000 nominations and applications from 139 countries around the world.

Now in its 10^th year, the $1 million Global Teacher Prize is the largest prize of its kind. It was set up to recognise one exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession as well as to shine a spotlight on the important role teachers play in society. By unearthing thousands of stories of heroes who have transformed young people’s lives, the prize hopes to bring to life the exceptional work of teachers all over the world. Since its launch, the Global Teacher Prize has received over 100,000 applications and nominations from around the globe.

Hala Abdelmoemn Mohamed Kotb Shahin is a mathematics teacher at Khawla Bint Tha’albaa School for Girls in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, and a leading trainer in smart learning and artificial intelligence in education. Inspired at 14 by a creative maths teacher, she has spent nearly three decades proving that mathematics can be joyful and life-changing. After starting her career in Egypt, she moved to the UAE, where she combined advanced study in school leadership and AI with daily classroom practice to build a conscious and innovative generation.

To address learning gaps, Hala designed learning-loss tracking tools, AI-powered diagnostic pathways and her own play-based strategy, which has transformed attitudes to mathematics. Her programmes for gifted learners and those with disabilities – including the Guiding Young Talents framework and the Treasures of Mathematics resources – have significantly helped students with disabilities and led to dramatic increases in perfect scores. At the same time, she weaves climate education and volunteering through projects such as “You Are Strong”, the Khawla Sustainability Competition and a student Red Crescent team, linking maths, green skills and service.

As a Microsoft Certified Trainer and multiple national-award winner, she shares her innovations with thousands of teachers, helping to reshape mathematics education across the UAE and the wider Arab region.

Sunny Varkey, Founder of the Global Teacher Prize, GEMS Education, and The Varkey Foundation, said:

“Congratulations, Hala. The Global Teacher Prize was created with a simple mission: to shine a light on teachers like you – educators whose dedication, creativity, and compassion deserve to be celebrated and shared with the world. Teachers shape minds, spark confidence, and open the doors through which young people create brighter futures for themselves and others. Your work extends far beyond the classroom – it touches lives and shapes the world.”

Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education, said:

“Congratulations to this year’s top 50 finalists. UNESCO is honoured to stand alongside the Global Teacher Prize in celebrating the extraordinary commitment of teachers everywhere. Our world is navigating profound challenges – from teacher shortages and rapid technological shifts to the urgent demands of climate action. If we are to build a just, inclusive and sustainable future, we must recognise a simple truth: we cannot rise to this moment unless we invest in teachers.”

GEMS Education is one of the world’s leading private K-12 education providers, educating more than 200,000 students from 176+ nationalities across its global network of owned and managed schools. With nearly half a million alumni, GEMS has built a legacy of impact that spans generations and continents. Established in Dubai in 1959, GEMS remains a family-founded and family-led organisation, guided by its visionary founder and chairman Sunny Varkey, and his sons Dino Varkey (Group CEO) and Jay Varkey (Deputy Group CEO).

The prize is open to working teachers who teach children who are in compulsory schooling or are between the ages of five and 18. Teachers who educate children age 4+ in an Early Years government-recognised curriculum are also eligible, as are teachers working on a part-time basis, and teachers of online courses. Teachers must spend at least 10 hours per week teaching and plan to remain in the profession for the next five years.  It is open to teachers in every kind of school and, subject to local laws, in every country in the world.

The Global Teacher Prize, Global Schools Prize and Global Student Prize, which Sunny Varkey also founded, complete a powerful trilogy that celebrates educators, learners, and schools as institutions of innovation and change. Together, the three prizes will spark a 360-degree conversation about what it takes to deliver the best possible education, equipping children to face the future with confidence – while rethinking the future of learning for generations to come.

Teachers applying for the Global Teacher Prize are assessed on teaching practices, how they innovate to address local challenges, achieve demonstrable learning outcomes, impact the community beyond the classroom, help children become global citizens, improve the teaching profession, and gain recognition from external bodies.

Interested teachers were able to apply for the Global Teacher Prize at www.globalteacherprize.org before the December closing date.

The prize will now be narrowed down to top 10 finalists, helping to raise the bar of respect for the teaching profession. The winner will be chosen from the top 10 finalists by the Global Teacher Prize Academy, made up of prominent individuals, and will be announced at the World Governments Summit, taking place in Dubai from 3-5 February 2026.

When teachers are nominated, the person nominating them writes a brief description online explaining why. The teacher being nominated is then sent an email letting them know they have been nominated and inviting them to apply for the prize. Applicants could apply in English, Mandarin, Arabic, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian. To join the conversation online, please follow @TeacherPrize.