Criteria ECHO Award

General criteria

 

          • Social impact: making tangible contributions that lead to positive change, both within and outside the educational institution, on socially relevant issues.
          • Policy and systemic change: being engaged in initiatives focused on policy-related and/or systemic issues aimed at addressing structural inequalities, and demonstrating a clear vision and strategy in doing so.
          • Leadership qualities: demonstrating inspiring leadership and the ability to mobilize and motivate others in processes of social change.

Practical criteria

        • The student is part of an underrepresented group, with a specific focus on Dutch students with a non-Western background or refugee background.*
        • The student has excellent study results (guideline: an average of 7.5 or higher);
        • The student has an excellent proficiency of the English language;
        • The student is available for the ECHO Ambassadors Academy which takes place on September 19th, 2026;
        • The student is available for an interview with the ECHO Award jury on October 29th, 2026;
        • The student is available to attend the ceremony of the ECHO Award on December 10th, 2026 (date may be subject to change).

*For the definition of “non-Western,” ECHO refers to the framework used by the Statistics Netherlands (CBS): “A person whose migration background originates from one of the countries in Africa, Latin America, or Asia (excluding Indonesia and Japan), or Turkey.” Because CBS bases this definition primarily on a socio-economic perspective, while ECHO’s work is grounded in a socio-societal perspective within the Dutch context, ECHO chooses to include Indonesia and Japan within its “non-Western” framework.

For further frameworks and concepts, we kindly refer you to the Teaching & Learning Center (TLC). This platform offers educators, professionals, and students access to knowledge and inspiration on diversity and inclusion in education.