The International Education group at Cambridge University Press & Assessment announced that Soma Mandal, a science teacher at GD Goenka Public School, Delhi, won the 2026 Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Awards global prize, receiving 40 % of the public vote and beating 12,000 nominations from 129 countries, becoming the first overall winner from India.
The award includes a professional development online/virtual enrichment course of her choice, GBP 500 worth of books for her class, and a feature on a ‘Thank you’ page of new Cambridge textbooks scheduled for public release in November 2026.
The win was revealed by Rod Smith, Group Managing Director of International Education at Cambridge, via a video call, and celebrated on 27 May 2026 at Cambridge’s New Delhi office with her family.
Soma’s climate‑focused curriculum integrates environmental science into science lessons, encouraging inquiry‑based learning and student‑led climate action projects.
