Latvian Teacher of the Year 2026 awards honour 11 teachers and two school teams

The University of Latvia presented its Latvian Teacher of the Year 2026 awards in its Great Hall in Riga on 12 November. Prizes went to 11 teachers and two school teams. This year the award received 109 nominations from across the country, submitted by pupils, parents and colleagues.

The winners

• Pre-school teacher — Ilona Eisaka, Pīlādzītis pre-school, Krāslava municipality.
• Primary teacher — Baiba Šingereja, Riga Fricis Brīvzemnieks Primary School.
• Science teacher — Dmitrijs Jemeļjanovs, Bauska State Gymnasium.
• Maths teacher — Māra Ieleja, Limbaži Secondary School.
• Technology teacher — Ketija Kismane, Ventspils Secondary School No. 4.
• Culture and arts teacher — Ļevs Rusilo, Riga Distance Learning Secondary School and Riga Jugla Secondary School.
• Sport and health teacher — Ineta Smilškalne, Līvāni Secondary School No. 1.
• History teacher — Ingūna Irbīte, Draudzīgā Aicinājuma Cēsis State Gymnasium.
• Social studies teacher — Daiga Rudzīte, Limbaži Secondary School.
• Foreign language teacher — Aļina Rižikova, Riga Secondary School No. 71.
• Latvian language and literature teacher — Guna Vīlipa, Riga Purvciems Secondary School.
• School support team — Daugavpils Iespēju Secondary School.
• School leadership team — Druva Secondary School.

“The state cannot exist without you”

President Edgars Rinkēvičs opened the ceremony and handed over the history teacher award himself. “If we want a safe country, it is important that its citizens are strong and healthy and have good knowledge of many different subjects. (..) The state cannot exist without you,” he told the teachers. He also thanked teachers who “very selflessly and patriotically count neither their working hours nor the work they put in”.

Education and Science Minister Ilze Indriksone said a teacher's work was an investment in Latvia's future: “By making your pupils stronger, you also make Latvia and its future stronger.” The university's rector, Gundars Bērziņš, recalled that the award was founded two years ago. “Every nomination we receive is a story. A story written not by the teachers themselves, but by those who see them every day,” he said.

What the winners receive

Each winner received a glass trophy called Wings of Knowledge, made by the artist Anda Munkevica, and a scholarship: €1,000 for individual winners and €2,000 for each team. The award is organised by the university and its foundation together with the Ministry of Education and Science, and the scholarships are funded by the foundation's patrons, the companies Mikrotīkls and Lightguide. ReTV will show the ceremony on 14 November at 22:00, and videos of the winners will appear on the university's YouTube channel.