OEGlobal names 2026 Open Education Awards winners

Open Education Global announced 16 winners across four categories in the 2026 Open Education Awards for Excellence during a global livestream. The awards recognized 204 nominees from 49 countries and will now expand into conference presentations, public nomination records and tree-planting contributions in each winner’s name.

Why it matters: - The awards spotlight the people, resources and practices driving Open Education worldwide. - The 2026 cycle broadened recognition to 204 nominees from 49 countries, underscoring the movement’s global reach. - OEGlobal will plant trees in each winner’s name instead of giving physical trophies, linking the awards to environmental restoration.

What happened: - Open Education Global announced the 2026 Open Education Awards for Excellence on Sept. 22, 2026, during a live global livestream. - Alan Levine, OEAwards Lead, announced the winners. - Sixteen winners were selected across four categories: People of Open, Open Assets, Open Practices and Special Awards. - The awards have recognized excellence in Open Education since 2011.

The details: - People of Open winners were Gabriella Paolini of Italy, Girish Bhuteja of Canada, Javiera Atenas of the United Kingdom and Jonathan Lashley of the United States. - Girish Bhuteja is a student at Conestoga College. - Kimberlee Carter of Conestoga College said Bhuteja has been a strong student leader and consistently puts people first. - Open Assets winners were Cosumnes River College ZTC Faculty Resources in the United States, Open Praxis in Turkey, The GHOSHEH Model in Palestine and Virtual Language Environment, or AVI, in Mexico. - Aras Bozkurt of Anadolu University said the Open Praxis team was honored and thanked reviewers and authors. - Open Practices winners were Digital Ethnography Jember: Open Cultural Heritage for Education in Indonesia, K-12 Studio in Canada, HAN University’s Comprehensive OER Strategy Development and Implementation in the Netherlands, and Sharing Is a Challenge: 16 Obstacles Overcome to Enhance Sharing in Europe. - Marja Versantvoort of HAN University of Applied Sciences said the award reflected a group effort. - Special Awards went to Haruo Takemura of Japan, Paul Stacey of Canada, Stephen Carson of the United States and MIT OpenCourseWare in the United States. - Curt Newton, speaking for MIT OpenCourseWare, described the award as part of a long-running movement that has exceeded expectations. - The shortlist included 48 finalists. - The review committee had 42 members, including 32 past winners, five OEGlobal board members and, for the first time, representatives from 99 OEGlobal member organizations. - The nominations included 204 people and projects from 49 countries. - OEGlobal said 31% of nominations came from outside the Global North. - OEGlobal said 10% of nominations came from North American community colleges, reflecting the influence of CCCOER. - OEGlobal said 22% of nominations came from OEGlobal member organizations. - Winners attending the OEGlobal 2026 Conference, in person or online, are invited to present at the OEAwards session. - OEGlobal will hold showcase events for all nominees in March 2027 during Open Education Week 2027. - The recording of the celebration is now available. - The details of every nomination are publicly available, with comments and questions open to the community. - People can share congratulations on OEGlobal Connect.

Between the lines: - The awards are evolving from a ceremony into a broader community recognition platform, with public records, showcase events and online participation. - The mix of winners and nominees points to growing geographic diversity in Open Education, including stronger representation beyond North America and Western Europe. - The tree-planting commitment adds a tangible sustainability angle to an otherwise symbolic honors program.

What's next: - Winners will present their work at the OEGlobal 2026 Conference session if they attend in person or online. - OEGlobal will spotlight all nominees again in March 2027 during Open Education Week. - Community members can review nomination details, comment and share reactions through OEGlobal Connect.

The bottom line: - OEGlobal used the 2026 awards to honor a wider, more global Open Education community while turning recognition into year-round visibility and follow-up.