Julian Robertson Award for Excellence in Teaching Announces 2026 Winners

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Julian Robertson Award for Excellence in Teaching Announces 2026 Winners

2026-09-18 20:30 Last Updated At：20:41

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 18, 2026--

The Julian Robertson Award for Excellence in Teaching today announced its 2026 class of winners, recognizing 10 extraordinary educators across New York City public schools.

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The 2026 Winners of the Julian Robertson Award for Excellence in Teaching:

Now in its second year, the award saw nominations increase by more than 250% as eligibility expanded citywide to all full-time New York City public school teachers. This year’s winners represented all five boroughs across a range of grades and subject areas. Selected through a rigorous review process, they were recognized for their embodiment of the award’s core values: excellence in instruction, leadership in the school community, innovation and continuous learning, use of evidence and data in teaching, and the ability to foster engagement and a love of learning.

Named in honor of renowned investor and philanthropist Julian Robertson, the Julian Robertson Award for Excellence in Teaching was established by Coleman Family Ventures, in partnership with Tiger Foundation, to celebrate and recognize the outstanding educators whose work changes lives every day.

“Teachers give so much of themselves to our children and our city, yet their work is too often overlooked and underrewarded,” said Chase Coleman, Founder of Tiger Global and Coleman Family Ventures. “We created this award to help change that and shine a light on educators whose contributions rarely receive the recognition they deserve. This was a cause Julian cared deeply about, and one that reflected his own belief in the enduring influence of mentorship and community.”

Each winner received an unrestricted cash prize of $20,000 and was honored, alongside their schools, at a celebratory event held in Midtown Manhattan.

The award also recognized a group of exceptional finalists, each of whom received a cash prize of $5,000:

“Dad believed deeply in the power of extraordinary teachers — the ones who catalyze real student growth and whose efforts help to change outcomes,” said Alex Robertson, Co-Chair of Tiger Foundation and Executive Chairman of Tiger Management. “He understood that our society needs to do far more to recognize and celebrate outstanding educators. We're proud this award continues to honor New York City teachers who make a difference in classrooms across this city. They are true heroes, deserving of our gratitude and admiration.”

For more information about the Julian Robertson Award for Excellence in Teaching and the 2026-2027 nomination process, please visitjulianrobertsonaward.org.

About Coleman Family Ventures
Founded by Chase and Stephanie Coleman, Coleman Family Ventures (CFV) invests in leaders and innovators advancing education, economic mobility, healthcare, and ocean-based climate solutions.

About Tiger Foundation
Founded by Julian Robertson in 1989, Tiger Foundation partners with community-based nonprofits across the five boroughs of New York City that help individuals and families thrive and provides them with financial resources that allow them to build and maintain healthy and strong organizations.

Russians begin 3 days of voting in a parliamentary election set to cement the Kremlin's power

Russians on Friday began three days of voting in the country’s first wartime parliamentary election, which features virtually no opposition and is all but certain to secure the Kremlin’s political dominance.

Authorities spread the election over the weekend in a bid to boost turnout among the 111 million eligible voters and even allowed electronic balloting. Polls opened Friday and will close Sunday.

The Kremlin wants the parliamentary election — the first since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 — to underline public support for the war and give a veneer of legitimacy to its action. It has sought to avoid any political risks by stamping out even the slightest sign of dissent.

“Your choice and resolve will once again demonstrate that millions of people stand behind our fighters, that we are a united people, bound by shared values, historical memory, and love for the Motherland,” President Vladimir Putin told the nation before the vote.

Russian state news agencies reported Putin voted online Friday and released a video of him in front of a computer screen.

The main Kremlin party, United Russia, is all but assured to retain its overwhelming control of the lower house, the State Duma. Several smaller parties of the “systemic opposition” that vote in sync with the government on all key issues also are expected to retain their presence.

Voters cast two separate ballots, filling half of the Duma’s 450 seats by selecting political parties listed on the ballot. The rest are contested in single-seat constituencies, with voters choosing individual candidates.

Russians interviewed by The Associated Press expressed different expectations from the election.

Dmitry Kirillin in Moscow said earlier this week that he would like “to see some changes. To see a different party” at the helm. But Muscovite Alexander Vertukhin believed “what United Russia and the communists are doing is quite sufficient; their platforms cover everything.”

Speaking at a Moscow polling station Friday, pensioner Galina Vavilova said she thought ending the war in Ukraine “is the main thing, of course.”

“That is the most important thing right now. Everyone wants peace, that’s what it comes down to. So that our guys are safe and sound,” she said.

Another pensioner, Lyudmila Kalinina, wished for life “to stabilize for the better” and for “an end to the big divide between the ultra-rich and the extremely poor, because, after all, many people don't live a very sweet life.”

Vladimir Chubarev, a 72-year-old professor, expressed hope “for all the important initiatives our government is undertaking to succeed,” adding: “And, of course, for victory.”

The liberal Yabloko party, the only registered political entity that dared to criticize the war, was removed from the ballot last month by Russia’s Supreme Court, and only has a few dozen candidates in the single-constituency races. Additionally, some anti-war politicians have been imprisoned or forced to flee abroad ahead of the campaign.

The election follows a summer of Ukraine’s long-range drone strikes on oil refineries that triggered a widespread fuel crisis. Warehouses belonging to online retailers Wildberries and Ozon also were attacked. The damage has exacerbated problems for the Russian economy and brought the war home for millions.

For the first time, the parliamentary election includes residents of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow illegally annexed after the war began, but still doesn't fully control. Voting also is taking place in Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula that was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.

Voters dropped their ballots in a box at one polling station in the Russian-held part of the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine as an armed Russian soldier stood nearby and watched.

Authorities in Kyiv denounced the voting in the Russian-held areas as illegal and urged foreign governments and international organizations not to recognize the election, warning Ukrainians that taking part in organizing the balloting could carry criminal liability.

European Commission spokesperson Christian Wigand also called the voting in Russian-held regions “illegal” and said the European Union condemns it.

“These so-called elections represent yet another blatant violation of international law. The European Union does not, and will never recognize either the holding of these, so-called elections, sham elections, in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine or their results," he said.

Wigand said the way the elections are held “underscores the continued and deepening erosion of democracy in Russia," and that the Kremlin “deprives voters in Russia of a genuine choice about the future of their country.”

He also noted that Russia decided not to invite observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, disregarding its commitments. He vowed the EU will continue to support Russian civil society organizations, human rights groups and independent media.

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Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed.