Yes! It is!
Are you an IOB alumnus/a who is making a difference?
in your organisation? in your community? in public debates? in the world? 

If so, we invite you to apply for the IOB Alumni Impact Award 2026 and showcase how your work/ your initiatives/ your ideas are contributing to impact on persons, organisations, communities through ideas, policy, research, or practice.

Don't think "this is not for me" or "my story is not 'big' enough" ... we want to hear ALL stories... 

• from recent graduates ... to alumni who studied at IOB 20 years ago ...
•  from a small volunteer initiative ...  to professional large scale programmes... 
• from a very local impact ... to a worldwide effect

ALL IMPACT STORIES ARE WELCOME ... AND DESERVE THE IOB SPOTLIGHT!

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• Apply using the online form: answer a few questions in the form OR make a short video to explain your story
  
• Application Deadline 1st of April
• The selection commission (2 IOB staff + 2 external Jury members) select 5 Alumni Impact Champions and 1 Impact Award winner
  
• Selection results are communicated by 15th of April
  
• Selection criteria:
  • The breadth/ reach of the societal impact
  • The intensity of the impact
  • The role the alumnus/a played in the impact
  • The creativity/ innovation  the alumnus/a has used in this project/ work/ event/ impact …
  •  The sustainability of the impact or potential for upscaling or mainstreaming
    

The jury selects five alumni as IOB Impact champions 2026 — with one of them receiving the IOB Impact Award.

The IOB Impact Award Winner receives

•  Fully sponsored participation in the EADI/IOB Conference 2026 (29 June – 2 July) including international travel and accommodation 

• AND receiving the IOB IMPACT AWARD

All 5 IOB Impact champions will receive

• Official recognition as IOB Impact champion 2026
• Conference registration for the EADI/IOB Conference 2026
• Their impact story showcased at the conference network reception in poster format
• A dedicated impact video featured on the IOB website

ALL Alumni win

•  Visibility across IOB communication channels, sharing their story with the IOB community and international audiences through various IOB channels ( if alumni agree to it)
  

From 29th of June until 2nd of July IOB and EADI co-organise the EADI-IOB conference "Shaping Sustainable Futures: Global Challenges, (G)local Solutions?

At the occasion of this conference, IOB will organise its annual IOB COMMUNITY NETWORK event and the ALUMNI IMPACT AWARD CEREMONY during the EADI-IOB conference.

IOB COMMUNITY NETWORK EVENT & AWARD CEREMONY |EADI Conference :

• Monday 29th of June
  
• Rodestraat 14, ground floor Building R, Antwerp
• Programme:
  • 17h15: Welcome 
  • 17h30 Plenary panel debate | Debate among experts from  Search for common ground,  Ministry of foreign affairs, University of Witwatersrand and the Egmont Institute
    
  • 18h50: Impact Award Ceremony
  • 19h: Poster and Network Reception

IOB alumni & students can participate in the  Network Event without conference registration;

We hope to see many of you there