How to enter

Country 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.

UK study

Alumni must have studied:

• within the last 15 years (i.e. 2011 - 2026)
• enrolled at an officially recognised body or received a recognised award from a UK higher education institution
• 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.

For an understanding of the kinds of stories in each category, see last year’s global winners’ stories.

All eligible applications will be assessed on the extent to which they meet the following five criteria:

1. IMPACT: evidence of tangible impact, and scale of impact, of your work (inspired by your UK education) in your profession/community/society.
2. UK INFLUENCE: evidence of how your UK education has played a key influence in your success and impact.
3. 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).
4. 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.
5. QUALITY OF APPLICATION