Lucknow: The Seekho Sikhao Foundation (SSF), a grassroots non-profit education initiative backed by the Dalmia Bharat Foundation, has announced the launch of the inaugural Seekho Sikhao Awards 2026. This first-of-its-kind statewide recognition programme aims to celebrate individuals and institutions that are driving meaningful change within Uttar Pradesh’s public education system.

The awards will cover all 75 districts of the state and will recognise excellence across five categories: the Shikshak Award, Vidyalaya Award, Gram Panchayat Award, BRC Award, and the Balika Shiksha Award. While the first four categories highlight achievements in teaching, school governance, community participation, and block-level resource coordination, the Balika Shiksha Award will be presented to a teacher who best embodies the vision of an educated and empowered girl child.

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One of the key outcomes of the initiative will be the development of a State Playbook, which will document effective and scalable practices emerging from across the public education system. The playbook is expected to serve as a reference for policymakers and educators seeking to replicate successful models in other regions.

Applications for the awards will open on August 21 and remain available until September 20. Nominations will be assessed across four regions: Western Uttar Pradesh, Central Uttar Pradesh, Bundelkhand, and Purvanchal. From each region, one winner and one runner-up will be selected per category. Including the statewide Balika Shiksha Award, the inaugural edition will honour a total of 17 winners and 16 runners-up from across the state.

The winners will be announced on November 26, which is observed as Samvidhan Divas or Constitution Day, at a ceremony in Lucknow. 

Speaking at the announcement, Anupama Dalmia, Founder of the Seekho Sikhao Foundation, said that the organisation was founded on the belief that lasting change in education cannot come from a single institution alone. 

She added that real progress happens when teachers, families, communities, and government systems work together and take collective ownership of a child’s learning. She described the awards as an effort to celebrate this collective effort and to recognise the people who are strengthening it.

Ashok Gupta, CEO of the Dalmia Bharat Foundation, said that the foundation’s commitment to education is rooted in supporting initiatives that create lasting impact at the community level. 

He noted that the Seekho Sikhao Awards draw attention to the people and practices driving change across Uttar Pradesh and expressed the foundation’s support for an initiative that celebrates these efforts and encourages wider learning from them.

The Seekho Sikhao Foundation was established in July 2019 with the goal of partnering with the government to address critical gaps in the delivery of quality education across Uttar Pradesh. 

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