The winners of the prestigious German Teacher Award for 2025 were announced in Berlin. Among the honorees were educators from various federal states, with teachers from Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia achieving particular success. The award, presented in several categories, honors outstanding achievements in teaching, innovative educational projects, and a special pedagogical approach that enjoys recognition from the students themselves.
Triumph for Hessian Educators
Teachers from Hesse won key distinctions in individual categories, gaining recognition for their relationships with students.
Innovations from the Rhineland
North Rhine-Westphalia received the most awards for innovative team projects and didactic collaboration.
Business in School
A concept introducing entrepreneurship as a new subject was awarded, promoting startup attitudes.
A ceremonial gala in Berlin marked the culmination of another edition of the "Deutscher Lehrkräftepreis – Unterricht innovativ" competition. This prestigious distinction aims to improve the image of the teaching profession and promote modern didactic methods. In this year's edition, educators from Hesse triumphed, receiving awards for their close relationships with youth and professionalism. Meanwhile, North Rhine-Westphalia dominated the rankings in terms of the number of awarded team projects, highlighting the strength of inter-school collaboration there. One of the most interesting awarded ideas was an initiative to introduce entrepreneurship as a separate school subject. This project, developed by a teacher from Baden-Württemberg, gained jury recognition for its practical preparation of young people for the challenges of the modern job market. Students nominating their mentors for the "Outstanding Teacher" category most frequently pointed to three key values: knowledge, warmth, and authenticity. A teacher from Berlin was also honored, providing a significant local accent for the German capital. The German Teacher Award was initiated in 2009 by the Vodafone Foundation and the German Philologists' Association. Since then, it has become the most important system for certifying the quality of pedagogical work in Germany, involving thousands of students in the nomination process. The award ceremony took place in the presence of representatives from the worlds of politics and science, underscoring the role of education in building a stable society. Experts note that the awarded projects are placing increasing emphasis on soft skills and digitalization. The award is not only symbolic but also financial, allowing schools to further develop the winning concepts. The laureates become ambassadors of modern education, sharing their experiences with colleagues from other Länder as part of nationwide knowledge exchange networks.