The Dan Voiculescu Foundation for the Development of Romania announces a new edition of the national campaign "Exceptional Teachers League". The campaign comes in a tense climate, in which discussions about austerity measures, the blocking of positions and the restructuring of teaching rules have dominated the public agenda, putting additional pressure on the shoulders of teachers.
After a complicated 2025, marked by measures that have directly affected the activity of teachers, the Romanian education system often operates out of inertia and thanks to the vocation of each teacher. In recent months, the education system in Romania has been marked by instability in decision-making, chronic under-financing and fragmented changes, with a direct impact on the quality of education. In this tense context, the pressure has increasingly shifted onto the shoulders of teachers, who are managing the lack of resources, administrative overload and the real need to adapt to the new generations. Beyond these vulnerabilities, there are teachers who remain deeply committed to the education of the next generation, demonstrating that excellence in education is possible even when the system does not fully support it.
Exactly these are the people who are being targeted in the campaign that the Dan Voiculescu Foundation for the Development of Romania has been running for over 10 years. The "Exceptional Teachers League" does not aim to make up for the system's material shortcomings, but to identify and reward the elites who manage to perform despite difficult conditions. It is about teachers who turn a lack of resources into creativity, who stay after hours to support a pupil in difficulty, even if their hours are not paid, and who find solutions where the ministry or inspectorates shrug their shoulders.
The 2026 edition offers total prizes worth 60,000 lei. First place will be rewarded with 30,000 lei, second place with 20,000 lei and third place with 10,000 lei. In addition, the 20 finalists will benefit from access to digital equipment, modern educational resources and training programs, essential tools for an education adapted to today's needs.
The history of this project shows that Romania has formidable human resources. Previous editions have brought to light thousands of teachers who have understood that education does not end in the classroom. A recent example is the 2025 winners, who set a high standard for this year's candidates. Nicoleta Adriana Schipor, a food engineering teacher from Rădăuți and last year's grand prize winner, demonstrated how financial and entrepreneurship education can be done at the highest level in a provincial town. Ana Elena Ungureanu from Iași, the second place winner, created a digital platform now used by thousands of colleagues across the country, and Marina Sacerdoțeanu from Râmnicu Vâlcea showed that European projects and tandem teaching can be a reality in Romanian state schools.
Registration for the 2026 edition is open from February 2 to June 7. Any teacher in Romania, regardless of the subject they teach or the academic cycle, can apply using the application form available on the foundation's platform. The campaign also encourages nominations from students, parents, former graduates and colleagues in order to bring to public attention teachers who would not self-nominate themselves out of discretion or modesty. As part of the application form, nominators also have the opportunity to send a personalized message to a teacher.
A panel of specialists will evaluate the applications from June 8-14, based on clear criteria: innovation in teaching, impact on students, community involvement and ability to produce sustainable educational results. The 20 finalists will then enter a public voting phase between June 15 and July 15, and the winners will be announced at the Exceptional Teachers Gala on July 16.
Romanian education is in desperate need of benchmarks, and the "Exceptional Teachers League" acts as a barometer of the educational system's health. The initiative of the Dan Voiculesulescu Foundation for the Development of Romania reminds us that, beyond budget rectifications and political disputes, schools rely first and foremost on teachers who enter the classroom in the morning and choose not to give up on their students' future.
