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We recommend you read The PIEoneer Awards entry pack before beginning your submission. This contains important information about the entry process. For a summary of the entry guidelines, please click here: Entry guidelines
You can enter up to three award categories by nominating your own or another organisation/initiative. There is no charge to enter.
PLEASE NOTE: If you have won a PIEoneer award or been a Highly commended finalist in the same category in both 2021 and 2022 consecutively, you are not eligible to enter the same category in 2023. We do encourage you to enter another category though, and if in doubt, consider the PIEoneer of the year category for an innovation that has the potential to make a national or global impact.
There is a word limit of 250 words for each question. Any words included that go over the word limit will not be scored. The work/project/initiative being entered, or some part of the work/project/initiative, must have taken place between 1st January 2022 and 31st December 2022 (inclusive). The PIEoneer of the year and Outstanding contribution to the industry awards have no time frame attached. For the International alumni of the year category - alumni should have graduated from 2019 onwards.
We recommend you provide different types of evidence to support your answers, such as quantitative, qualitative, testimonials, and statistics from e.g. Google analytics and social media platforms.
Any text included on images will not be included in the word limits. If you wish to add video links, you may do so within the body of your answers but we cannot guarantee that they will be viewed in full. We are looking for evidence of excellence and innovation, so please consider both the content of each entry as well as how well it has been presented and evidenced in the answers. Scores will be equally weighted accordingly. We recommend reading our entry guidelines before you start writing your nomination.
To enter, please select the category you wish to enter from the list below and click the Enter Now button.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
To enter the awards or buy a ticket(s), you first need to register.
Once you have registered, you will receive an email asking you to confirm your account by clicking on the link in the email. Once you have validated your account, you will be able to complete your entry or ticket booking.
You can return at any point before the entry deadline using your login details to amend or alter your entry or ticket booking - simply save as you go.
When completing your entry form(s), please be aware that formatting from Word won't transfer onto the online form. If you prefer to prepare your entry offline and then copy and paste your answers into the online form, we suggest you do this as plain text in e.g. TextEdit or Notepad.
In order to submit your entry or booking once you're ready, remove any unwanted items from your basket and ensure you have completed all required fields.
If you need help with anything, please email clare@thepienews.com or call Clare on +44 7880541691
Business school of the year
Business has been one of the top subjects of study for international students for many years. We want to recognize the importance of business studies for many globally mobile students and showcase the institutions that are going above and beyond to meet their needs. This category highlights the exceptional and innovative work business schools are doing to serve international students.

Championing diversity, equity and inclusion award
International education and study abroad experiences can be life-changing but also expensive. The Championing diversity, equity and inclusion award recognises organisations that have been successful in widening participation across their student cohort and enabling a more diverse range of students to access their teaching or services.

Digital innovation of the year - assessment and credentials
The importance of preparing students for online assessment, running secure online assessments and managing students’ credentials has grown exponentially. In this category, we recognise organisations that are excelling in delivering these services to international students.

Digital innovation of the year - learning
Using technology to lead learning or implement online or blended modules can have a significant impact on the way teachers teach and on how students learn, and using digital technology to deliver successful remote teaching has become a primary focus for the global education sector. Through the Digital innovation of the year – learning award, we aim to uncover innovative and successful uses of technology that help international students of any age to learn.

Digital innovation of the year - student recruitment
In this new category for 2023, we recognise digital innovations that have been created to support international student recruitment into institutions.

Digital innovation of the year - technology
In the Digital innovation of the year – technology award, we showcase how digital innovation is solving problems faced by professionals working across the international education sector. These are very wide-ranging in their scope and there are examples that have an impact on all facets of our industry.
Are you a student recruitment organisation? If so, please consider entering the Digital innovation of the year - student recruitment award, new for 2023!

Emerging leader of the year
In this new award for 2023, we celebrate up-and-coming leaders who have worked in the global education industry for 15 years or less, and who are making a notable impact on or contribution to their organisation and/or the wider sector that goes above and beyond the normal scope of their role. Self-nominations are welcome, or you can nominate someone else on their behalf.

Employability international impact award
Students choose to undertake an international study experience for a multitude of reasons, but one overriding factor is to improve their long-term employment prospects. For the Employability international impact award, we recognise organisations who are proactively changing what and how they teach their students, or offering new services, to ensure students have a genuinely improved chance of finding and securing meaningful employment post-graduation.

International alumni of the year

International student recruitment organisation of the year
Student recruitment is a vital part of the international education industry. The International Student recruitment organisation of the year award is an opportunity to showcase outstanding innovation, global collaboration, successful business expansion, diversification of portfolio, and exemplary support for students that goes above and beyond standard expectations throughout the international student recruitment cycle. This category is an opportunity for companies that support institutions with student placement to submit their own entry, or for schools, colleges and universities to nominate a partner for the award.

Language training provider of the year
In the Language training provider of the year category, we recognise language providers around the world who are going the extra mile to provide their students with a stand-out experience, an exceptional level of service and those who are innovating the student experience to ensure students develop their language skills and become confident communicators. We will consider providers who are teaching a language to domestic or international students.

Marketing campaign of the year
The Marketing campaign of the year award celebrates inventive and inspirational marketing campaigns from across the global education industry that have achieved significant results in terms of reach, messaging or impact. Campaigns can have been run by any type of organisation operating in the sector, and we will take into consideration the success of the campaign within the context of budget and other resources available.

Membership organisation of the year
What makes a membership organisation vital to their members and what have they achieved for their members in 2022? In the Membership organisation of the year award, we recognise organisations who have supported their membership in ways that go above and beyond standard expectations, and whose work has had a long-lasting or significant impact.

Outstanding contribution to the industry
In the Outstanding contribution to the industry award, we accept nominations on behalf of others. This award recognises individuals who have helped evolve or shape the global education sector in a significant way. There are many people who have dedicated their career to influencing or changing the landscape of our industry in a positive way, and this award enables us to celebrate their individual achievements and the impact their work has had. Their influence in the field and how the global education industry has developed as a result of their work must be clearly evidenced.

PIEoneer of the year
Our flagship award, PIEoneer of the year, is open to organisations and individuals that can demonstrate their commitment to improving some facet of the global education industry and show how their entry has genuinely changed the landscape we operate in. Anyone from across the industry can apply for this award if they can evidence real change and innovation that is impacting the wider industry for the better. There is no timeframe to this award - it can be awarded to an organisation or person who has, at a minimum, taken the project, business or idea beyond pilot phase and can evidence its success. Entrants in other categories can also enter this category, which is considered the ‘crowning achievement’ award, if they believe their entry demonstrates genuine change and innovation that can impact the wider industry.

Progressive education delivery award
How do we actually learn? How do we measure impact? How do we make learning relevant to the real world? The Progressive education delivery award recognises education programs that have innovated how they teach and who they reach, that are unique, successful in their approach to teaching, and focused on the student’s life journey in the 21st century.

Public/private partnership of the year
Public/private partnerships continue to be a defining trend of the global education industry, as education providers look to innovate areas such as student recruitment, accommodation, market-entry facilitation, and the remote delivery of education, by leveraging the expertise of private companies. This award recognises successful partnerships and achievements that occurred during 2022.

Student support award
It is critical that international students who are undertaking a study experience with a provider outside of their own country feel supported throughout their student journey; this includes mental and physical health, wellbeing, faith, accommodation and living, financial, academic support, language, community integration, and beyond. In the Student support award, we are looking for innovative and successful ways that organisations are supporting international students, to ensure their overall student experience is exemplary.

Study abroad and exchange experience of the year
We recognize institutions & organisations that deliver successful and impactful short-term in-person study abroad and/or exchange experiences for students as a part of their full-degree (undergraduate or graduate) program.

Sustainability international impact award
Global education as an industry inherently involves many activities that impact negatively on the environment. With climate change and sustainability at the forefront of people’s minds, the Sustainability international impact award enables us to recognise organisations working in our sector that are proactively making positive changes to reduce the impact of their international operation on a global or local scale.
