The UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize was created by the Government of the Republic of Korea in 1989. The Prize honours the outstanding contribution made to literacy by Sejong the Great (1397 - 1418/1450) who created the Korean alphabet Hangul.
The prize (consisting of a sum of US$20,000, a silver medal and a certificate) "rewards the activities of governments or governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) displaying merit and achieving particularly effective results in contributing to the promotion of literacy. It gives special consideration to the use and dissemination of mother-tongue languages in developing countries."
2010 • Virtual Assisted Literacy Programme, The North Catholic University Foundation Antioquia - Colombia
2009 • Nirantar's project Khabar Lahariya India • Tin Tua's Literacy and Non-Formal Education Programme Burkina Faso
2008 • People's Action Forum, Reflect and HIV/AIDS Zambia • BBC-RAW (Reading and Writing) UK
2007 • TOSTAN Senegal • The Children’s Book Project United Republic of 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). A network of 350 NGOs and governmental agencies in 60 countries.
2002 • Egypt-based Regional Centre for Adult Education (ASFEC)] Egypt • Bunyad Literacy Community Council (BLCC) Pakistan
2001 • Tianshui Education Commission, Gansu Province China • Alfatitbonit/Alfa Desalin Project Haiti
2000 • Juvenile Education Iraq • National Literacy and Basic Education Directorate Senegal