Winners Announced for the 2026 Anniversary Global Teacher Prize Ukraine
On October 3, the National Opera of Ukraine hosted the tenth award ceremony for the country’s top educators, organized by the NGO “Osvitoria.” Over the years, the initiative has gathered nearly 30,000 applications and significantly raised the prestige of the teaching profession in society. Selection transparency for this season was ensured by the analytical firm PwC Ukraine.
Svitlana Merkulova, an English teacher from Irpin, won the main award and 1 million hryvnias. Beyond her students’ high academic achievements, the educator focuses heavily on psychological support for schoolchildren and training colleagues in emotional aid tools for children during wartime.
Special category winners of the Global Teacher Prize Ukraine 2026:
Teacher-Defender: Oleksandr Chuchaiev (history teacher from Kirovohrad Region, currently serving as commander of the “Phantasm” UAV company in the 41st Separate Mechanized Brigade). Awarded UAH 500,000 presented by Denys Shmyhal, the category’s initiator.
Preschool Education: Vira Berezhok (preschool teacher from Vinnytsia). Received UAH 500,000 from UNICEF to realize an educational initiative.
People’s Choice: Davyd Kuzmych (design, technology, and IT teacher from Boryslav). Won the public vote on the Diia.Education platform and was awarded an educational trip by Kyivstar.
Mathematics Teacher: Yuliia Zubareva (Zaporizhzhia), received UAH 500,000 from SoftServe.
Chemistry Teacher: Olena Trubchanina (Pokrovsk), awarded UAH 500,000 by Biopharma.
Choice of the Heart, Integrity Teacher, and Inclusivity: Tetiana Hlebova (Ukrainian language and literature teacher from Mariupol). Received a monetary prize from Natalia Moseichuk, an educational trip to Denmark from EUACI, and UAH 250,000 from Uklon for her two-decade commitment to children with special educational needs.
Financial Literacy Teacher: Serhii Bychenko (Kharkiv), awarded an educational trip by the Kredobank Foundation.
Talents for Ukraine Special Grants (KSE Foundation): Yuliia Zubareva, Daniil Doroshenko, and Roman Chernov in the STEM category each received $5,000 for professional development.
The gala evening featured performances by Jamala, LAUD, Yarmak, and the band ANTYTILA. The finalists’ red-carpet looks were curated by stylist Lina Khrystoforova in collaboration with Ukrainian fashion brands, including Umahanova, The Coat, Jamemme, Bobkova, Amelina Atelier, Indposhiv, and Mazini. The ceremony concluded with a light show on the Motherland Monument honoring the winner.
Text: Julia Brosko (adapted from official release)
Photography: Julia Brosko.
