The Ministry of National Education, Youth and Sport of the Czech Republic and UNESCO established the Jan Amos Comenius Medal in 1992 on the occasion of the 400^th anniversary of the birth of the great education.

The Medal, one of UNESCO’s most prestigious awards, is intended to acknowledge the work of those educators who have made a significant contribution to the development or renewal of education. More precisely, it is designed to reward outstanding achievements in the fields of educational research and innovation and exceptional examples of personal devotion to education and the ideals of UNESCO demonstrated throughout an important part of one's life.

In accordance with its Statutes, the Medal is awarded at each session of the International Conference on Education (ICE) or during other important UNESCO events to no more than ten laureates. It can be granted to individual educators (researchers, teachers, directors of educational projects); or to groups of educators (research teams, curriculum development units, etc.) Candidates are identified through the National Commissions for UNESCO, the Organization’s Regional Offices and other specialized educational institutes, as well as appropriate non-governmental organizations.

Since its creation, some sixty educators became laureates of the Medal or were granted an honourable mention.