With almost a 100% rise in applications, the shortlisting was an arduous process – it is over to the 26-strong judging panel now to select the winners in each category.

“The entries truly reflect our broad readership and interest areas”

This year, many of the finalists are doing pioneering work in the refugee education space, reflecting the global dimension of reintegrating refugees into higher education systems.

In the Championing Diversity category; Digital innovation – learning;  Digital innovation – technology and the PIEoneer of the year categories, organisations or companies working with displaced student populations are recognised.

This includes the Article 26 Backpack, for example, a digital framework and repository for qualifications developed with university admissions front of mind – nominated for this award by a director of human rights studies at UC Davis in the US.

Other commendable entries in this sphere include IIE for its work with its Platform for Education in Emergencies Response (PEER) and SPARK, a multi-donor NGO seeking to leverage opportunity for displaced students via scholarships and create job opportunities, with a notable footprint in Syria.

This year, one new category was added to ensure operators at the secondary learning level were recognised, and because of the sheer quality of entries, no less than five contenders have been selected as finalists in the Outstanding Contribution to the industry award.

Clare Gossage, COO of The PIE, said, “We cover such a wide range of content within international education, from higher education, edtech, study abroad, internships to language learning and testing.

“I think the entries truly reflect our broad readership and interest areas – and while it may not be possible to have five winners in that ‘outstanding’ category, already being shortlisted among such titans of our industry for diverse achievements and careers should be seen for the accolade that it is.”

Like last year, the Student support award was dominated by Australian entries, with five out of the shortlisted seven entries representing Australia.

Progressive education delivery is always an interesting category: engaging examples of educating outside the box include students building a solar-powered tuk-tuk and driving it 3000 km; a major rethinking of how to deliver education with no lectures and no Powerpoint; and some great examples of industry-aligned learning and global leadership positioning.

You can see the full shortlist for this year’s PIEoneer Awards here and photos of last year’s event here.