The 2026 winners

Announced 15 October 2026 in Lisbon

The first CANIE Climate Awards were announced on 15 October 2026 at the opening plenary of The Forum on Education Abroad's Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) Conference in Lisbon. There were 48 entries across four categories, all from CANIE Accord signatories. Judges from across the CANIE community scored each entry out of 40, and the CANIE board chose The CANIE Award from entries in every category.

Best Higher Education Institution 2026

University College Dublin, Ireland: UCD Big Zero Programme. Read the spotlight

Best Global Education Provider 2026

Alethea Global Cooperative, Canada. Read the spotlight

Best Student-focused Sustainability Initiative

AFS Intercultural Programs: AFS Global STEM Changemakers Initiative. Read the spotlight

Best Carbon Reduction Initiative

Intercultural Outreach Initiative (IOI), Galápagos: regenerative-agriculture field programme. Read the spotlight

The CANIE Award 2026

Accademia Europea di Firenze (AEF), Italy. Read the spotlight

The 2026 finalists

Best Higher Education Institution: Middlebury College (United States), Universitas Brawijaya (Indonesia), University College Dublin (Ireland)

Best Global Education Provider: AIFS Abroad (United States), Alethea Global Cooperative (Canada), Big Pond Education (Ireland)

Best Student-focused Sustainability Initiative: AES Experiential Learning and Living, AFS Intercultural Programs, CEPA Abroad

Best Carbon Reduction Initiative: Intercultural Outreach Initiative (IOI), University of Otago (New Zealand), Universidad Católica de Valencia (Spain)

The CANIE Award: Accademia Europea di Firenze (Italy), Authentica Immersions, INTI International University (Malaysia), The Pennsylvania State University (United States), University of Birmingham (United Kingdom)

Thank you to every organisation that entered, and to the judges who gave their time to read and score every entry.

Become a signatory

Recognising real climate progress

CANIE, the Climate Action Network for International Educators, began as a grassroots, volunteer-led group of practitioners who wanted to make climate impact a key responsibility for the field.

After the CANIE COP26 Leaders Forum in November 2021, this idea became the CANIE Accord: a shared set of 70 commitments to measure, reduce and mitigate our emissions.

Since then, more than 130 institutions and organisations around the world have signed the CANIE Accord, with the community growing through chapters across the Americas, Europe and Oceania.


These new annual Awards celebrate the institutions and initiatives of Accord signatories showing how climate commitments turn into real progress. Winners will be recognised across ten categories and announced at the opening plenary of The Forum on Education Abroad's Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) Conference in Lisbon on 15 October 2026 and virtually for those not attending.