Participate in The Forum's First-Ever Innovation Competition at Annual Conference 2025

InnovateEA: Igniting Change in Education Abroad is an initiative launched by 韩国三级片that invites international educators to dream big. We’re asking the education abroad community to propose solutions to the most pressing issues facing our field. We will select and mentor a group of daring finalists, who will pitch their innovations at The Forum’s Annual Conference. Then YOU select the winning innovation. The winner will receive a cash prize to support putting their idea into action.  

Pitch an idea that presents a solution to one of a range of challenges facing the field, from access and inclusion to sustainability to funding and staffing. We’re looking for bold solutions with the potential to influence practice across the field of education abroad—ideas that might seem radical by today’s standards but have the potential to open our minds to new possibilities. 

Maybe you have dreamed up an innovative funding model, or a policy to advance access, or a novel approach to orientation, but need a little support and encouragement to bring it to life. Share it with us for the chance to be recognized and effect change. 

Are you in? ​

Sponsored by

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2024 Finalists

Congratulations to the 2024 InnovateEA Finalists! Following a 5-minute TED-style talk Friday, March 21, 2025 at the Closing Celebration of The Forum’s Annual Conference in Toronto, the audience will vote for the most innovative idea and select the winner in real time.  

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Belonging and Wellbeing

Meg Ramey, WorldKind

When students aren鈥檛 prepared to handle health & safety risks abroad, their ability to learn is affected while institutional costs & liabilities also increase. According to The Forum鈥檚 own 2023 鈥淪tudent Risk Report,鈥� mental health was the number one incident leading to students leaving their study abroad, accounting for 66% of early program withdrawals. In a survey conducted by AFS, Gen Z students listed 鈥渟afety and security鈥� as the number one concern about studying abroad. On top of these challenges, recent state 鈥渁nti-DEI鈥� laws have complicated further the type of pre-departure information that state universities can give to support diverse travelers.

We鈥檙e proposing a new interactive and scenario-based "Belonging and Wellbeing" training program that focuses on the intersection of cultural adaptation, identity, and mental health. By using gamified instructional design methods, which have proven effective with Gen Z students in our previous training, we aim to create an engaging and supportive learning program that also incorporates returning students through our Student Ambassador program, which has shown promising results in previous trials.

Global Learning Labs: An Emerging Model Addressing Grand Global Challenges

Paul D. Waite, Lauren Meregalli Ferrer, and Lynell James, Rutgers University

If we in the study abroad field are going to live up to our commitment to preparing students for a lifetime of community engagement and of addressing grand global challenges, we are going to need to innovate beyond the current practice of the one-off study abroad program, disconnected from the rest of the university experience.

Global Learning Labs is a newly emerging model of global learning which places existing short-term and semester education abroad programs into a larger ongoing context of teams of students, faculty, and local community peers around the world who are engaged in addressing specific big world issues. The Labs model, which will include both in-person study abroad and online modalities, can be layered onto existing programs or spur the creation of new programs. The model confronts the boundaries created by economic privilege, de-centers travel, and de-centers the global north, creating more accessible, equitable, and sustainable modes of global collaboration.

Holistic & Access-Driven Assessment: Study Abroad Career Development ROI

Liam Kelly, CulturaGo

In an era of rapid technological change, our 鈥榟umanity鈥欌�攅mbodied through soft skills like empathy, communication, and adaptability鈥攊s more valuable than ever. However, assessing these skills鈥攃areer-linked soft skills, intercultural competence, and interidentity awareness鈥攔emains a challenge. Understanding the impact of study abroad experiences is crucial for determining a student's ROI and ensuring programs continually adapt to deliver career outcomes.

Currently, the industry faces a fragmented assessment landscape with no unified approach that evaluates these key areas sufficiently. Our solution addresses this gap through a unified, accessible assessment tool co-created by experts in intercultural, interidentity, and career competencies.

Innovating Mental Health Support Abroad: Using Manga as a Coping Mechanism

Takeo Suzuki, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Imagine a world where international students, navigating the challenges of studying abroad, find solace, connection, and resilience through the media they love most. Our innovative solution does just that鈥攈arnessing the emotional power of feel-good anime and manga to support students' mental health in a way that is both deeply personal and culturally relevant.

As education abroad programs expand globally, students face unique struggles鈥攈omesickness, cultural adjustment, academic pressure, and isolation. But what if we could meet them where they already are, using the stories they turn to for comfort, nostalgia, and escape? This TED-worthy idea proposes integrating anime and manga as structured emotional support tools within education abroad programs, transforming how we approach student well-being.

Seeing Me: Self-Definition through Study Abroad

D鈥橩iya Bynum and Asia King, University of Maryland 鈥� College Park

When designing programs for our student populations, we often run into concerns: Is this course of interest to them? Am I designing an experience they would think back on positively? What if we changed the way we thought about faculty-led programs and put students in the driver's seat? Specifically, students who have been historically underrepresented and underserved by education abroad programming.

Imagine a development process that included student voices in every step of the process while providing them valuable mentorship skills and leadership development along the way. Our hope is to launch an innovative identity-based, student-led approach to faculty-led programs. Our model would aim to have two students of a particular social identity group paired with a faculty member of the same social identity in the development of a custom program from the beginning.

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Goals

• To support The Forum’s mission to “cultivate educators who champion high-quality education abroad experiences that ignite curiosity, impact lives, and contribute to a better world". 
• To encourage innovation as a means to overcome challenges and improve practice. 
• To bring a dynamic dimension to the annual conference that energizes and inspires attendees; capitalize on momentum created by 20th Annual Conference’s Closing Plenary. 
• To elevate new voices and celebrate emerging leaders. 

Eligibility

Explore our Pitch Requirements and see how your concept can shine in future opportunities

• The individual submitting and delivering the pitch must be employed by a Forum member organization. The competition is open to individuals and teams of up to 3 from Forum member  institutions and organizations.  
• Innovations should be focused in scope and targeted to address a specific challenge facing the field of education abroad, such as access, representation, sustainability, ethics, or peace. 
• Pitches for new education abroad programs are not eligible; we’re looking for innovative practices or resources.  
• Proven solutions that have already been fully implemented are not eligible. 
• Forum staff members, Board members, and InnovateEA selection committee members are not eligible. ​

selection criteria

• Innovation. An original, creative, and bold approach. 
• Impact. Clear outcomes and potential to make a significant, enduring impact on practice in the field of education abroad. 
• Achievability. A solution which is bold, ambitious, yet achievable within the next 1-2 years. 
• Exemplification. An example of the Standards of Good Practice in action that may be replicated by others to benefit the field of education abroad. 
• Dynamic Delivery. Your video pitch should demonstrate that you are an engaging speaker and your presentation style communicates your passion, experience and creativity. ​

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The selection process will prioritize: 

• Representation of a range of institution types, including 2-years, HBCUs, MSIs, and geographic diversity 
• Representation of underrepresented voices at The Forum’s Annual Conference and in the field of education abroad. This includes:
  • International host institutions  
  • Community Colleges, technical and vocational education and training (TVET)   
  • Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)   
  • Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs)   
  • Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) 
  • Education Abroad Organizations

Download the InnovateEA Selection Rubric to learn more about the selection process.

Key Dates

• July 11-September 6: Pitch submission window
• Week of November 18: Finalists notified
• December - March: Mentoring of finalists to prepare pitch presentations
• February 1: Script and slide decks due
• March 21: Present during the Closing Celebration of Annual Conference 2025

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Finalist Presentations ​

• 5 finalists will be selected to give a 5-minute TED-style talk Friday, March 21, 2025 at the Closing Celebration of The Forum’s Annual Conference in Toronto. 
• The audience will vote for the most innovative idea and will select the winner in real time.  
• Finalists are required to:  ​​

• Attend the Annual Conference in person in Toronto to present at the March 21 Closing Celebration for an audience of 1,000+.  
• Participate in virtual mentoring sessions prior to the conference. 
• Submit script and slide deck for a TED-Talk style presentation by February 1, 2025. 
• Participate in virtual run-through with their mentor and Forum staff. 
• Participate in a dress rehearsal during Annual Conference 2025 in Toronto.
• Pitch competition will be introduced on stage by Forum President & CEO Melissa Torres and AIFS Abroad Executive Director Emily Merson. Finalists will be introduced by their mentors. 

Voting ​

In person participants of The Forum’s Annual Conference will vote to select the winner at the Closing Celebration on Friday, March 21, 2025. ​

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Prize ​

The winner selected by the audience will receive:  

• A $5,000+ cash prize to advance the winning idea
• A year of mentoring support​​

The winner will be required to submit a detailed report by February 1, 2026, describing the progress made since the award, and the impact of their innovation. 

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Meet the Mentors

Martha Johnson
​CEA CAPA ​

Chris Thompson
​Compear Global Education Network​

Kelly Holland
AIFS Abroad

Kyle Rausch
​Univerity of Illinois Chicago ​

Emily Merson
​AIFS Abroad

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FAQ ​

can I participate with a team from my institution or organization?  ​

You are welcome to collaborate with colleagues from your institution to develop your idea. Pitches will be delivered by one team member.

Are multiple pitches from a single institution or organization possible?  

Yes, multiple pitches from an institution or organization are welcome.

Can I pitch my idea if I am serving on the selection committee?

No

If my organization sponsors the competition, may I pitch my idea? ​

 Yes. Individuals from sponsoring institutions/organizations are eligible to compete.