Luna Award 2026: Winner Announced

At last month’s AEGIS Annual Conference, we were proud to announce the winner of the inaugural Luna Award, launched to recognise outstanding guardianship practice.

The Luna Award honours an AEGIS-accredited guardianship organisation that has gone above and beyond in its support of international students, demonstrating exceptional care, professionalism, and meaningful impact on student wellbeing.

We are delighted to congratulate Connexcel Ltd as this year’s winner.

A Trustee Commendation was also awarded to Berkeley Guardians.

Katie Harben, Head of Study at Connexcel Ltd, receiving the Luna Award 2026 from AEGIS Trustee, Marie Crozier.

Karen Pickles, Director at Berkeley Guardians receiving the Trustee Commendation from AEGIS Trustee, Marie Crozier.

The award was established in memory of an international student, and serves as a lasting reminder of the importance of high quality educational guardianship.

The selection process reflected the rigour and integrity of the award: shortlisted nominations were verified with two independent references; all identifying details were anonymised before review by trustees; and the AEGIS Board of Trustees voted to determine the final recipient.

We extend our thanks to all AEGIS guardianship organisations for their continued dedication to safeguarding and supporting international students.

Reflections on the award:

John Zhang, Founder and Company Director of Connexcel Ltd, “We are truly honoured to receive the very first Luna Award. It is a deeply meaningful recognition for our entire team, and we feel privileged to be associated with an award that reflects such important values in safeguarding and supporting international students.

We are also sincerely grateful to AEGIS for its continued support, guidance, and leadership over the years. The framework and standards that AEGIS has established have played a vital role in shaping and strengthening guardianship organisations like ours, and in raising the overall quality of care across the sector.”

Katie Nie, Founder and Company Director of Connexcel Ltd responded, “We have always been proud to be a Gold Standard AEGIS-accredited guardianship organisation, and I genuinely appreciate the important work AEGIS does – not only in safeguarding international students, but also in giving guardianship organisations a voice and a platform to be heard.

It was also very meaningful to learn more about the story behind the Luna Award. It adds a deeper sense of responsibility and purpose to what we do every day.”