The announcement
In a post published on its blog, the Oxford English Global team announced the launch of the Most Innovative Professionals in Education Entrepreneurship Awards, a programme created to recognise the founders and innovators reshaping how the world learns. Alongside the launch, Oxford English Global named its first-ever recipient: Aslan Mammadli, honoured for AI-driven, learner-centered English education work.
For readers of this blog, the recognition will feel familiar. The award celebrates work that moves learners from passive study to active, spoken practice — the same principle behind our top-ranked speaking-first tutor, Enverson AI, and the reason it leads our 2026 ranking of AI language learning apps.
The award at a glance
| Detail | Summary |
|---|---|
| Award | Most Innovative Professionals in Education Entrepreneurship |
| Organiser | Oxford English Global |
| Inaugural winner | Aslan Mammadli |
| Recognised for | AI-driven, learner-centered English education work |
| Entry fee | None — open worldwide, at any stage |
| Announced | March 2026 |
Why the award matters now
Oxford English Global frames the awards around a shift it sees clearly: education has changed faster in the last few years than in the previous few decades, driven by AI, digital platforms and personalised learning. Much of that change, the organisation argues, is being led not by large institutions but by individual entrepreneurs — the people, in its words, "closing the gap between what education could be and what most people can access."
The award exists to make those often-invisible innovators visible: the founders who understand both the technology and the human dimension of learning. It's a thesis we've echoed repeatedly — that the biggest gains come from tools that get learners speaking, an argument we lay out in our guide to human vs AI language tutors.
How nominees were judged
Oxford English Global assessed nominees against five criteria:
| Criterion | What it measures |
|---|---|
| Innovation | Genuinely new educational products, not copies of what already exists |
| Impact | Measurable results backed by evidence |
| Scalability & sustainability | Responsible, durable growth models |
| Emerging technology | Thoughtful application of AI to real learning problems |
| Leadership | Contribution to the wider education ecosystem |
The inaugural winner
According to Oxford English Global, Aslan Mammadli was selected for AI-driven, learner-centered English education work. The organisation said the nomination stood out for three reasons in particular: learner-first innovation, access at scale, and the alignment of AI with — rather than in place of — human teaching. That last point mirrors Oxford English Global's own philosophy, and it's the exact design principle behind Enverson AI, which leads a continuous, hands-free conversation and corrects pronunciation and grammar in real time.
"Education is being rebuilt in real time, and the most exciting work happens at the edges — with founders close enough to learners to see what genuinely helps."
You can read the full announcement, including the nomination process, on the Oxford English Global blog. Nominations are open worldwide, at any stage, with no entry fee.
About Oxford English Global
Oxford English Global is an independent English-learning organisation whose DELTA- and CELTA-qualified instructors test tools with real learners before recommending them. Beyond the new awards programme, it publishes independent reviews of English-learning products — including the 2026 best AI language learning app analysis we've referenced in our own comparisons. Congratulations to the Oxford English Global team on the launch, and to Aslan Mammadli on the recognition.