Global Impact Awards

Global Impact Awards

Status: Active - inaugural awards program

Geographic Scope: Global - open to all AACSB member schools worldwide

Overview: AACSB's Global Impact Awards celebrate bold leaders and institutions creating meaningful change through business education. The inaugural 2026 program recognized 27 winners across multiple categories. Winners are announced annually in conjunction with the International Conference and Annual Meeting.

Support: The 2026 Global Impact Awards is supported by Risepoint.

Award Categories

Impactful Leadership

Recognizes deans and heads of business schools redefining the future of business education through bold initiatives

Focus: Strategic innovation, digital transformation, financial innovation, research culture, student engagement

Self-nominations welcome

Teaching and Learning Excellence

Integrating AI in Teaching and Learning: Celebrates schools transforming business education through creative and effective uses of AI

Enhances learning outcomes and prepares students for the future of work

Research Impact

Beyond Citations: Recognizes research creating real-world change

Focus: Solving complex problems, informing policies, shaping industries, improving lives

Honors non-traditional pathways for bringing academic insights into the world

Societal Impact

Addressing Regional or Local Challenges: Highlights schools' efforts to address urgent regional/local issues

Focus: Economic resilience, environmental action, community engagement

Excellence in Service: Community Leadership

Honors individuals who served AACSB community in non-accreditation volunteer roles

Recognition for guiding networking groups, leading task forces, serving as subject matter experts

Excellence in Service: Accreditation Volunteer

Recognizes volunteers exemplifying excellence in AACSB's accreditation community

Recognition for leadership, collegiality, knowledge, and impact in improving business school quality globally

Eligibility

Basic Requirements:

School must be an AACSB member in good standing

School does not need to be AACSB accredited to submit (but must be member)

Specific award category criteria must be met

Impactful Leadership Award:

Open to dean or equivalent leader (director, president, rector, or highest level of business school leadership)

Self-nominations welcome

Individual Recognition Awards (Impactful Leader, Excellence in Service: Accreditation Volunteer, Excellence in Service: Community Leadership):

Nominations on behalf of someone else are welcome

Designate yourself as submitter and someone else as nominee

Collaboration:

May submit school initiatives with partner organizations

Business school's effort must be equivalent to or greater than partners' efforts

Award goes only to submitting business school; partners indirectly recognized

Submission Limits:

Each school limited to one submission per category

Awards Information

Number of Awards:

More than one winner per category likely, exact number determined after submissions received

Recognition:

Winners announced in digital media campaign and at 2026 International Conference and Annual Meeting

Winners able to attend invited to recognition ceremony

Winners featured in media campaign

Winners' initiatives displayed in Analytics Hub

Timeline:

Decisions communicated by January

Official public announcement: April (with International Conference and Annual Meeting)

FAQs

Award Replacements: These awards replace the former Innovations That Inspire and Influential Leaders programs after 10 years. Past honorees still available for browsing.

Submission Details: Download blank PDF forms for each category from the award submission platform. Forms contain overview with guidelines and all requested information. Nomination must be made in online platform, not PDF.

Contact: Questions welcome - contact AACSB for inquiries about Global Impact Awards