The UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize (Korean, Hangeul : 유네스코 세종대왕 문해상) is an annual prize awarded to three institutions, organizations or individuals "for their contribution to the fight against illiteracy."
It is funded by the Government of the Republic of Korea which first offered the Prize in 1989, honouring the outstanding contribution made to literacy by Sejong the Great who created the Korean alphabet Hangul. The Prize specialises from other UNESCO Literacy Prizes that "it gives special consideration to the development and use of mother-tongue literacy education and training."
Each award consists of a sum of US $20,000, a silver medal and a certificate.
Recent laureates
2017
Center for the Study of Learning (CSLP) at Concordia University (Canada) CSLP at Concordia University is awarded for Using Educational Technology to Develop Essential Educational Competencies in Sub-Saharan Africa project, which develops and distributes its material internationally free of charge We Love Reading (Jordan) is honoured as a programme with a virtual community that offers online read-aloud trainings for parents, mobilizes volunteers to read aloud in community spaces to children and provides age-appropriate material through a digital library.
2016
Patani Malay-Thai Bi/Multilingual Education Project (PMT-MLE), Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia, Mahidol University - Thailand Books for rural areas of Viet Nam, Center for Knowledge Assistance and Community Development - Viet Nam
2013
Mother Tongue Literacy in the Guera Region programme, Federation of Associations for the Promotion of Guera Languages - Chad Saakshar Bharat (Literate India) Mission, National Literacy Mission Authority, Ministry of Human Resource Development - India
2012
Directorate of Community Education Development - Indonesia
National Adult Literacy Programme, Pentecostal Church - Rwanda
Honourable Mention: Directorate of Literacy and Adult Education - Niger
2011
National Literacy Service - Burundi
National Institute for the Education of Adults - Mexico
Honourable Mention: City Literacy Coordinating Council, Tagum City - Philippines
2010
Virtual Assisted Literacy Programme, The North Catholic University Foundation, Antioquia - Colombia General Directorate of Adult Training - Cape Verde Family Literacy Project (FLY) - Hambourg
2009
Nirantar - India
Tin Tua - Burkina Faso
2008
People's Action Forum, Reflect and HIV/AIDS - Zambia
Honourable Mention: BBC-RAW (Reading and Writing) - UK
2007
TOSTAN - Senegal
The Children's Book Project - Tanzania
2006
Youth and Adult Literacy and Education Chair of the Latin American and Caribbean Pedagogical Institute of the Republic of Cuba (IPLAC) - Cuba Mother Child Education Foundation - Turkey
2005
AULA Cultural Association - Spain
GOAL Sudan - Sudan
2004
Alfabetização Solidária (AlfaSol)] - Brazil
The Steering Group of Literacy Education in Qinghai Province - China
2003
Tembaletu Community Education Centre - South Africa
International Reflect Circle (CIRAC)