Nominations are now open!

This award recognizes a stand-out marketing campaign from an educational institution that resulted in tangible impact and impressive results.

The campaign can be digital or otherwise, and we invite institutions that have run regional, national, or international marketing campaigns. 

This award will be assessed by judges on the following criteria: 

• Breadth and Depth of Campaign Impact: the extent of campaign reach, engagement, and interaction with the target audience, potential for viral spread, and essential metrics to substantiate these.
• Creativity and Innovation: What set the campaign apart and made it distinctive? Explain any creative strategies you employed.
• Coverage: Include any notable coverage from media or other sources.
• Campaign Results and Longevity: Describe the campaign's outcomes and how they were maintained over time.

This award acknowledges the exceptional dedication of teams and organizations that exceed expectations to assist students in all aspects of their student life.

This award honors those who aid students beyond their academic pursuits through guidance and counseling, accommodation, or third-party support services.

Judges will evaluate this award based on the following criteria:

• Service Quality: The range and comprehensiveness of services provided and their alignment with students' needs.
• Student Feedback: Include any available feedback from students.
• Effectiveness and Achievements: Show success metrics, like placement achievements.
• Impact: Offer examples illustrating the service's influence on students' lives.

This award recognizes the collective effort of institutions embedding innovative Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion initiatives in their organization. 

The award will be evaluated by judges based on the following criteria:

• Scope and Impact: Describe the reasoning, scope, impact, and accomplishments of the DEI initiative.
• Addressing DEI: Detail how the initiative addresses inequality, providing examples wherever possible.
• Innovation in DEI Practices: Assess the level of innovation in the initiative and its implementation within the organization.
• Embedding: Describe how the DEI initiative has been integrated into daily operations.

This award will recognize university institutions that have  demonstrated exceptional success and performance in terms of growth in 2023-24. 

This award will be assessed by judges on the following criteria: 

• Student Recruitment and Enrollment Growth: The institution's success in increasing its student body, the strategies utilized, and supported by quantitative evidence.
• Community Impact: Examples of how the institution has broadened their engagement with the local or wider community through outreach, widening participation initiatives or community programmes. 
• Curriculum Innovation: How the institution has innovated in its operations or curriculum in the past year to meet local market demand needs. 
• Improving the Student Experience: Evidence, where possible, of how the institution is investing in enhancing its student experience.

This award recognises the achievements of an individual student who has excelled in studying at an institution that is not in their home country.

Eligible for international students and those participating in exchange or study abroad programs, this award will be evaluated based on these criteria:

• Academic Achievements: The extent to which the student has shown resilience and excelled academically, with supporting evidence such as grades.
• Contributions to the Student Community: The positive influence the student has had within their student community, demonstrated by any initiatives led by the student or leadership positions held.
• Cultural Integration: The degree to which the student has assimilated into the institution's culture and local surroundings, supported by references from faculty or other staff members.
  
  

This award recognises the outstanding efforts of one student ambassador who has gone above and beyond to help promote their institution. 

Applicable to student ambassadors who have effectively connected with external audiences, including prospective students, families, businesses, and communities.

This award will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Institutional Brand Representation: How the ambassador has communicated the institution's brand and values to external audiences, detailing the activities undertaken, supported by evidence.
• Community Engagement: Instances of the ambassador's interaction with external stakeholders and any community outreach efforts they have participated in.
• Social Media Utilization: Creative use of social media platforms to produce and share ambassador content with a wide audience. Supported by evidence such as creative materials, metrics, and impact.
  
  

This award honors and acknowledges the accomplishments of an individual student athlete who has attained remarkable sporting success while pursuing their studies.

Eligible to all current student athletes, this award will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Athletic Achievements: Proof of notable sporting accomplishments achieved while studying at local, regional, national, or international levels.
• Representing the Institution: How the athlete has contributed to their institution's athletic success, including evidence of activities and participation in sporting events the institution has participated in.
• Academic and Athletic Balance: How has the athlete managed their studies alongside their sporting achievements? Provide supporting evidence of academic accomplishments and grade performance where possible.

This accolade honors the efforts of a student society, association or club that is ran by students, for the benefits of students.

The evaluation of this award will be based on the following criteria:

• Achievements of the Society: Details about any initiatives the organization has implemented that have resulted in positive engagement or successes.
• Impact on Community: How the organization is making a positive impact on the student or wider community.
• Going Above and Beyond: How the organization is exceeding expectations and servicing its community in unique ways. 

Nominations are open for staff and current students who are either working or studying in the higher education, post-secondary, or professional education sectors. 

We will accept nominations for recently graduated students. Students must have graduated no earlier than four months before the nomination closing date of 31 December 2024.

Nominations can be made from any institution or student from anywhere in the world. 

Please provide the student or staff email address associated with your institution on the nomination form for verification purposes. 

Yes! We encourage you to nominate in more than one award category if you have an appropriate nominee. 

You cannot however, nominate multiple times in the same category. 

Institutions can nominate in both Institution and Student categories, and Students can also submit nominations in both Student and Institution categories if they wish. 

We will ask for the following information: 

• Nominee details (the person or institution you are nominating), such as full name, location and nationality. 
• Your details: your name, your email address (work or student email), your phone number (should we need to contact you). 
• Information about your nomination: We require responses to a few questions about why you are nominating
• Supporting information: You will have the option to upload additional documentation or evidence to support your nomination if you have it available to you.

• All entries will first be verified to ensure the nomination is genuine and not duplicated. 
• Each entry will then be assessed using pre-determined scoring criteria, whereby points will be allocated based on the strength of the responses to questions and supporting information received. 
• Entries with the highest scores will be shortlisted. 
• The shortlisted entries will then go before a judging panel consisting of Keystone Staff and a jury of representatives from the international education community. The panel will assess and score the shortlisted finalists on the merit of their nomination against a pre-determined set of judging criteria.

• We will endeavor to contact the person who submitted the nomination form via email in the first instance to let them know their nomination has been shortlisted.
• If we don't receive a response via email, we will contact you by telephone (that is why we ask for your phone number on the nomination form). 
• We will NOT contact the nominated student or institution representative, only the person who nominated them.

Nominations open 31st October 10:00am CET.

Nominations close December 31st 2024 at 23:59 CET.

Judging will take place in January 2025 with the awards ceremony taking place online in February. 

The winners will be announced in February 2025. More details on the award winner announcements will be communicated soon. 

Yes! 

Each student award category will have a prize for the winner of that category. 

The prize is a voucher worth €500 (or equivalent currency) for an Apple iPad or an airline flight.