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By participating in this contest (“Contest“), each school which applies or is nominated (and if the school is not a legal entity under local laws, the governing body of the school) (“Applicant”) accepts and agrees to be bound by the following terms and conditions (these “Terms and Conditions”):
1. Introduction
The Varkey Foundation (“VF”) is launching a US$1million Global Schools Prize (“Prize”) to recognise and celebrate exceptional schools from around the world – institutions that are reimagining what’s possible in education. The Global Schools Prize will identify ten outstanding category winners, from a longlist, who will each be awarded $50,000. One extraordinary school will receive the Global Schools Prize of $500,000. The Prize money can only be used for purposes or activities that further the charitable objects of VF and will be subject to further terms and conditions of grant issued by VF. Submissions may be made from 10 September 2025 until 30 November 2025. The winners will be announced at a prize ceremony in May 2026. The selection process will be audited by MediaSense and PriceWaterhouseCoopers (or such other firm as VF selects).
2. Eligibility
● The Prize is open to all types of schools in every country in the world, subject to any restrictions under the laws of England and Wales on VF sending funds to the country in which the school is based. A “school” under these Terms and Conditions means an educational institution that students of compulsory school age (or between the ages of 4 - 18) are required to attend under local laws. This is not intended to include for example pre-schools or nurseries, or further or higher education institutions such as higher education colleges or universities. A school is eligible regardless of whether it is a state/local authority maintained school, or a fee-paying school (sometimes known as a private or independent school), and regardless of whether there is an admissions criteria for students, or a specialist focus such as a faith school or a special school.
● The Applicant must not be prohibited from participating in the Contest or receiving the Prize under the applicable law of their country.
● The Applicant must not under its local laws be insolvent, bankrupt, placed into receivership, administration or liquidation, have a petition presented for its winding up, have entered into any arrangement or composition for the benefit of its creditors, or be unable to pay its debts as they fall due.
● The Applicant, including any connected person of an Applicant as defined below, must not have conducted itself (by act or omission) in such a way as to bring the educational profession, VF, its affiliates, any GEMS Education group company, or their respective directors, officers, employees, agents, and subsidiaries (“VF Parties”) into disrepute or to have been adversely prejudicial to the interests of any of them (as may be determined at the sole discretion of VF). This includes (without limitation) a school being placed under special measures (or the equivalent under local laws), being under investigation by a regulator in its jurisdiction, or material safeguarding related investigations or incidents involving the Applicant or a connected person of an Applicant (such as a school teacher being in post despite being disqualified or barred from working with children);
(A connected person of an Applicant includes the following in relation to the Applicant: any member of the governing body and school leadership team (including any committees), any staff member and contractor, any volunteer, and any connected group organisation of the Applicant, such as a parent or subsidiary company of the Applicant as defined under local laws).
3. How to enter
To enter, complete the application form and follow the instructions on our Prize Platform
4. Selection Criteria:
The judges will evaluate applications based on the following criteria for 10 different categories:
AI Transformation: Acknowledges schools that have effectively and inclusively integrated AI into teaching and learning, improving learning outcomes and teaching students how to use the technology responsibly.
Arts, Culture and Creativity: Celebrates schools that nurture creative expression through the arts and integrate cultural heritage into the educational experience.
Character and Values-driven Education: Recognises schools that instil values such as empathy, integrity, service, and respect, preparing students to be ethical, compassionate global citizens. This will include schools that foster student leadership and governance.
Global Citizenship and Peacebuilding: Honours schools that foster intercultural understanding, peace education, and global awareness to help build a more tolerant, inclusive world. It will recognise schools that promote critical thinking, collaboration, and adaptability.
Health and Wellbeing: Highlights schools that prioritise students’ and staff’s health through support services, emotional education, and a nurturing environment, including both physical and mental health.
Overcoming Adversity: Honours schools that have succeeded despite significant barriers, such as conflict, refugee integration, poverty, natural disasters, or limited resources.
SEND/Inclusive Education: Recognises schools that have made exceptional achievements in providing access to high quality education for children with special educational needs.
STEM Education: Recognises schools that have made exceptional achievements in the sciences, economics and mathematics, including building transversal/“21st Century Skills”.
Sustainability: Recognises schools that are champions of environmental education, climate action, and sustainability practices both inside and outside the classroom.
Teacher Development: Celebrates schools that invest deeply in the professional growth, training, and wellbeing of their teachers, recognising them as central to education transformation.
5. Selection Process
● Once the application process has closed, applications will be scored and read by a panel of online judges who will select the longlist.
● Following online interviews and potential school visits, the first committee of judges (“Prize Council”) will meet in 2026 to select 10 finalist schools – there will be one finalist from each category and they will each be the category winners eligible for a prize of $50,000. The Global Schools Prize Academy will then select the overall winner, through a secure online voting system, subject to additional screening, background and reference checks.
● The whole process will be monitored by MediaSense and PricewaterhouseCoopers (or such other firm as VF selects) to ensure transparency.
6. Post-selection
● The Prize will identify 10 category winners who will each be awarded $50,000. An overall winner will receive the Global Schools Prize and $500,000. For the avoidance of doubt, all obligations on winners apply to the overall winner and all 10 category winners.
● The Prize money can only be used for purposes or activities that further the charitable objects of VF (as agreed by VF) and will be subject to further terms and conditions of grant issued by VF. It is anticipated that usually the Prize monies will be ring-fenced to expenditure necessary to build the school’s capacity to deliver educational projects, such as purchasing school equipment and improving infrastructure.
● VF may, in relation to each winner, impose such additional conditions in respect of the Prize monies as are necessary in the reasonable opinion of VF to protect the VF Parties and/or to ensure that the Prize monies are used only for charitable activities. The Prize monies shall not be paid unless and until VF is satisfied that such payment will be used for proper expenditure in the delivery of the agreed purpose and may at the discretion of VF be paid in instalments.
● For the period of one (1) year from the date of the award of the Prize, or if longer for as long as Prize monies remain unspent by the winner, the winner shall (and shall use all reasonable endeavours to ensure that its connected persons shall) not conduct itself (by act or omission) nor associate itself with any person or organisation who conducts itself (by act or omission), in such a way as to bring the educational profession or any of the VF Parties into disrepute (as may be determined at the sole discretion of VF). The definition of connected persons and the examples given under section 2 of these Terms and Conditions above apply.● The winner shall not use any Prize money for the following purposes:
(i) making any payment to or for the benefit of a connected person of an Applicant (applying the definition under section 2 above);
(ii) paying for any expenditure commitments of the Applicant entered into before the award of the Prize, unless agreed in writing by VF;
(iii) any activities which do not further VF’s charitable objects for the public benefit;
(iv) any illegal activity (including without limitation bribery or corruption); or
(v) any political or quasi-political activity including, without limitation, being a member of or making a donation directly or indirectly to any political party or trade union organisation.
● The winner must provide satisfactory evidence to VF that it has a bank account held by and in the name of the school institution. The VF will only remit funds to a bank account in the name of the school institution, with at least two authorised signatories (and VF will require evidence to this effect before transferring the funds to the winner). The VF will not remit funds to a bank account in the name of an individual, or another institution/organisation. This is subject to any other requirements that the winner may be bound by in the country it resides in. The winner shall not without the prior written consent of VF transfer any part of the Prize monies to bank accounts which are not ordinary business accounts within the clearing bank system.
● The winner shall promptly repay to VF any money incorrectly paid to it either as a result of an administrative error or otherwise. This includes (without limitation) situations where either an incorrect sum of money has been paid or where Prize monies have been paid in error before all conditions attaching to the Prize monies have been complied with by the winner.
● The winner will provide VF with written notice of any proposed public speaking engagement, the issue of a press or public statement or the giving of an interview or other publicity event in whatever media (in person, or online or via digital or social media) (“Publicity”) that is to occur. The winner shall brief and consult with VF (and, where required by VF, its public relations adviser) on the proposed form, nature and content of the Publicity and shall make the changes to the Publicity required by VF to ensure that the Publicity is not likely to bring any VF Party into disrepute or be adversely prejudicial to the interests of any VF Party (as may be determined at the sole discretion of VF).
7. Conditions and Limitations
● Applicants who do not progress to the longlist stage or beyond will not receive notification.
● Entries will not be returned.
● Applicants will not be reimbursed for any costs incurred in connection with submitting the application.
● VF is not responsible for lost, late, or misdirected entries.
● Upon submission, each Applicant grants VF a non-exclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free and worldwide licence to use and modify the application, in whole or in part, for commercial and other purposes, without any payment or other consideration, for use in any media now known or hereafter discovered, in perpetuity, to the extent legally permissible.
● The liability of VF under these Terms and Conditions shall be limited to the payment of the Prize monies (subject to and in accordance with the terms of this agreement).
● By entering this Contest, each Applicant forever discharges and releases the VF Parties from any and all liability, claims, causes of action, suits, and demands of any kind (“Claims”) arising from or in connection with the Contest.
● The Applicant also indemnifies the VF Parties from all Claims arising from third parties in relation to the Applicant’s participation in this Contest or the breach of any of these Terms and Conditions by the Applicant.
● Each Applicant warrants and represents that it:
(i) owns and has unrestricted rights to all intellectual property rights in all of the content of its application materials and that it represents its own (and no one else’s) original work; and
(ii) has the authority to submit these materials and to grant the licence described herein.
● By entering this Contest, each Applicant shall fully indemnify the VF Parties for all third party claims arising directly or indirectly from breach of the above warranty and/or representation.
● Each Applicant agrees to any VF Party using its school’s name in publicity without notice or any additional compensation, except where prohibited by applicable law. The winner acknowledges that VF has the right to publicise and broadcast the winner’s school name, the fact that the school won, and all matters incidental thereto. VF is not obligated to attribute an application to the Applicant who submitted it.
● At any time at VF’s discretion, an Applicant may be required to provide proof of compliance with any of these Terms and Conditions. An Applicant shall provide proof of compliance within 5 days of the request being made.
● Any personal information not included in the Application materials collected in connection with this Contest is solely for the purpose of Contest administration and will be collected, used, and maintained according to VF’s Privacy Policy which can be found at: Privacy Policy | Varkey Foundation.
● Winners will be solely responsible for any and all taxes incurred by their participation in the Contest. VF will report or withhold any individual winnings in accordance with applicable law.
● VF reserves the right to terminate the Contest without awarding the Prize if (i) VF in its sole discretion does not consider it feasible or (ii) no eligible winner claims the Prize within the required time.
● The amount of the Prize monies shall not be increased in the event of any overspend by the winner.
● The winner shall report annually to VF (or more frequently as VF requests) on how any amounts above US$5,000 are spent, in such form and including such additional information as VF reasonably requests. The winner shall on request provide VF with such further information, explanations and documents as VF may reasonably require in order for it to establish that the Prize monies has been used properly in accordance with these Terms and Conditions.
● The Applicant shall ensure that it complies with all applicable laws in relation to safeguarding, including undertaking criminal records checks as appropriate.
● The Applicant shall ensure that it has adequate policies and procedures in place to safeguard all those involved in the school from harm, abuse, exploitation and harassment, and that its safeguarding policies and procedures are fully implemented, and that on-going compliance is monitored to address any potential or actual breaches in an appropriate and timely manner.
● If the Applicant is made aware of any safeguarding suspicion, incident or concern in relation to the funded activity, it shall comply with its relevant procedures and all safeguarding reporting requirements without delay, and should it be of such a nature as to require VF to make a serious incident report to the Charity Commission or to any other safeguarding body or regulator, the Applicant will inform VF without delay.
● If any breach of these Terms and Conditions, or any other event or incident may require VF to report a serious incident to the Charity Commission for England and Wales, or to make a report to any other regulator or donor, the winner will co-operate fully with VF to enable VF to comply with any such reporting requirements.
● Notwithstanding any other provision of these Terms and Conditions, VF may:
(i) stop paying any and all future instalment(s) of the Prize; and/or
(ii) require the winner on written demand to pay back within a specified period an amount (in a lump sum or by instalments) equal to any Prize money already paid to the winner, if at any time after the award of the Prize to the winner, the winner:
(a) was not in fact eligible in accordance with all of the requirements of section 2 of these Terms and Conditions at the time the application was made; or
(b) submitted any application material that was false or misleading in any way; or
(c) commits a breach of any Term and Condition and that breach is irremediable or (if that breach is remediable) fails to remedy that breach within a period of 20 days after being notified in writing to do so; or
(d) repeatedly breaches any of these Terms and Conditions in such a manner that its conduct is inconsistent with it having the intention or ability to give effect to these Terms and Conditions (as may be determined at the sole discretion of VF); or
(e) uses any part of the Prize monies for purposes other than those for which the Prize monies were awarded, including any breach on restrictions on the use of the Prize money under section 6 above; or
(f) is found to be guilty of a serious breach of the rules and regulations of a regulatory body; or
(g) is declared insolvent, bankrupt, placed into receivership, administration or liquidation, has a petition presented for its winding up, or makes any arrangement with or for the benefit of creditors, or is unable to pay its debts as they fall due; or
(h) commits any fraud or dishonesty or acts in any manner which in the opinion of VF brings or is likely to bring the educational profession or a VF Party into disrepute or is adverse to the interests of a VF Party (as may be determined at the sole discretion of VF). This includes (without limitation) a school being placed under special measures (or the equivalent under local laws), being under investigation by a regulator in its jurisdiction, or material safeguarding related investigations or incidents involving the Applicant or a connected person of an Applicant (such as a school teacher being in post despite being disqualified or barred from working with children); or
(i) commits any offence under any applicable anti-bribery or corruption laws, including without limitation, the UK Bribery Act 2010 or the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act; or
(j) commits a tax evasion facilitation offence under applicable law or regulation of the United Kingdom or elsewhere.
● These Terms and Conditions are subject to written modification by VF in its sole discretion
and any modification shall be binding upon all Applicants being notified of the same.
● This Contest is void where prohibited or restricted by applicable law. Each of these Terms and Conditions is subject to applicable law.
● These Terms and Conditions constitute all of the terms and conditions that relate to the Contest and Prize and supersede and extinguish all previous discussions, correspondence, negotiations, drafts, agreements, promises, assurances, warranties, representations, arrangements and understandings between them, whether written or oral, relating to the Contest and/or the Prize.
● An Applicant’s rights and obligations under these Terms and Conditions may not be assigned, transferred, mortgaged, charged, declared a trust over or dealt in any other manner.
● If any Term or Condition or part-Term or Condition is or becomes invalid, illegal or unenforceable, it shall be deemed deleted, but that shall not affect the validity and enforceability of the rest of these Terms and Conditions.
● These Terms and Conditions do not give rise to any rights under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 to enforce any Term or Condition. If these Terms and Conditions are translated into any language other than English and there are any inconsistencies between the two translations, the English transaction will prevail.
● This Contest and these Terms and Conditions shall be governed by the laws of England and Wales, without regard to any conflicts of law principles. Any and all claims or disputes arising out of or in connection with this Contest or these Terms and Conditions shall be subject to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of English courts.
