Category A: Best Undergraduate Student Award

Criteria (for A-1 to A-6):

  • Academic Excellence (20%) – High GPA or equivalent academic performance.
  • Research & Innovation (40%) – Participation in research publications, projects, or innovative initiatives.
  • Leadership & Community Impact (20%) – Active involvement in student leadership, community service, or extracurricular activities.
  • Endorsements (10%) – Recommendation letters from faculty, mentors, or community leaders.
  • Personal Statement (10%) – A statement highlighting achievements, future aspirations, and contributions to African development.

Category B: Best  Master’s Students Award

Criteria (for B-1 to B-6):

  • Academic Excellence (20%) – High GPA or equivalent academic performance.
  • Research & Innovation (40%) – Contribution to research publications, projects, or innovative initiatives.
  • Leadership & Community Impact (20%) – Active engagement in student leadership, community service, or extracurricular activities.
  • Endorsements (10%) – Recommendation letters from faculty, mentors, or community leaders.
  • Personal Statement (10%) – A statement outlining achievements, future aspirations, and contributions to African development.

Category C: Best Research Paper for PhD Students Award (For doctorate students only)

Criteria (for C-1 to C-6):

  • Publication & Recognition (100%) – Indexed in Web of Science, with journal ranking evaluated based on topic. Q1 is occupied by the top 25% of journals in the list; Q2 is occupied by journals in the 25 to 50% group; Q3 is occupied by journals in the 50 to 75% group and Q4 is occupied by journals in the 75 to 100% group. The most prestigious journals within a subject area are those which occupy the first quartile, Q1. Even within Q1 (25%), some journals occupied 5%. 10% or 15 %. 

Category D: Highest Field Ranking Paper Award (For Postdocs, faculty and others)

Criteria (for D-1 to D-6):

  • Publication & Recognition (100%) – Indexed in Web of Science, with journal ranking evaluated based on topic. Q1 is occupied by the top 25% of journals in the list; Q2 is occupied by journals in the 25 to 50% group; Q3 is occupied by journals in the 50 to 75% group and Q4 is occupied by journals in the 75 to 100% group. The most prestigious journals within a subject area are those which occupy the first quartile, Q1. Even within Q1 (25%), some journals occupied 5%. 10% or 15 %. 
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Category E: Most Cited Researcher Award

Criteria (for E-1 to E-6):

  • Total Citation Count (100%) – Based on Google Scholar citations (self-citations should not go beyond 20%).

Category F: Integration Excellence Award

Criteria:

Category F: Integration Excellence Award

Evaluation Criteria:

  • Language Proficiency (35%) – Demonstrated commitment to learning the local language, measured by the highest level of proficiency achieved (if applicable).
  • Community Engagement (35%) – Active participation and meaningful integration within local communities.
  • Local Impact & Recognition (30%) – Implementation of a community-focused project and/or official recognition from the local municipality.

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Category G: Best African Students Association Award

Criteria (for G-1):

  • Community Engagement (40%) – Activities fostering networking, mentorship, and collaboration.
  • Impact & Outreach (30%) – Programs benefiting African students and professionals abroad.
  • Sustainability (20%) – Long-term vision and consistent impact.
  • Innovation & Leadership (10%) – Unique initiatives and leadership in organizing activities.

Category H: African Entrepreneurship & Innovation  Award

Criteria (for H-1 & H-2):

  • Innovation & Uniqueness (40%) – Novelty and potential industry disruption.
  • Business Impact (30%) – Market reach, scalability, and business success.
  • Social Impact (20%) – Contributions to African communities and economic development.
  • Recognition & Endorsements (10%) – Awards, media coverage, and industry recognition.

Category I: Outstanding African Professional  in Industry Award (Target: Career accomplishments outside academia)

Criteria (for I-1 & I-2):

  • Professional Achievements (50%) – Career accomplishments after graduation.
  • Industry Contributions (20%) – Innovations, mentorship, or policy influence.
  • Impact on Africa (20%) – Contributions to African development.
  • Peer Recognition (10%) – Endorsements and awards.

 Special Recognition Awards

J. Friend of Africans Award (J-1) – 5 Awards

Criteria:

  • Support for African Students & Professionals (70%) – Contributions to African development.
  • Cross-Cultural Engagement (10%) – Efforts in fostering collaboration between Africa and other regions.
  • Sustained Involvement (10%) – Consistent support for African causes.
  • Endorsements (10%) – Recommendations from African organizations.

K. Best NGO for Africa Award (J-2) – 5 Awards

Criteria:

  • Impact & Reach (40%) – Effectiveness in improving the lives of Africans in the diaspora and beyond.
  • Sustainability (30%) – Long-term impact and program success.
  • Innovation (20%) – Unique approaches to addressing challenges.
  • Recognition (10%) – Awards and peer acknowledgments.

L. Outstanding Embassy Service Award (J-3) – 10 Awards

Criteria:

  • Support for African Students & Professionals (40%) – Passport  / Visa services, student support, and community engagement.
  • Public Diplomacy (30%) – Efforts in promoting African interests.
  • Responsiveness & Accessibility (20%) – Efficiency in service delivery.
  • Testimonials & Peer Recognition (10%) – Feedback from African communities.

WARESA  invites African students (Bs, Ms, and PhD), researchers, engineers, scientists, academicians, entrepreneurs currently living in any Asian country (the list can be found here),  to submit applications for
Awards competition. The main objective of these awards is to recognize and reward excellence in research for both STEM,  Social Sciences fields and humanities fields. The awards celebrates also the non-African who contributed to their success

We have 60 awards for 10 categories (A-J)

[Mix is for mixed category for both male and female and F.O stands for Female Only category]

1 (A-1) Best Undergraduate Student Award /STEM-Mix
2 (A-2) Best Undergraduate Student Award /Social Science-Mix
3 (A-3) Best Undergraduate Student Award /Humanities-Mix
4 (A-4) Best Undergraduate Student Award /STEM-F.O
5 (A-5) Best Undergraduate Student Award /Social Science-F.O
6 (A-6) Best Undergraduate Student Award /Humanities-F.O
7 (B-1) Best Research Paper for Ms Students Award /STEM-Mix
8 (B-2) Best Research Paper for Ms Students Award/Social Science-Mix
9 (B-3) Best Research Paper for Ms Students Award/Humanities-Mix
10 (B-4) Best Research Paper for Ms Students Award /STEM-F.O
11 (B-5) Best Research Paper for Ms Students Award/Social Science-F.O
12 (B-6) Best Research Paper for Ms Students Award/Humanities-F.O
13 (C-1) Best Research Paper for PhD Students Award /STEM-Mix
14 (C-2) Best Research Paper for PhD Students Award/Social Science-Mix
15 (C-3) Best Research Paper for PhD Students Award/Humanities-Mix
16 (C-4) Best Research Paper for PhD Students Award /STEM-F.O
17 (C-5) Best Research Paper for PhD Students Award/Social Science-F.O
18 (C-6) Best Research Paper for PhD Students Award/Humanities-F.O
19 (D-1) Highest Field Ranking Paper Award /STEM-Mix
20 (D-2) Highest Field Ranking Paper Award/Social Sience-Mix
21 (D-3) Highest Field Ranking Paper Award/Humanities-Mix
22 (D-4) Highest Field Ranking Paper Award /STEM-F.O
23 (D-5) Highest Field Ranking Paper Award/Social Sience-F.O
24 (D-6) Highest Field Ranking Paper Award/Humanities-F.O
25 (E-1) Most Cited Researcher Award /STEM-Mix
26 (E-2) Most Cited Researcher Award /Social Science-Mix
27 (E-3) Most Cited Researcher Award /Humanities-Mix
28 (E-4) Most Cited Researcher Award /STEM-F.O
29 (E-5) Most Cited Researcher Award /Social Science-F.O
30 (E-6) Most Cited Researcher Award /Humanities-F.O
31 (F-1) Local Language  Proficiency Awards /self-sponsored-Mix
32 (F-2) Local Language Proficiency Awards /self-sponsored-F.O
33 (F-3) Local Language  Proficiency Awards /sponsored-Mix
34 (F-4) Local Language Proficiency Awards /sponsored-F.O
35 (G-1) Best African Students Community Award
36 (G-2) Second Best African Students Association Award
37 (H-1) African Entrepreneur in Asia Award-Mix
38 (H-2) African Entrepreneur in Asia  Award-F.O
39 (I-1)  Outstanding African Professional in Industry Award-Mix

40 (I-2) Outstanding African Professional in Industryl Award-F.O
41 (J-1) Friend of African Award (5 awards )

42 (J-2) Best NGO for Africa Award (5 awards ) 

43 (J-3) Outstanding Embassy Service Award (10  awards )

Applications open date: 15 December 2024

Application close date: 28 February  2025

Venue: Seoul Startup Hub 21, Baekbeom-ro 31-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul

Award Day: Sat, 8th March 2025

For any questions or inquires, send us an email at awards@waresa.org or info@waresa.org

To apply or nominate someone, please fill the below form

WARESA ASIA AWARDS-APPLICATION /NOMINATION FORM

Q1. Choose who you are applying for
Q1. Are you a member of WARESA
Q4. Full Name
Q9. Choose your Current Status
Please choose carefully the type of awards you are applying for. If you are applying for several awards, please apply for more than once because it is one choice at a time Note that Mix stands for Mix Category, both male and female and F.O stands for Female Only
We want additional information about yourself, whether you are a student, researcher, entrepreneur, academician, ect... Ex 1: Adam Smith,Phd, CEO- ABC Company, Seoul, Korea. Ex 2: Andrew Kelvin, Assistant Professor, Ajou Univ, Korea
How did you know about WARESA
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