Applications now open for Study UK Alumni Awards 2026
Are you an internationally-based graduate who studied at Newcastle University in the last 15 years? Nominate yourself in the 2026 Study UK Alumni Awards to have your global impact recognised!
1 September 2025
Now in its twelfth year, award winners and finalists are leaders in their fields who have used their experience of studying at a UK university to make a positive contribution to their communities, professions, and countries.
Nominations are now open for the 2026 awards and will close on Thursday 16 October 2025.
Read on to find out more about the application process and meet some Newcastle graduates who were shortlisted in the Study UK Alumni Awards last year.
Science and Sustainability Award
The Science and Sustainability Award recognises alumni who have distinguished themselves through their career 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. This could include climate action and clean energy, medicine, sustainable cities and communities, engineering and construction.
Culture, Creativity and Sport Award
The Culture, Creativity and Sport Award celebrates 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 and design, traditional media, humanities, video and TV, sports and online content, blogging and music.
Business and Innovation Award
And finally, the Business and Innovation Award champions alumni who are active in initiating and contributing to innovative or creative new ideas, solutions or business opportunities that have growth potential. This could include entrepreneurship, business, technology and finance.
Please note: You can only apply for one of the four award categories.
Eligibility and judging criteria
The Study UK Alumni Awards are open to alumni from UK higher education institutions who studied between 2010 and 2025 and are now living outside of the UK.
Applications will be judged on the tangible impact made in your profession, community or society; evidence of how your UK education influenced your success; and the potential to influence and inspire the next generation of international students in UK universities.
The British Council are hosting webinars to help you with the application process on Tuesday 23 September at 10am (BST) and Wednesday 8 October at 4pm (BST).
The benefits of applying for the awards
Finalists and winners of the Study UK Alumni Awards are celebrated nationally and globally for the significant impact they've made in their professions, societies and countries where they live.
Those shortlisted will be invited to celebrate at in-person events, where you can network with other inspirational alumni based in your country. Your story will be shared by the British Council on the Study UK website and social media channels, and four global winners will be invited to visit the UK in 2027 to reconnect with their former UK universities and further build their professional networks.
Barry Solaiman (LLB Law, 2010)
Law graduate Barry won the Science and Sustainability Award at the 2025 Study UK Alumni Awards in Qatar.
Barry is a legal expert in AI governance and healthcare law, with extensive experience in academia and policy, and has played a pivotal role in shaping the ethical and regulatory landscape for emerging healthcare technologies. Currently serving as Associate Dean of Academic Affairs & Assistant Professor of Law at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) in Qatar, his work focuses on ensuring the responsible development of AI, balancing innovation with ethical and legal safeguards.
Souhail Aboulfadile
Souhail Aboulfadile, a Moroccan national who came to Newcastle University’s School of Engineering as an Erasmus student in 2022, also won the Science and Sustainability Award at the 2024 Study UK Alumni Awards in France.
Following his time at Newcastle, Souhail interned at prestigious insurance company AXA in which he led a project modelling the flood risk for the entire city of Paris. Souhail’s work answered questions about the vulnerability of homes and the magnitude of potential hazards due to fluvial, pluvial, and climate change scenarios. Later, as an employee, Souhail worked on a project relating to water level drops for a hydroelectric dam in the United States which powers approximately 1.3 million homes.
Dr Rashmira Balasuriya (MBBS, 2015)
Newcastle University Malaysia graduate Rashmira was a finalist in the Social Action category of the Sri Lanka national awards in 2024.
During her time at Newcastle University, Rashmira volunteered with the Students for Kids International Project and spent a summer in Cambodia providing sexual and reproductive health education to students.
Since graduating, she has campaigned extensively on the topic of period poverty and her work has seen the tax reduced from 101.5% to 26.5%. In addition, Rashmira hosts workshops in schools across Sri Lanka filling the gap in the national curriculum for sex education and conducts research on cervical cancer screening uptake in Sri Lanka, in hopes of improving the uptake.
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Gulnara Zholzhanova (MA Media and Journalism, 2017)
Class of 2017 graduate Gulnara was a finalist in the Culture and Creativity category of the national Kazakhstan awards in 2024.
To find solutions to the crisis traditional print media was facing in Kazakhstan at the time, Gulnara embarked on a Master’s programme at Newcastle University, researching how other countries were adapting to remain relevant and applying this to her knowledge of the media sphere in her home country.
Once back in Kazakhstan, Gulnara shared the knowledge gained in the UK with specialists working on the development of traditional media. She participated in conferences and roundtables dedicated to print, television and radio, and published articles in the Republican newspaper Eqemen Qazaqstan.
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