The Ateneo de Manila University marked the silver anniversary of its University Scholarly Work Awards (USWA) in 2026, celebrating 25 years of scholarly excellence while reaffirming its stature as the Philippines’ leading university in the latest Times Higher Education (THE) rankings.

Since joining the THE World University Rankings in 2022, the Ateneo has consistently led Philippine higher education institutions. In the 2026 edition, the University placed in the 1001–1200 bracket of the THE World University Rankings and in the 501–600 bracket of the THE Asia University Rankings, sustaining its position at the forefront of Philippine higher education.

The 2026 USWA reaffirm this standing, celebrating 584 publications across all categories, with 238 student and research assistant awardees and 271 faculty and other researcher awardees. These figures underscore the Ateneo’s broad and dynamic research culture, increasingly visible beyond the University.

The awards highlighted a new cohort of Outstanding Scholarly Work Awardees from the Ateneo’s nine schools, spanning a diverse range of real-world concerns including anti-corruption reform, employment, universal health coverage, migration, education, biotechnology, literature, and even ancient seafaring traditions. Across disciplines, the honorees reflect a shared commitment to scholarship that does not remain confined to the campus, but speaks to public problems and real-world needs.

This year also marked the launch of the University Innovation Awards, recognizing Ateneo researchers who have translated breakthrough ideas into practical solutions. The inaugural awardees represent fields such as nanotechnology, public health systems, and smart machines, underscoring the University’s growing capacity to turn research into impact.

Meanwhile, the Lux in Domino Honorees embody Ateneo’s mission of service through community-grounded research on rural antenatal care, health workforce gaps under universal healthcare, global citizenship education, rice production stagnation, and the links among climate change, religion, and ecological responsibility.

As the Ateneo continues to build its global academic profile, the USWA stands as one of the clearest measures of the scholarly work behind that recognition. Now in its twenty-fifth year, the awards affirm that Ateneo’s place in the THE rankings is anchored not only in institutional reputation, but in the sustained labor of researchers, scholars, artists, innovators, students, and mentors working in service of knowledge and the common good.