Why you should get involved

The PIEoneer Awards are now in their seventh year and have become a well-established fixture in the global education industry’s annual schedule of events. They celebrate innovation and achievement across the whole of our sector.

Entering the awards is a fantastic opportunity for you and your team to gain global recognition of your work – there is significant coverage of finalists and winners on The PIE News, which reaches 2 million people each year, and in our digital magazine, The PIE Review.

We are planning on running an in-person event on 22nd September 2023, at Hilton Bankside, where we were in 2022. There will also be a virtual awards platform, so delegates who can't join us on the night can watch all the action live on stage and experience networking with delegates, finalists, sponsors and judges.

Guests will include a unique cross-section of influencers, decision makers and thought leaders from higher education, commercial education, language teaching, education agencies, professional services and government bodies around the world.

So, get involved by entering the awards and attending either in-person or online – be inspired by the latest innovations taking place across our sector and make lots of valuable new connections!

Here’s a snapshot of some of the feedback we've received about The PIEoneer Awards in previous years: 

The PIEoneer Awards are the international education industry's equivalent of the Oscars.

Paul Irwin General Manager Student Marketing Education New Zealand

I just wanted to send you a note to thank you for last night - not only for the award, but for the event itself. It was a gift to those of us who really thrive on the contact with other people and relationships and collaboration. It had the nicest atmosphere of anything I can remember. Thank you to everyone at PIE who had the courage to make it happen. I hope you really enjoyed it yourselves- it is a tough gig presenting in those circumstances, but I hope you had a bit of space to admire yourselves for what you had made happen... 

Vivienne Stern Director Universities UK International

"My team and I are absolutely elated to have been shortlisted!! I should have recorded the collective delight around the office in sharing this news with my colleagues. It is a much appreciated pick-me-up, in what has been an incredibly challenging time for us in New Zealand, our students, parents and agents, and the industry worldwide. We will keep performing to our best."

Rachel Fenton Director of International Auckland Grammar School

I cannot thank you enough for including me in this stellar event. You must all be so very proud that you pulled this off and to such a high standard. I had a blast and am impressed you were able to get so many people to attend and provide stunning surroundings and food for us all to begin getting back to in-person gatherings! Of course, all those conferences will now appear very dull next to all the glitter and glam of the PIEoneer Awards! 

Rachel Criso Partnership Manager, Francphone Virtual Internships

In two days, I will celebrate my 4th anniversary as president and CEO of the Texas International Education Consortium (TIEC). When I say it’s been a challenging journey, that’s an understatement. So much of this organization has changed over four years, and that’s a lot to handle for a small non-profit. Today, I have so much gratitude and appreciation for where we have come and where we are going. We just got a huge industry recognition for our work today. We are making a difference in higher education globally, and that’s all we want to do. Thank you Amy Baker, Clare Gossage and the rest of you at The PIE News for promoting the value of international education. 

Robin Learner CEO & President TIEC

Superb experience virtually. The production values were top-notch. Loved that you'd taken care of all details sufficient to make that happen. Congrats again!

Andrew Ness Dean of International Humber College

It was lovely to see you on Friday evening! I just wanted to shoot you a quick note to say a big thank you to you and the team at The PIE for such a wonderful evening on Friday. It was my first experience of an industry awards evening of that scale, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. You've set the bar incredibly high for any future awards events I attend in my career! 

Maddie Wood Partnerships Manager The Ambassador Platform

I just wanted to reach out to thank you and your team for such a fabulous event on Friday. We loved being there and hope that we can continue to work with you across your upcoming series of events. Immy helped us to make the most of the event, and really made it invaluable for us with regard to business opportunities (and made sure we had great fun too)!

Poppy Fox Head of Partnerships & Events Unibuddy

Amazing, so many good conversations and connections, sometimes those events can be tiring, I would say it was once in a lifetime event, atmosphere amazing etc. - I am paraphrasing but I wrote down ""once in a lifetime"" event! 

Jeffrey Williams Co-Founder Enroly

It was such a fantastic event. I joined IDP earlier this year and my previous role had been more heavily weighted to domestic so it felt an important and valuable milestone for the PIEoneer Awards to be the first ‘IRL’ event to come along to. Wonderful to be among international peers and to meet so many people!

Lorna Greville Client Director IDP

It was such an honour getting to participate in and sponsor our industry’s first in-person award ceremony in what feels like ages. Friday night was a celebration of the fearless leaders in International Education and their tenacity this last year in overcoming adversity and embracing innovation. On behalf of the Immerse team, we are inspired by so many of you, especially including: Oxford International Education Group, EC English Language Centres, Bayswater Education. Lastly, I want to give a big shout out to the team at the PIE. Amy, Clare, Jane, and Kevin, you have assembled an all-star team. Thank you for hosting a brilliant gala in this new post-covid era. One that was tremendously fun, inspiring, and most importantly, safe. 

Quinn Taber Founder & CEO Immerse

We are extremely thankful to the PIE team for the opportunity to be globally recognised in our field. I can speak for Kaplan when I say this recognition has lifted the spirits of all who contributed to the Melbourne Campus and drives us to make it the best it can be each day. Looking forward to the networking this evening. 

Elizabeth Stuart Deputy Director, Operations University of Adelaide College

The ceremony was beautiful. Just an amazing set up and such happy faces. It looked like pre-covid!! We are thrilled to be recognised and are happy to see another Canadian institution receive the award. 

Ralon Nazareth Senior Manager, Global Education Partnerships Rosedale Academy