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Applications are now open for the 2025 British Council UK Alumni Awards. This is an opportunity to raise your international profile, build your professional networks and business connections, and win a trip to the UK!
Opportunity Details
The Study UK Alumni Awards (The “Alumni Awards”) are operated by or on behalf of the British Council to recognise and honour the outstanding achievements made by international alumni who have studied at, or for a qualification awarded by, a listed or registered UK Higher Education Institution (HEI).
Alumni submit one application. If more than one application is submitted by an individual, only one application, which is the entry submitted closest to the application deadline, will be assessed. Any previous applications submitted by the individual will be deleted.
All eligible alumni applicants from countries who do not host national awards and winners and finalists from countries who host national awards are entered into the global Alumni Awards. National level awards are run at the same time, but separate to, the global awards.
The 28 finalists for the global awards (four award categories x seven global regions) will be celebrated digitally via a campaign on Study UK social media. The four global award winners (one winner per each award category) will also be celebrated digitally and will be awarded with a return flight and visit to the UK to re-connect with their university/ies and meet with Study UK stakeholders to support the ongoing development of their careers.
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.
Culture and Creativity Award - Recognising alumni who have carved a career for themselves in arts and culture. We are looking for individuals who can demonstrate their artistic ingenuity, influence and creativity.
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.
Social Action Award - Recognising alumni who have made an exceptional contribution and commitment to creating positive social change and improving the lives of others.
For an understanding of the kinds of stories in each category, see last year’s global winners’ stories
Alumni can apply for one of the above four categories only. The judging panel reserves the right to move applicants into a different award category.
Countries hosting national level Alumni Awards:
Finalists and winners will benefit from their global profile being made more visible through press and publicity opportunities via digital media campaigns, as well as professional development opportunities in selected countries, to be advised by each country participating at a national level.
Some countries hosting national level awards may also offer prize draws for nominators and members of the public via social media competitions to encourage nominations and applications. The details of these additional prize draws will be specified on those countries’ British Council country website Alumni Awards pages.
The four global award winners, one per category, will be celebrated digitally and awarded a return flight to the UK. There, they will reconnect with their universities, meet and network with Study UK stakeholders, and have the opportunity to give back by meeting with soon-to-be graduates to offer career advice as they prepare to embark on their journeys as UK alumni.
UK visa and entry clearance: your UK visa application will be processed through UK Visas and Immigration service who have the discretion to decide whether to approve or reject your UK visa application. The British Council will provide you with the necessary supporting documents but cannot guarantee the outcome of your visa application.
Visas are applied for online, you can check if you need a visa before visiting the UK here: https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa
For general advice on visits, check here: https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor
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:
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. Applicants must disclose if they are an immediate family member of a British Council or Gradcore 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.
Judging criteria
All eligible applications will be assessed on the extent to which they meet the following five criteria:
Note
The British Council does not provide travel insurance. Global winners should take out Personal Accident Travel insurance for their time overseas. This should include the following standard elements of cover:
Many policies also have Legal Expenses cover, which is recommended in case the global winner needs legal assistance while overseas.
The global winner should remember to save the emergency contact number for their travel insurance to their mobile phone, keep a copy of the insurance policy in a safe place and give their insurance policy number and the emergency contact number to their next of kin.
Liability
(a) The British Council does not exclude or limit in any way its liability to the Participant for any death or personal injury caused by the British Council’s negligence, any fraudulent misrepresentation by the British Council, or any liability which cannot be excluded by law.
(b) Subject to paragraph (a), no liability is accepted by the British Council for:
Subject to paragraphs (a) and (b), the British Council’s total liability to the global winner in contract, tort (including negligence or breach of statutory duty) misrepresentation, restitution or otherwise arising under or in connection with these Programme rules, or the global winner’s participation in the visit, shall be limited to £300 for that global winner.
Apply for British Council UK Alumni Awards 2025