Business has been one of the leading areas of demand for international students for many years. Through this award, we 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. The needs of the global workforce are changing rapidly, so how are you innovating? This category highlights the exceptional and innovative work business schools are doing to serve international students.

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 for international students across their student cohort and enabling a more diverse range of international students to access their teaching or services.

Using technology to lead learning or implement online and 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.

In this category, we recognise digital innovations that have been created to support international student recruitment into institutions. Technology allows us to improve the applicant journey, expand access beyond borders and safeguard students as they invest in education , and we want to know what digital tools you have introduced and why? This award will recognise the true innovators keeping pace with student expectations in an increasingly tech-driven world.

In this award, we celebrate up-and-coming leaders who have worked in the global education industry for 10 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.

*The winner of this category will be announced at The PIE Live Asia Pacific 2025*

In this award, we celebrate up-and-coming leaders who have worked for 10 years or less, and who are making a notable impact on or contribution to their organisation and the wider international education 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.

*The winner of this category will be announced at The PIE Live Europe 2025*

In this award, we celebrate up-and-coming leaders who have worked in the global education industry for 10 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.

*The winner of this category will be announced at The PIE Live North America*

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 evolving 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.

The Excellence in data and insight award recognises the digital revolution taking place in the international education sector and the data tools that are evolving as a result. Reliance on historical data is being replaced by access to real-time insights and dashboards. Here we showcase how big data is being embraced by professionals in the sector and used for better planning, efficiencies and improving the international student experience. We welcome a wide range of entries including public-private partnerships, technologies or departments that showcase excellence in this area.

International 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.

In the Language training provider 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. Entries should go beyond industry standards and showcase some of the most innovative language teaching in the sector.

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.

What makes a membership organisation vital to their members and what have they achieved for their members in 2024? 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.

In the Outstanding contribution to the industry award category, 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.

*There will be no shortlist of finalists for this category.*

Our flagship award, PIEoneer of the year, is open to organisations 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. Any organisation 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 that 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.

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 international student’s life journey in the 21st century.

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 2024.

International secondary education is leading the way in nurturing creative skills, STEM talent, entrepreneurialism and global citizenship from an early age. How is your school redefining education and preparing international students for a rapidly changing world of higher education and work? This new award aims to showcase the pioneers in secondary school education and acknowledge the outstanding innovation in this field.

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 support, community integration, and beyond. In the Student support award, we are looking for innovative and successful ways that organisations are supporting international students at one or multiple points in their student journey.

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. Geopolitics and societal divisions underline the need for greater study abroad provision. From first generation access to non-traditional destinations, tell us about how you are broadening perspectives, increasing access and creating global citizens, who are inspired to protect and change the world through their experiences.

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.

This special award is made in honour of Charlene Allen, a remarkable colleague who sadly passed away in 2024. Allen made an incredible impact on the international education sector through her visionary leadership of BUILA (British Universities International Liaison Association) and this award celebrates the talent and initiatives in our sector that inspire us to go above and beyond. The award is distinct from our Emerging Leader, Outstanding Contribution and Lifetime Impact awards, and recognises the mentors and collaborators who simply need recognition for their daily efforts to lead by example.