What are the judges looking for?

Our judges will be assessing excellence across 10 categories. They will be looking for clear planning and strategy, coupled with excellent delivery and outcomes.

Universities should, where possible, provide evidence in the form of metrics that demonstrate success, as well as a narrative. Please also include examples that demonstrate the positive impact of the work.

Judges will be looking for examples of creative solutions to common challenges, innovation that has improved a university’s performance and broadened its impact and, where possible, instances of excellence that are scalable or transferable to other higher education institutions.

Please contact THEawardsasia@timeshighereducation.com if you have any specific questions about eligibility or require clarification about any of the category criteria.

Entry fee

For the first time, this year we are charging for entries. The fee is £100 per entry for the first five entries from a single institution, at which point a cap will be applied. So, whether your institution submits five or 25 entries, the total charge will not exceed £500. (Please note that no additional taxes apply for these transactions.)

For our entry system to recognise that submissions are from a single institution, and therefore apply the price cap where necessary, your entries should be submitted via a single THE Awards Asia account.

The reasons for bringing in this charge and advice on ensuring your institution pays the lowest amount can be found here.

Please note that entries must be paid for by credit or debit card at the point of submission. There will be no option to wait for an invoice as we begin shortlisting soon after entries close, and transactions must be complete before entries can be considered.

THE Awards Asia are simple to enter and open to anyone working in higher education in the following countries and territories, with the exception of organisations with a sector-wide focus, or those working with large numbers of institutions:

Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, British Indian Ocean Territory, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Georgia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam.

• The entry system opens on Thursday 7 August 2025 and closes at 11.00 (UK time) on Thursday 9 October 2025.
  (Please note that there will be no deadline extension.) 
• There are 10 categories to choose from, and you may enter as many categories as you wish.
  
• Entries must be submitted in English.
• The judges will be looking for a good story, well told, and backed up with solid metrics and evidence of impact.
  
• THE Awards Asia 2026 focus primarily on activity during the twelve months leading up to your entry. Submissions may be based on work that commenced prior to this period, where significant activity during the past twelve months can be included. 
• Winning entries from THE Awards Asia 2025 will not be accepted again, but other 2025 entries can be submitted again as long as the text has been substantially updated, and additional proof of success/impact is also included.
• You will need an account to enter these awards. Login details from previous years will be retained on the website, or for new entrants, an account can be set up via MY ACCOUNT in the main menu, or when you click ENTER NOW against one of the categories.
  Details will not be shared with any third party, and will only be used by us for awards-related communications.
  
• All entries must be submitted online. If you experience any problems doing so, please email THEawardsasia@timeshighereducation.com 
• For our entry system to recognise that submissions are from a single institution, and therefore apply the price cap where necessary, we ask you to submit all entries via a single THE Awards Asia account.
• Entries must be paid for by credit or debit card at the point of submission. 
• We advise you to work through drafts of your entry on the website itself. Entries can be drafted and redrafted as many times as you wish – simply click SAVE any time you wish to leave an incomplete submission.
• When you are ready to submit an entry, if the Submit all button is not visible, please click Move to basket and then, when entries are accessed from the basket, you will see a Submit all button to complete the submission.
• Submissions must consist of up to 500 words of text that specifically address the key criteria set out for the relevant category. You may also attach one or two sets of materials that support or expand on the key points of your 500-word text. This supporting documentation must be no more than four sides of A4 in total. Please see below for more details on the supporting material requirements.
  (Please note that student testimonies are a mandatory part of the supporting documents for all Most Innovative Teacher of the Year entries.)
  
• If you wish to submit tables or graphics, they must be included within your supporting materials (they should not be included in the 500-word submission text).
• We appreciate that some entries may include sensitive information, so please be assured that the 500-word submission and any supporting documents will remain confidential, and seen only by those assessing the entry.
• We are also asking you to submit an abridged version of the submission (150 words maximum) which will be published on this website if the entry is shortlisted,. Please remove from this text any details that you wish to keep private.
  
• No single submission can be entered in more than one category.
  If you are unsure which is the best category for your entry, please contact david.suter@timeshighereducation.com to discuss your options.
• Where the criteria are not asking for an institution-wide approach, a single institution may submit up to five entries per category, but those featured projects or initiatives must be distinctive and unrelated. Otherwise, we advise you to combine the best elements of each in a stronger single entry, highlighting the breadth of your approach in the relevant area. 
• You may enter a project that has been undertaken in collaboration with an external public or private partner, but it should be submitted by the institution, and focus on how the institution delivered or benefited from the work. In the event of the entry winning, the award will be given to the winning  institution, but we will be happy to also credit the external partner.
• If your entry is based on a collaboration with another institution or institutions, the submission should come from the lead institution. In such cases, please enter “ [lead institution], in collaboration with [other institution/s] " in the ‘Institution‘ field on the entry form.
• If no single institution takes the lead in a collaborative project, please agree who will make the submission on behalf of the partnership, and enter “ [institution a] and [institution b] ” in the ‘Institution’ field.
• Entries can be completed by those working at institutions or consultants working on an institution’s instruction. If you are entering on behalf of an institution, please ensure that you supply an institutional contact as well as your own.
• These awards are open to anyone working in higher education in the eligible countries and territories, with the exception of organisations with a sector-wide focus, or those working with large numbers of institutions. Please contact us if you are unsure about eligibility.
• If you are an individual considering submitting an entry, please contact the team tasked with coordinating  your institution's entries, so that they can transmit your entry with others. If you do not know who the team is, please email THEawardsasia@timeshighereducation.com and we will try to find this out for you.
• The shortlist will be published on  Tuesday 20 January 2026, and the winners will be announced at a ceremony taking place during our THE Asia Universities Summit in Hong Kong on Wednesday 22 April 2026.
• When an entry has been successfully submitted, you will receive a confirmation email that will include a unique nomination code number for each entry. If you are shortlisted, this number will also be quoted in the notification email. Also attached will be a Nomination Receipt confirming your payment.
• If you still have questions, please email THEawardsasia@timeshighereducation.com.

These are the fields you will need to complete on the entry form. You may find it useful to circulate these across your institution, so everyone knows the information you have to submit:

1. Nominee or key personnel (if you wish to highlight the role of specific people)
2. Submission title or project name, if applicable
3. Project URL or link to further information about your entry, if applicable (this link will also be published if the entry is shortlisted)
4. Institution name*
5. Submission text* (addressing the criteria/strict limit of 500 words)
6. Abridged submission* (this will be published if the entry is shortlisted/strict limit of 150 words)
7. Supporting document 1
8. Supporting document 2
9. Upload institution logo*
10. Additional contact (if the submitter is not personally involved in the work featured, please provide us with the name and email address of someone who would be prepared to answer any questions we might have) 

* mandatory field

• Supporting documents should back-up or expand on statements made in the 500-word submission – they should not be used to provide fresh, information that is not referenced in that main submission.
• Documents should be in PDF or Word doc format.
• One or two sets of supporting documents may be submitted (for instance, you may decide to include graphs/tables in one, and media screenshots or testimonies in the other), but in total they should comprise no more than four sides of A4.
• Supporting materials may include photographs, tables, documents containing statistics, testimonials, supporting research, evaluation or inspection reports, press cuttings and promotional material. Please highlight any sections you believe are particularly relevant. PowerPoint and video files cannot be accepted, however you may submit screenshots. You can also include full URL links to further relevant information, but please don't hyperlink existing text, as these can be lost when exported. 

Any information submitted outside these guidelines will not be considered as part of the submission.

The contact details you provide in your entry form will be used by us throughout the awards process. This will be the person who receives all direct correspondence from us in relation to the awards, including acknowledgement of submission, notification of shortlisting, and any marketing materials in the event of you being shortlisted/winning.

If you would like to change your main point of contact at any time during the process, please send the new person’s contact information by email to THEawardsasia@timeshighereducation.com. Please also use this email address for any questions you might have.