UNESCO International Literacy Prizes 2026: Six Initiatives Honoured for Impact

The UNESCO has named six recipients of the International Literacy Prizes 2026, for their outstanding contributions to literacy through innovative projects from Colombia, Lebanon, Mexico, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Nigeria and Thailand. The prize was awarded during the International Literacy Day 2026, celebrated worldwide on September 8–9 in Chiapas, Mexico.

The theme for this year’s award ceremony is “Literacy for people, the planet and prosperity,” which emphasizes the requirement to ensure that literacy systems become more inclusive and multilingual.”

UNESCO International Literacy Prizes 2026: Notable Laureates

There were six programmes honoured through two literacy prizes offered by UNESCO: the King Sejong Literacy Prize and the Confucius Prize for Literacy.

UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize

The award, supported by the Government of the Republic of Korea, is concerned especially with the development of literacy programmes based on the mother tongue.

1. Escuelas LEO Programme – Colombia

Offered by BibloRed of Bogotá, the programme offers intercultural and multilingual literacy learning for Indigenous peoples, Deaf people, migrants, displaced persons and LGBTIQ+. The number of participants rose from 320 in 2024 to 443 in 2025.

2. Language Friendly School Programme – Netherlands

Conducted by the Rutu Foundation, the programme encourages the use of the language spoken at home in addition to the language of instruction. The programme operates in about 70 schools in 12 countries and involves over 32,000 students.

3. Project PAL – Nigeria

The Primary Accelerated Literacy project serves out-of-school children living in conflict zones in Niger Delta. The program makes use of solar powered literacy hubs, indigenous language teaching, and the Teaching at the Right Level strategy. For the period between 2023 and 2025, 8,500 learners were involved in this program, with 82% attaining functional literacy.

Each King Sejong laureate is awarded US$30,000, a medal, and a diploma.

UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy

This award is sponsored by the Chinese government and celebrates the innovation in literacy programs that include digital literacy and approaches for adults and out-of-school youth.

4. Accelerated Education for Out-of-school Displaced Youth – Lebanon

The Alsama Project delivers accelerated education for out-of-school displaced youth who have basic literacy skills. Through its intensive program, the learners develop basic literacy and numeracy skills within six months. The Alsama Project has been involved in educating more than 2,500 learners.

5. Chiapas Puede State Literacy Program – Mexico

The program covers all 121 municipalities in Chiapas and emphasizes on indigenous groups and women. The program involves bilingual education, digital and classroom-based teaching, community study circles, and pedagogy model of Matías de Córdova. More than 140,000 learners are targeted in this program and its objective is to reduce the illiteracy rate of the state from 13.7% to 4%.

6. Language for Life – Thailand

Started in 2016 by Hat Yai City Municipality, the program involves multilingual literacy through English, Malay, and Chinese. It includes language learning related to disaster communication, environment and economic activities.

Each Confucius Prize winner will be awarded US$30,000, medal and certificate.

What Are UNESCO Literacy Prizes?

The UNESCO International Literacy Prizes have been awarded since 1967 and have recognized over 600 individuals, organizations, and institutions for their efforts to promote literacy.

This year’s prizes are coming amid widespread global literacy disparities. UNESCO indicates that over 739 million youth and adults have not attained basic literacy skills, and 63% of them are women.

Over 77% of illiterate youth and adults reside in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia. In addition, UNESCO estimates that four out of ten students around the globe do not meet minimum reading proficiency by the end of primary school, while 273 million children and youth are out of school.