Vocational Education
Main Award: Knud Erik Mortensen
Teaches physics, mathematics, and ’production equipment’ in the dairy technician program at Kold College in Funen
The main award goes to an experienced teacher who possesses immense knowledge and passion for his field. In fact, students in the dairy technician program can’t imagine what future dairy technicians would do without Knud Erik. He manages to convey the most heavy and complex topics in a digestible and engaging manner, ensuring that classes are never dry or boring, and he is skilled at making room for all students in his teaching.
»If Denmark is to have more skilled dairy technicians and more skilled tradespeople in general, it requires teachers who make the subjects come alive, meaningful, and accessible. Teachers who are adept at both their craft and their people. That’s exactly what Knud Erik can do«, says Anne Fløe, head of policy and analysis at DEA and member of the expert panel.
Special Award: Michael Busk
Teaches in the gourmet butcher program at Denmark’s Butcher School, ZBC, in Roskilde
Gourmet butcher Michael Busk inspires his students to want to be like him because he brings great energy and enthusiasm to the table with his deep love for the profession.
»He is always positive and wears his bowler hat with pride«, as one of his students says.
Professionally, he excels at differentiating his teaching and gives students the opportunity to tackle real butcher tasks using techniques central to the trade. Moreover, he has a unique eye for students who are struggling. That’s why he wins this year’s special award.
»Michael Busk is a teacher with a capital T. He succeeds in creating truly excellent results both professionally and personally«, says Camilla Hutters, head of the National Center for Vocational Pedagogy at Copenhagen University College and member of the expert panel.
Apprenticeship Award: Lars Madsen
Sheet metal worker at NLMK DanSteel in Frederiksværk
As the apprenticeship supervisor, Lars Madsen has managed to create a learning environment where students are both challenged and feel safe.
»Lars is a very, very patient man when you come and ask the same thing over and over again. I have never felt like a bother or stupid«, says his apprentice about the teacher, who has a keen eye for each student’s level and tailors tasks to be right where development happens.
That’s why he wins the award for this year’s apprenticeship.
»Lars demonstrates daily everything we know is most important for students’ experience of their training: A good place to be, a place to develop, and a place where school and practice naturally come together«, says Camilla Thorgaard, area manager at EVA and member of the expert panel.
Primary School
Main Award: Kenneth Knudsen and Line Nielsen
Teaches mathematics and Danish at Sorø Borgerskole
The teacher team is excellent at creating and maintaining a class community where »all children feel right and important«, as a parent in the class described it. They have a special eye for the children’s well-being, especially those with special needs, and work purposefully and patiently to build a strong and safe bond in the class.
Academically, they provide students with playful and experimental teaching that often extends beyond the classroom, such as holding a math class at the local Meny, walking 10 kilometers around Sorø Lake, and teaching them how a seal stays warm by getting fat on their fingers and dipping them in water. It’s all »work that requires both presence and heart, and Line and Kenneth master it«, says Helle Plauborg, associate professor in school research at DPU, Aarhus University, and member of the expert panel.
Special Award: Karina Møller Hansen
Teaches reception classes in history and French at Bavnehøj School in Copenhagen
Karina Møller Hansen is a caring and professionally skilled teacher who shows exceptional empathy and understanding for each student. She teaches reception classes, for example, with Ukrainian children who come directly from a life in war, and meets them with warmth and patience as well as teaching that is both lively, creative, and structured.
»Karina makes us forget the war«, says a student about the teacher who has won one of this year’s special awards.
»It’s easy to say you want academic excellence and community for all children. But Karina shows every day how it can look in practice. She also shows that even if you don’t know the Danish language at all, you can still end up getting top marks in Danish«, says Lise Tingleff Nielsen, area manager at EVA and member of the expert panel.
Special Award: Bianca Arleth
Teaches Danish and religion at Bellahøj School in Copenhagen
Bianca Arleth has managed to create a unique community in her class with a recognizing approach that allows room for vulnerability and feedback from the students. She is clear and structured in her teaching, has an eye for movement in the lessons, and has been dubbed ’the queen of trips’ by her class. This results in meaningful and joyful teaching where the children feel that their voice matters. That’s why she wins one of this year’s special awards.
»It’s so significant that children have influence over their school life when we as a society have decided to institutionalize the majority of their childhood. When Bianca’s students feel heard, they learn that they are worth listening to. It gives them the courage to use their voice throughout their lives«, says Louise Klinge, child and school researcher and member of the expert panel.
High Schools
Main Award: Bertha Rex Coley
Teaches English and history at Gefion Gymnasium in Copenhagen
Bertha Rex Coley is both personally and professionally enthusiastic to such an extent that it infects everyone around her and makes the teaching come alive. As a student, you might be tasked with performing a Shakespeare sonnet or playing memory with the day’s homework — of course, with prizes. She believes that students learn best when they feel safe and have fun. That’s why she wins this year’s main award.
»Bertha is a huge role model both in terms of teaching and in relation to her students. She has a significant impact on them both academically and personally, as she helps them all carry her good, Bertha-like values with them in terms of play, care, structure, and enthusiasm«, says Camilla Hutters, head of the National Center for Vocational Pedagogy at Copenhagen University College and member of the expert panel.
Special Award: Rasmus Storm
Teaches Danish and English at Odense Katedralskole
Rasmus Storm receives a special award for his great commitment and ability to drive educational joy among his students with warmth, curiosity, and lively teaching. He greatly contributes to the class community with film nights and quiz competitions, and academically uses everything from Pokémon songs to murder mysteries as learning tools. It’s pedagogy with a purpose: to open the world to the students. That’s why he wins one of this year’s special awards.
»Rasmus shows that joy in learning isn’t a cliché. It’s well-being on tap. It’s the kind of engagement that drives learning—and it’s holistic education happening in practice, every single day in his classroom«, says Anne Fløe, head of policy and analysis at DEA and member of the expert panel.
Special Award: Heidi Krogslund
Teaches German at Learnmark, hhx, in Horsens
Foreign languages are struggling these days, but Heidi Krogslund shows her students that German is not just grammar and vocabulary. It’s culture, music, laughter, experiences, and opportunities. She creates teaching that is fun and relevant and fosters a safe and warm learning environment for her students. That’s why she wins one of this year’s special awards.
»Heidi shows what it means to be a teacher with both professionalism, imagination, and a heart in the right place and reminds us all why languages matter«, says Camilla Thorgaard, area manager at EVA and member of the expert panel.
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