British Council honours Indonesian UK alumni at glitzy awards ceremony

The eighth edition of the awards was held as a gala dinner celebration in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta on February 6 and was the final event of East Asia Education Week 2026, which also featured events dedicated to agents and transnational education.

Alumni were recognised across four categories; business and innovation, culture, creativity and sport, science and sustainability, and social action. The British Council’s Study UK Alumni Awards is celebrated in multiple ceremonies throughout the world, and finalists can then apply for the worldwide award in one of the four categories.

Summer Xia, country director Indonesia and director South East Asia at the British Council highlighted the exceptional work of the finalists, as well as drawing attention to the benefits of studying in the UK.

“You show what UK education looks like in action. Curiosity that never switches off. Confidence to collaborate across cultures and the courage to lead with purpose,” he told the audience.

Each finalist’s achievements were showcased as they were announced in their category, with the winners facing stiff competition in their respective fields.

Muh Agung Saputra, who graduated from Imperial College London, took home the Business and Innovation Award. He founded Surplus Indonesia, a climate-tech platform that transforms surplus or imperfect goods into affordable essentials for Indonesians.

Though his work, Saputra has helped over one million people, created over 100 green jobs and reused 10,000 tons of products.

He told The PIE News that it was “such an honour” to go home with the award, hoping that it would inspire the children in his home region of Papua to complete their education in the UK as well.

The Culture, Creativity and Sport Award was given to Dinda Intan Prasmeti Putri – an alumni of Edinburgh’s Queen Margaret University as a Chevening Scholar and a cultural policy and festival ecosystem specialist. Her work has boosted Yogyakarta’s creative sector, helping it become a designated City of Festivals in 2025.

She said she was “absolutely happy” to win in her category. “Studying in the UK means everything – experience, culture, the festival itself,” she said.

Meanwhile, Dewi Nur Aisyah – who graduated from both University College London and Imperial College London as an Indonesia Presidential Scholar – took home the Science and Sustainability Award. She helped to shape Indonesia’s Covid-19 data system and has continued to lead on national digital health initiatives.

“Studying in the UK really shaped how I think today,” she told The PIE. “I lead, I decide. It’s not only pursuing a degree – it’s more than that.”

Studying in the UK really shaped how I think today. I lead, I decide. It’s not only pursuing a degree – it’s more than that
^{_{Dewi Nur Aisyah, Science and Sustainability Award winner}}

Mirza Idha Saifuddin, a Chevening Scholar and University of Warwick graduate, won the Social Action Award after dedicating his time towards addressing educational inequality on his remote hometown of Sawahan, Nganjuk. Over 13 years, he has helped to grow a tuition-free school from 17 to 240 students annually.

He told The PIE that studying in the UK had allowed him to help “transform” his community by giving them access to a sustainable education model.

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