1 September 2026 - Applications open for all countries
15 October 2026 - Applications close at 17.00 (BST) for all countries
October - November 2026 - Shortlisting of applications
December 2026 to April 2027 - Announcement of finalists in national level awards (in selected countries – see full list in entry rules)
December 2026 to April 2027 - Study UK Alumni Awards National ceremonies (in selected countries – see entry rules)
July - August 2027 - Global Alumni Awards finalists announced
August 2027- Global Alumni Awards winners announced
Shortlisting process
The top 40 applications in each region will be shortlisted from all eligible applicants through several stages of judging, including internal and external judging panels involving British Council Regional Directors, Universities UK International, Chevening and Commonwealth, and UK universities, all of whom will review anonymised applications to select the 28 shortlisted global finalists.
The global finalists will then be shortlisted by our global judging panel to select the four global winners, one for each of the award categories (Business and Innovation Award, Culture, Creativity and Sport Award, Science and Sustainability Award, Social Action Award).
In addition, a small number of selected countries/territories hosting national level events will conduct their own shortlisting panels, including senior staff from the British Council and the British Embassy/High Commission, to select their national level finalists and winners. All national awards are independent to the global awards.
Please note, this is not a scholarship opportunity.
Country/territory of entry
The Study UK Alumni Awards are open to international alumni living outside of the UK only (restrictions may apply to British passport holders, see our FAQ from Top tips at the bottom of this page).
For eligibility criteria, please see Terms and Conditions at the bottom of this page.
at degree level or above (degree level is defined as band 9 and above on the UK ENIC band framework)
either at a UK university in the UK, for a minimum of one term or semester, OR awarded a full UK degree level qualification (or higher), awarded by a recognised UK HEI, in their home country (Transnational Education - TNE/long distance).
Professional short courses: alumni are only eligible if the course they studied was at degree level (or above), offered by a recognised UK institution in the UK (and they fulfil the rest of the criteria).
Post-doc researchers are ineligible.
All applicants, except global award winners, from the Alumni Awards in previous years may re-apply if they meet this year’s eligibility criteria. Winners from previous national level awards will be considered for global awards only.
Applicants must not be currently employed by the British Council or Gradcore/Unseen Group. Applicants must disclose if they are an immediate family member of a British Council or Gradcore/Unseen employee. (In this case immediate family member is defined as one's spouse, parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, siblings and immediate in-laws (mother-in-law, father-in-law, brother-in-law and sister-in-law). Adopted children and stepchildren are also counted as immediate family members.
There are four award categories:
Business and Innovation Award - Recognising alumni who are active in initiating and contributing to innovative or creative new ideas, solutions or business opportunities, that have the potential for growth.
Areas of work could include, but are not limited to: entrepreneurship, business, technology and finance.
Culture, Creativity and Sport Award - Recognising alumni who have carved a career for themselves in arts, culture and sport. We are looking for individuals who can demonstrate their artistic ingenuity, influence and creativity.
Areas of work could include, but are not limited to: arts, design, humanities, traditional media, music, video, TV, sports and online content and audio-visual media creation (e.g blogging, vlogging including for YouTube and social media).
Science and Sustainability Award - Recognising alumni who have distinguished themselves through their careers and achievements in the world of science and sustainability, and who can demonstrate the impact and scale of their achievements in their profession, and beyond.
Areas of work could include, but are not limited to: climate action, clean energy, medicine, sustainable cities and communities, engineering, industry and construction.
Social Action Award - Recognising alumni who have made an exceptional contribution and commitment to creating positive social change and improving the lives of others.
Areas of work could include, but are not limited to: education, peace and justice and reducing inequality, poverty and hunger and broader humanitarian work or work for social good.
All eligible applications will be assessed on the extent to which they meet the following five criteria:
IMPACT: evidence of tangible impact, and scale of impact, of your work (inspired by your UK education) in your profession/community/society.
UK INFLUENCE: evidence of how your UK education has played a key influence in your success and impact.
MEDIA TRACTION: Extent to which your success story is likely to resonate with local/regional/national media in your country of entry, or beyond (global media).
POTENTIAL TO INFLUENCE AND INSPIRE: Extent to which (including capacity and willingness) you and your story are likely to influence and inspire the next generation of prospective internationally mobile students in your country of entry to choose the UK as their study destination.
Join our ‘How to Apply’ webinars, hosted by our UK team and open to all alumni worldwide. These interactive sessions are designed to give you the knowledge and confidence to submit a strong application. Our guest speakers include previous award winners and members of our global British Council team.
Wednesday 7 October 2026 at 16.00-17.00 (UK time).
During the webinar, we will cover:
An overview of the awards and their purpose
What the judges are looking for in applications
How to craft a clear, compelling, and well-structured submission
Practical tips to help your application stand out
Answers to your questions during a live Q and A
Whether you’re just considering applying or already preparing your submission, this is your chance to gain insider guidance and boost your chances of success.
Recording of our webinar hosted on 22 September 2026, featuring top tips from Enchia Tsai, 2025 Business and Innovation global winner can be viewed below.
What makes a great application?
Successful applications outline the personal story and a journey from studying in the UK to current achievements/ successes/ innovations, and the significant and tangible impact of these, for example:
leading a project in an organisation that has resulted in an impact on the country in a specific area as a result of one’s work,
being at the top of one’s field and a specialist in one’s industry or career area,
leading change and innovation,
making a large-scale impact,
having raised national or international awareness of a pertinent issue.
Start your application early to give yourself plenty of time to consider your success story, your achievements, how these are linked to your UK education and how to best articulate it. You can start the application and come back to it to complete and submit.
What is your success story and how does it relate to your UK study experience? What makes your story unique and interesting, and why would someone else be interested in it? Tell us about your achievements/ business/ innovation and the impact of this on wider society/ your profession, as well as your personal journey and growth from your UK studies to get there. Demonstrate how studying at a UK university has been a key factor behind your success and career choices.
Be passionate and evidence-based. Provide context so the judges can understand the scale of what you have achieved. Include evidence that can be fact-checked online to support your statements, e.g. links to published quantitative figures, qualitative anecdotes, media mentions, what changed, who benefitted, awards won etc.
Consider the breadth of your work and how it is covered in the media (if that’s the case). If something you’re doing is new in your country or industry, then make that clear in your application. The judges need to have the full facts and a compelling story in front of them to be truly blown away by your story and achievements.
Avoid using abbreviations. Spell it out in full when you first include it.
Review your application. Aim for succinct answers that avoid repetition, and ask for feedback from others.
Prepare in advance. Review the three long-form questions and plan your input before you complete the form online. Ensure your responses cover the five judging criteria, and that your responses to this section correlate with the rest of your application.
The three long-form questions are:
Describe your success and achievements, and the impact of your achievements upon your community, profession, industry and country of entry. Make specific reference to the scale of impact you have made (e.g. number of people whose lives have benefitted from your work, and how they have benefitted, amount of investment generated, etc) and include any details of award nominations or prizes for your work, publications etc. (3000 characters [approx. 500 words] maximum).
What was it about studying at a UK university that helped you to achieve your success? What made studying at a UK university different to studying somewhere else? (3000 characters [approx. 500 words] maximum).
Tell us about any examples of how you’ve shared your experiences of studying at a UK university and inspired others (1500 characters [approx. 250 words] maximum).
See answers to commonly asked questions in our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document below and the judging criteria for more details.
