ALT Awards 2025

The ALT Awards 2025 are now open for entries.

The ALT Awards celebrate and reward excellent research and practice and outstanding achievement in Learning Technology. Established in 2007, the Awards have set a benchmark for outstanding achievement in Learning Technology on a national scale and attract competitive entries from the UK and internationally. All entries are reviewed by an independent judging panel chaired by the President of ALT.  

2025's Awards Ceremony will take place as part of the ALT Annual Conference in October. You can find out more about the Annual Conference on our website.

Award categories

This year, we are delighted to announce the return of all 6 Awards from 2025, as well as the Community Choice Award. The following award categories will be awarded:

  • ALT Award for Individuals
  • ALT Award for Institutions and Teams
  • ALT Award for Leadership in Digital Education
  • ALT Award for Digital Transformation (In partnership with Jisc)
  • ALT Award for Case Studies in Ethical EdTech 
  • ALT Award for Technology in Adult Learning (In partnership with Ufi VocTech Trust ) 
  • ALT Community Choice Award

 

We are pleased to welcome back the ALT Community Choice Award again this year. This special award allows our ALT Community to vote for their winner, and all entry submissions can opt to be included for this award. Entries who opt in, will be judges in the award category they have entered, and then also added to the Community Choice Award running. Voting for our community will open for this award over the summer. 

Judging criteria

Entries are judged (from the completed entry form only) in answer to the following criteria:

ALT Award for Individuals

ALT Award for Institutions or Teams

ALT Award for Leadership in Digital Education

ALT Award for 

Digital Transformation (in partnership with Jisc)

ALT Award 

for Case Studies of Ethical EdTech 

 ALT Award for Technology in Adult Learning (In partnership with Ufi VocTech Trust)

Open to individuals from all education and training sectors. 

 Open to institutions and teams from all education and training sectors.  Open to professionals from all education and training sectors. This can be a joint entry where appropriate. 

Open to teams, departments, or faculties from all education and training sectors. 

 Open to entries for case studies of products, services, platforms and/or successful implementation of ethically driven policies and guidance.  Open to individuals and teams from FE and the adult vocational skills and training sector

This Award celebrates outstanding achievements of individuals in a research, technical, supportive, design, developer, administrative, academic or hybrid role. 

 

Should demonstrate significant impact on practices within your organisation, community, or sphere of influence. 

This Award is for teams and institutions and recognises outstanding strategic enhancement of the design, development and delivery of online and blended education.

 

Should demonstrate positive impact on the learner experience and sustainable development of academic practice in the digital environment.

This Award celebrates individuals in a leadership position within their institution or in their sector who influence strategy, policy and culture change. 

 

Must, in part, demonstrate impact through sector and institution-wide instruments, such as: the NSS, FELT, staff surveys etc. Submissions could  include  examples of strategy and policy, institutional culture change, redesign of governance and ongoing contributions to national and international professional communities.

This Award in partnership with Jisc recognises how teams/departments are enabling digital transformation in their organisation.

‘Transformation’ being a progressive systemic change in practices, processes, services and partnerships which improves the working lives of staff, has a positive impact on the student experience (including teaching, learning and assessment) and can be demonstrated to be sustainable in the broadest sense. 

Applications should provide evidence to demonstrate how the work/initiative maps to the Jisc framework for digital transformation. See Taking digital transformation forward in your organisation - Jisc for further guidance on digital transformation.

Applications should provide evidence on how the work has impacted on their organisation and effected change.
 

This Award celebrates outstanding case studies demonstrating the ethical use of Learning Technology.

We are looking for case studies which demonstrate application of the FELT framework dimensions and address ethical considerations or challenges in relation to educational technology.  
Examples may include, but are not limited to,  online assessment, learning design, the use of AI, decolonising the curriculum and promoting equality, diversity and inclusion through use of Learning Technology. 

This award in partnership with Ufi VocTech Trust recognises achievement in the use of technology for vocational education. It is for individuals and teams who are working innovatively with technology to help people develop and improve their skills for work.

Should demonstrate a commitment to using innovative technological approaches to vocational education which have a positive impact on learners.

Please find a definition of vocational education here.

The judging criteria are informed by the CMALT principles: 

  • A commitment to exploring and understanding the interplay between technology and learning
  • A commitment to keep up to date with new technologies
  • A commitment to communicate and disseminate effective practice
  • An empathy with and willingness to learn from colleagues from different backgrounds and specialism
  

All entries should demonstrate alignment with the Framework for Ethical Learning Technology (FELT) and specifically FELT four core principles: Awareness, Professionalism, Care & Community and Values. 

  

How to Enter

Entry forms can be found below. Please complete the correct entry form for the award category you wish to enter and submit your entry form by Monday, 14 July 2025. You can find the full entry criteria below. You need to complete all sections of the entry form online. Entries will be judged on the basis of the information you provide and the evidence you refer to, and there are no interviews taking place this year. If you have any questions regarding your entry, please contact us on awards@alt.ac.uk

Entries must be submitted by Monday, 14 July 2025. 

Short-listing

The judging panel will review all entries and the highest scoring entries in each category are short-listed as a finalist. All entries will be notified whether they have been short-listed by August. 

Finalists

Following the shortlsting all finalists will be notified and invited to attend the Award Ceremony.

For more information on the Awards or if you have any questions, please contact awards@alt.ac.uk

Judging panel

The expert panel of judges is chaired by David White, President of ALT.

  • ALT Award for Teams/Institutions: Ruth Powell, University of the Arts London: Alicia Moreno Gimenez, Lancaster University; Gearoid O'Suilleabhain, Munster Technological University; Shane Cronin, Munster Technological University
  • ALT Award for Individuals: Heather Serdar, LDN Apprenticeships; Salimeh Pour Mohammad, Warwick Business School; Lisa Bradley, Queen’s University Belfast; Laura Milne, University of Chester.
  • ALT Award for Digital Transformation (in partnership with Jisc): Denise Sweeney, University of Nottingham; Matt Wingfield, Independent EdTech Consultant; Sarah Knight, Jisc;  Kelly Gilman, Jisc.
  • ALT Award for Leadership in Digital Education: Richard Walker, University of York; Sharmen Ibrahim, Activate Learning; Claire Stocks, University of Chester; Steph Comley, University of Exeter
  • ALT Award for Technology in Adult Education  (in partnership with Ufi VocTech Trust ): Zoe Tierney, Burton & South Derbyshire College; Gabrielle Madders, Ufi VocTech Trust; David White, President of ALT
  • ALT Award for Case Studies in Ethical EdTech: Matt Jevons, University of Leeds; Emma Dibb, University of Leeds; Nurun Nahar, University of Greater Manchester; Clare Thomson, Heriot-Watt University 
  • ALT Community Choice Awards: This award allows our Member community to vote for their winning entry amongst all of the categories. Voting will open on 25 August 2025.

 

 

Award Ceremony

The Awards will be presented during the ALT Annual Conference 2025. You can find out more about becoming an Awards Ceremony sponsor by contacting us at awards@alt.ac.uk. More Ceremony details will follow soon. 

Winners of the Awards

You can find out more about the winners of the Awards from previous years here.