The Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, has invited nominations for the National Awards to Teachers (NAT) 2025, aiming to honour exceptional faculty members across higher educational institutions and polytechnics in India. The nomination window is open till July 9, 2025, on the official portal — awards.gov.in.
These prestigious awards recognise outstanding contributions in teaching, research, community outreach, institutional service, and innovation in higher education. Notably, both institutional nominations and self-nominations from eligible faculty members are welcome.
A total of 35 awards will be presented annually, with 25 awards for higher educational institutions (Category 1) and 10 for polytechnics (Category 2). Each awardee will receive a medal, a certificate, and a cash prize of ₹50,000.
Eligibility Criteria
Regular faculty members with at least 5 years of full-time teaching experience at the undergraduate or postgraduate level. The upper age limit is 55 years as of the nomination deadline.
However, it must be noted that Vice-Chancellors, Directors, and Principals are not eligible to apply.
The selection process involves an initial screening by a Search-cum-Screening Committee, followed by final selection by an award jury. The award ceremony is scheduled for September 5, 2025.