Youth Affairs Agency of the Republic of Uzbekistan

On January 10, 2026, the first-ever “International Student of the Year” award ceremony was held in Tashkent. The event was organized at the Palace of Youth Creativity and was attended by more than 500 guests.

This initiative is aimed at recognizing the academic, social and professional achievements of Uzbek students studying at leading universities in the world.

The award was organized by the International Students Union of Uzbekistan (UzSU) with the support of the Youth Affairs Agency and the “El-yurt Umidi” Foundation. This event became an important platform for supporting active, socially responsible youth, strengthening their ties with Uzbekistan, and involving them in projects of national importance.

As part of the ceremony, the activities of UzSU in Uzbekistan were officially launched. This marks the beginning of the organization’s systematic activities at the national level and the expansion of its international network.

The event program also included a panel discussion on the topic “The role of Uzbek students studying abroad in the development of the country.” The contribution of international students to the economic, social and intellectual development of our country was discussed. The panel discussion was attended by First Deputy Chairman of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis Sodiq Safoyev and entrepreneur Zafar Hoshimov. The discussion was moderated by the Chairman of the UzSU Jasurbek Jabborov.

The “International Student of the Year” award was presented in the following four nominations:
— “Student of the Year”
— “Contribution to the development of society and diaspora”
— “Decent representation of Uzbekistan in the international arena”
— “Innovation of the Year”

The 2026 award winners:

“Student of the Year” — Nozira Davroniy, a student at Columbia University Barnard College in the USA;
“Contribution to the development of society and diaspora” — Asadbek Ismoilov, a student at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in Hong Kong;
“Representing Uzbekistan in the international arena” — Aakib Niyoz, a student at Oxford University in the UK;
“Innovation of the Year” — Asliddin Akbarov, a student at the Università degli Studi di Siena in Italy;

This award was an important step towards recognizing the potential of our young people studying in the international arena and encouraging them to make a worthy contribution to the development of the Motherland.