The Green Gown Awards are awards given to acknowledge institutions of higher education such as colleges and universities on their exceptional efforts towards sustainability, under the purview of the Environmental Association of Universities and Colleges (EAUC), with support from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The awards are referred to as the "highest recognition given to higher education institutions that carry out sustainability efforts" in reaching the United Nations (UN)'s Sustainable Development Goals.
The original awards, now the Green Gown Awards UK & Ireland, were given to institutions in United Kingdom and Ireland. This was later expanded with the Green Gown Awards Australasia in 2010 and the International Green Gown Awards from 2014. Among the most sought-after category is the Sustainability Institution of the Year.
Background The first Green Gown Awards were awarded by EAUC in 2004 to institutions of higher education in United Kingdom and Ireland. These first awards were made in six categories - Energy Efficiency, Sustainable Construction, Transport, Sustainable Procurement, Waste Management, and Water Efficiency, with the categories changing and expanding in later years.
There are two levels of acknowledgement in the awards: Winner (awarded to best institution within a category) and Highly Commended (sometimes awarded as an honourable mention).
In 2010, the awards expanded beyond United Kingdom and Ireland. The original awards programme in those two countries was renamed Green Gown Awards UK & Ireland and another programme was created for the Australasian region, Green Gown Awards Australasia. The awards were later expanded to French-speaking countries in 2014, as .
The awards were further expanded to the rest of the world with the introduction of the International Green Gown Awards in 2014, with the first such awards being won by RMIT University (Australia) for the category Continuous Improvement: Institutional Change, Hull College (UK) for Social Responsibility, and Manchester Metropolitan University (UK) for Student Engagement.
Since 2019, the award categories have included Sustainability Institution of the Year, awarded to institutions who sustained a whole-institution commitment and delivered impact towards sustainability while being a sustainable organisation as a whole.
The International Green Gown Awards have had separate winners in each category for small and large institutions since 2020.
Winners
International Green Gown Awards The United Kingdom is the country with the most awards, totalling 15 awards from 12 institutions. The individual institution with the most wins is International Islamic University Malaysia, Malaysia with six awards, including four awards in one year in 2024, making it also the only institution to win more than two awards in the same year.
2014 +CategoryWinnersContinuous Improvement: Institutional Change RMIT UniversitySocial Responsibility Hull CollegeStudent Engagement Manchester Metropolitan University
2015 CategoryWinnersCommunity Innovation De Montfort UniversityContinuous Improvement: Institutional Change Université LavalStudent Engagement Edinburgh College
2016 CategoryWinnersContinuous Improvement: Institutional Change University of West of EnglandCommunity Fiji National UniversityStudent Engagement University of West of England, UWE and University of Bristol
2017-2018 CategoryWinnersCommunity University of TasmaniaContinuous Improvement: Institutional Change Canterbury Christ Church UniversityStudent Engagement Chiba University
2019 CategoryWinnersBenefitting Society Victoria University of WellingtonStudent Engagement Ndejje UniversitySustainability Institution of the Year McGill University
2020 CategoryWinnersBenefitting Society Ayrshire College Universidad San Ignacio de LoyolaStudent Engagement Facens University University of StrathclydeSustainability Institution of the Year International Islamic University Malaysia Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola
2021 CategoryWinnersBenefitting Society Facens University Center The Chinese University of Hong KongCreating Impact Universidad Tecnológica Metropolitana Lappeenranta-Lahti University of TechnologyNext Generation Learning and Skills Covenant University University of GloucestershireStudent Engagement oikos St GallenSustainability Institution of the Year Polytech Montpellier Keele University
2022 CategoryWinnersClimate Action 2030 Chiba University of Commerce University of SopronBenefitting Society De La Salle Lipa Deakin UniversityCreating Impact University of Technology, SydneyNext Generation Learning and Skills University of Technology, SydneyStudent Engagement UCSI University University of TasmaniaSustainability Institution of the Year Dawson College
2023 CategoryWinnersClimate Action 2030 Borders CollegeBenefitting Society Centro Universitário Facens International Islamic University MalaysiaCreating Impact Universidad San Ignacio de LoyolaDiversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Sustainability Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences University of West of England, BristolNature Positive Universidad del NorteNext Generation Learning and Skills St.Teresa's College Universidad San Ignacio de LoyolaStudent Engagement The University of Faisalabad University of Otago, Te Whare Wānanga o ŌtākouSustainability Institution of the Year University College Cork
2024 CategoryWinnersClimate Action 2030 Asian Institute of Technology The University of ManchesterBenefitting Society Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham Siam UniversityCreating Impact International Islamic University Malaysia Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamDiversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Sustainability International Islamic University Malaysia The University of SydneyNature Positive Collegio Borromeo Haramaya UniversityNext Generation Learning and Skills Glasgow Kelvin College Singapore Management UniversityStudent Engagement International Islamic University Malaysia McGill UniversitySustainability Institution of the Year International Islamic University Malaysia Singapore Management University
Footnotes Although the Chinese University of Hong Kong is located in Hong Kong, the award specifically noted the recipient country as China, not Hong Kong.
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