A qualitative empirical study of how higher education actors in Azerbaijan conceptualise excellence in teaching and how they promote it at different levels. The findings provide an original insight into how the concept of excellence is understood in the higher education of Azerbaijan. Intriguingly, there is no definition of teaching excellence nor an equivalent of it in the Azerbaijani language, let alone an existing policy on framing its standards. Furthermore, both socio-economic and cultural contributors make educational contexts different, thus affecting the conceptualisation of the phenomenon in focus. The article's key findings indicate several serious barriers to achieving excellence, mainly associated with the apparent lack of a practical framework for defining the standards of excellence in teaching, measuring these and establishing a resources-enhanced system that can allow for continuity of the process.