What or Who to Nominate

You may already have a person, project, or organization in mind to nominate for an OEAward. If not, think about who has made significant contributions to your open education community, whether on a large or small scale, or at a regional or local level. Which projects have you encountered or participated in that embody the spirit of openness? Where have you observed open education practices that have positively affected learners’ ability to access and utilize open educational resources?

Draw inspiration from previous award winners! Explore the OEAwards Hall of Fame to view the 254 awards shared since 2011. Try a dose of serendipity by looking at a randomly chosen previous award winner.

Draw inspiration from past OEAward winners by exploring the OEAwards Hall of Fame, which showcases the 254 awards presented since 2011. Consider looking at a randomly selected previous awardee for a bit of surprise.

You can also listen to or read from our collection of OEAward Impact Stories, or tune into the OEGlobal Voices podcast, which features conversations with award winners dating back to 2021. Additionally, check out “Education For All: Ten Years of Open Education Luminaries from Around the World,” an ebook published in 2021 to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the OE Awards.

And yes, while we primarily aim to recognize colleagues in the open education community with these awards, self-nominations are welcome.

Choosing the award or category for your Nomination

Last year, nominators chose from 16 different award categories. For 2025, we’ve simplified this to just three major categories:

1. Individual Awards (People of Open)
2. Open Assets (What We Share)
3. Open Practices (How We Share)

We have also introduced a more flexible approach to naming the focus of your nomination, ensuring that the final award name accurately reflects that focus.

To help you decide on the best category for your nomination, please review the 2025 Category Explorer, which includes links to see previous award winners in each category. Exploring the categories may inspire some ideas if you’re unsure what or whom to nominate.

Deciding Who or What is Eligible for an OEAward of Excellence

Nominations for the 2025 OEAwards can be submitted for any individual, team, project or example of practice engaged in advancing Open Education. You do not need to be a member of OEGlobal to submit a nomination, nor does the nominee need to be a member.

Self-nominations are not only accepted but have become quite common over time, as no one knows a person or project better than the individuals involved. However, we value and prefer nominations of your global colleagues and their work, as this gesture is among the highest forms of appreciation.

Please note that current staff and board members of Open Education Global (OEGlobal) are not eligible for Individual Awards.

The Information You Will Need for the Nominations Form

The items below provide an indication on the information to be entered on the nomination form.

We also provide a Google Doc formatted template for the nomination form, via a link to download your own copy as well as versions in Microsoft Word (.docx) and ODF Open Textr Document (.odt) formats. These forms can be used to organize and draft your information in advance.

The items listed below indicate the information required to complete the nomination form.

We also provide a Google Doc template for the nomination form and links to download your own copy in Microsoft Word (.docx) and ODF Open Document Format (.odt). These forms can be used to organize your thoughts and draft the required information in advance.

• Download an editable copy of the 2025 OEAward Nomination Form Template as a Google Document.
• Download an MS Word version of the template (.docx)
• Download an Open Document Format of the template (.odt)

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About the Nominator (You!)

First, the nominator (you) provides basic contact information: your full name, your preferred name for addressing or introducing you, your email address, and your organizational affiliation.

Award Nomination

Award Category and Focus

Second, select the main award category: Individual Awards (People of Open), Open Assets Award (What We Share), or Open Practices (How We Share). These categories are designed to accommodate all nominations.

Third, once you have selected the main category, you must choose a relevant title from a dropdown menu of previous award titles. If none are appropriate, you can choose “Other” and suggest a suitable title for the award for your nominee in the text field. Using this option allows you to be very specific about the scope of the award, and it will also become the award’s final title.

The menu options below will be available depending on the main award category you select in the second step.

The next three written sections are perhaps the most important, as this is where you make the case for why your nominee should earn an award. These input fields are limited in length.

Top Reason To Give This Nomination An Award

Write a concise, strong, and persuasive rationale that explains why this nominee deserves an award for excellence in Open Education. This headline should grab the attention of the OEAward reviewers. It will also be used to introduce the awardees in any announcements.

Your response should answer: “The top reason this nomination deserves to be recognized with the 2025 Open Education Award for Excellence is…” (500 character limit).

General Description / Summary

Who are you nominating? Why are they inspirational? What is the significance of this resource, project, or practice? Why is it exceptional?

Please provide a summary or bio of the individual or describe the resource, project, or practice being nominated. Explain how they, the work or the practice has advanced both education and the open movement.

Remember: avoid assuming that the reviewers are already familiar with the nominee; your description should share their achievements for someone who might not know them or their work. This explanation should be limited to 3-5 paragraphs (5000 character limit).

Statement of Alignment with Open Education Global’s Principles and Goals of Open Education

What makes this nominee exceptional in the field of open education? Make a compelling case to the review committee by demonstrating how the nominee exemplifies one or more of the principles and aligns with the goals of Open Education, as outlined in OEGlobal’s Strategic Plan.

Up to Three Relevant Web Links

You may include up to three web addresses to support your nomination. One link should be the primary link to a biography or website for an Individual, or the main website for a resource or project. The other two links are optional; they can link to a video, a key publication, an article, or any other materials that will help the reviewers grasp the excellence of your nominee.

Contact Information and Other Details

Enter the details for the person being nominated for an Individual Award or the main contact for an Open Asset or Open Practice Award, including:

Provide the contact information and other details for the person nominated for an Individual Award. Provide the lead or primary contact’s details if nominating an Open Asset or Open Practice Award.

The following information is required for the nomination form:

• Full Name: This is either the name of the person nominated for an Individual Award or the main contact for an Open Asset or Open Practice Award.
• Nominee Greeting Name: The name used to greet or introduce the nominee or contact. This can be a personal name or, in some contexts, a first name.
• Email Address of Individual Nominee or Main Contact: This is for notification purposes only.
• Nominee’s Institution(s) / Affiliation(s): If there are multiple institutions associated with the nominee, please list them all, separating each with a comma.
• Geographic Location of Person or Project/Resource: Please provide the city and country for display on a global nominations map.
• Additional Countries Represented: For collaborative projects or resources, please enter the names of any other countries represented in the nomination.
• Primary Social Media Link For The Nominee or Project: Provide the full web address of this nominee’s most relevant social media contact.

This Nominee is…

This Information is used solely for program summary; it has no bearing on the review of this nomination. Check all that apply,

• from an under-represented region (e.g. outside of Canada, United States, Europe)
• represents a language other than English
• is affiliated with or is an OEGlobal member

Notification Preference

New this year! When we send notifications to nominees, you can indicate if you wish to be acknowledged by name as the person who submitted a nomination.

Generative AI Transparency

In a spirit of transparency, we ask all nominators to indicate how Generative AI was used to submit this form. e.g. to organize statements, to assist for writing in a language that is not your primary one, etc. Please make sure all written statements are reviewed and composed as best as possible from a human perspective. This has no bearing on the review of your nomination.

To ensure transparency, we ask all nominators to specify how they used Generative AI when submitting this form. For example, you might have used it to organize your statements or assist in writing in a language that is not your primary one. If this is the case, please ensure that all written statements are carefully reviewed and composed from the perspective of a human being. This information will not affect the review of your nomination.

Make a Nomination

The nomination form will be available from June 9, 2025. Nominations close on July 21.