Seven educators win Denmark's 2026 Teaching Prize

Seven Danish higher education teachers have won the 2026 Teaching Prize. Each winner receives 500,000 Danish kroner for inspiring students in class. The prize recognises educators who foster curiosity and active learning. Queen Mary and Minister Christina Egelund will present the awards. The ceremony will take place at the Opera in Copenhagen.

Of the total sum, 200,000 Danish kroner is a personal cash prize. The remaining 300,000 Danish kroner must fund new educational activities. Minister Egelund praised the teachers for building safe learning environments. She noted that students felt comfortable asking questions and making errors.

The winners represent seven different higher education institutions across Denmark. Amalie Trangbæk teaches political science at Aarhus University. Brian Jørgensen teaches communication design at Design School Kolding. Bjarne Schmidt teaches STEM didactics at the University of Southern Denmark.

Other recipients come from Copenhagen Professionshøjskole and various regional academies. Lars Plauborg Pedersen teaches at Syddansk Erhvervsakademi. René Kirk Johansen teaches at the maritime center Martec. Gry Segoli teaches at Københavns Professionshøjskole in the capital region. Lene Krogstrup Jakobsen teaches at UC SYD in Esbjerg.

Educational institutions nominate candidate teachers for the award each year. Groups of rectors evaluate all nominations across the country. They select the final candidates for the Minister to approve.