Global Impact Awards
AACSB’s Global Impact Awards celebrate bold leaders and institutions creating meaningful change through business education.
Now Open for Submission!
Recognizing excellence in leadership, teaching, research, societal impact, and AACSB volunteer service, the new Global Impact Awards are open for submission through October 17, 2025.
Award Categories
Impactful Leadership
Strategic Innovation: This award celebrates deans and heads of business schools who are redefining the future of business education through bold initiatives that drive institutional impact. Whether it's digital transformation, financial innovation, research culture, or student engagement, these leaders are turning strategy into action—and results.
Teaching and Learning Excellence
Integrating AI in Teaching and Learning: This award celebrates schools that are transforming the business education experience through creative and effective uses of artificial intelligence—enhancing learning outcomes and preparing students for the future of work.
Research Impact
Beyond Citations: This award recognizes research that creates real-world change—solving complex problems, informing policies, shaping industries, and improving lives. We honor schools’ efforts to bring academic insights into the world through non-traditional pathways.
Societal Impact
Addressing Regional or Local Challenges: This award highlights schools' efforts to address urgent regional or local issues. From economic resilience to environmental action to community engagement, these initiatives demonstrate the critical role business education plays in building a better world.
Excellence in Service: Community Leadership
This recognition honors individuals who have gone above and beyond to serve the AACSB community in non-accreditation volunteer roles—guiding networking groups, leading task forces, serving as subject matter experts, and more—engaging peers through their passion.
Excellence in Service: Accreditation Volunteer
These volunteers exemplify the best of AACSB’s accreditation community—through leadership, collegiality, knowledge, and impact. They are recognized for their excellence in and dedication to improving the quality of business schools globally.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do these awards replace Innovations That Inspire and Influential Leaders?
Yes. After 10 years of highlighting the cutting-edge initiatives of business schools and the impactful leadership of their alumni and faculty, AACSB has retired the Innovations That Inspire and Influential Leaders member spotlight programs. The past honorees are all still available for browsing. The Global Impact Awards retain the spirit of these programs while expanding into broader categories and creating even more opportunities for recognition.
Does my school have to be a member to submit?
Yes. The Global Impact Awards are open to all AACSB member schools in good standing. Submissions must also meet specific award category criteria.
Does my school have to be accredited to submit?
No. A school does not need to be accredited by AACSB to submit to the Global Impact Awards, but it must be an AACSB member in good standing and meet specific award category criteria.
Can I submit on behalf of someone else?
Yes. For awards that recognize an individual (Impactful Leader, Excellence in Service: Accreditation Volunteer, Excellence in Service: Community Leadership), you may submit a nomination on behalf of someone. In the form, you can designate yourself as the submitter and someone else as the nominee. You can also designate another primary contact other than yourself. Please keep in mind that each school is limited to one submission per category.
Can I nominate myself for the Impactful Leadership award?
Yes. Self-nominations are welcome for the Impactful Leadership award.
How many submissions can my school make?
Each school can submit one entry per category.
How many awards per category will be given?
There will likely be more than one winner per category, but the exact number will be determined after all submissions are received.
What information do I need to provide?
Once you log in to the award submission platform (aacsb-global-impact.awardsplatform.com/), you will be able to download a blank PDF form for each category. These PDFs contain an overview with guidelines and all information requested for the nomination. Please note that the PDFs are only for reference; the nomination must be made in the online platform.
What is the deadline for submitting?
The deadline to submit to all categories is October 17, 11:50 p.m. Eastern time.
How will winners be recognized?
Winners will be announced in a digital media campaign and at the 2026 International Conference and Annual Meeting. Winners who are able to attend the conference will be invited to take part in a recognition ceremony.
When will the winners be announced?
Decisions about all submissions will be communicated by January. The official public announcement of winners will take place in April, in conjunction with the 2026 International Conference and Annual Meeting.
I'm ready to submit! Where do I go?
We welcome your submission/s at aacsb-global-impact.awardsplatform.com/! Please follow the instructions for logging in with your MyAACSB account credentials.
Questions?
We want to hear from you. Contact us with questions about the Global Impact Awards.
Member Spotlight Archives
Influential Leaders
View alumni and faculty from accredited business schools honored as part of AACSB's past Influential Leaders program.
Innovations That Inspire
See our collection of impactful business school initiatives that comprise AACSB's former Innovations That Inspire program.
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