Top tips

How to apply webinars

British Council organises ‘How to apply’ webinars during September and October for those who are interested to learn more about the application process, help, and tips, which you can sign up to here.

Watch our webinars to find out more about the awards and how to apply.

In this webinar, Dr Emily Rickman, global winner of the 2024 Science and Sustainability award shares why she applied.

Previous webinars' recordings can be found here.

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.

View previous winners' stories, check the eligibility criteria carefully and read the terms and conditions.

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:

1. 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).
2. 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).
3. 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.