The winner of the 2025 Global Teacher Prize has just been announced. Mansour Al Mansour from Prince Saud bin Jalawi School in Saudi Arabia has walked away with the US $1 million prize. Mansour was recognised for his strategic vision and unwavering belief in his students' potential, and for building an inclusive and innovative learning environment.
The prize is presented to an exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession. Mansour was selected from over 5,000 nominations and applications from 89 countries around the world.
The teacher from Saudi Arabia is the ninth educator to take home the esteemed prize. Previous winners include: Sister Zeph from Pakistan, Keisha Thorpe from the United States, Ranjitsinh Disale from India, Peter Tabichi from Kenya, Andria Zafirakou from the United Kingdom, Maggie MacDonnell from Canada, Hanan Al Hroub from Palestine and Nancie Atwell from the United States.
Mansour’s teaching philosophy revolves around teaching his students important life skills like finding happiness and sustainability. He aims to meet individual student needs, whilst also actively engaging their families in their learning. Through project-based learning, he connects his lessons to real-world issues such as climate change, financial literacy, and social responsibility.
Beyond the classroom, Mansour has launched charitable initiatives, volunteer programs, and support networks for orphans, prisoners, and underprivileged families. His work in rehabilitation programs has helped individuals reintegrate into society, while his students have collectively contributed over 5,000 volunteer hours.
Mansour is also a prolific author of over 20 educational books and a respected speaker at international conferences. He has trained hundreds of educators, published best practices, and championed innovative teaching methodologies across the Gulf region.
Brett Dascombe, a Senior Geography teacher from Wavell State High School in Brisbane, represented Australia in the top 10 finalists this year.
Dascombe was recognised for his work in introducing his students to real-world, project-based learning, by embedding geospatial technologies like GIS, drones and remote sensing data into the geography curriculum. He also shares his expertise with the wider community by participating in professional learning and training with other schools.
The prize is open to current teachers spending at least 10 hours per week teaching children aged between 5 and 18 years old. Since its launch, the Global Teacher Prize has received over 100,000 applications and nominations from around the globe.
The GEMS Education Global Teacher Prize is a Varkey Foundation initiative, organised in collaboration with UNESCO. You can read more about the top 10 and shortlisted top 50 finalists for 2025 here.
Stay tuned: We spoke with Brett Dascombe from Wavell State High School ahead of the announcement to hear about his work at the school, and what it means to him to be a top 10 finalist this year. Our podcast interview with him will go live tomorrow morning.
