Four international wins. One evolving story. And another proud moment for The Overseas School of Colombo.
The Overseas School of Colombo (OSC) has once again been recognised on the global stage, earning Bronze at the prestigious International ARC Awards for its 2024/25 annual report, Cultivating Change, Inspiring Futures. The accolade marks OSC’s fourth ARC Award recognition – a milestone that celebrates not only the quality of the publication, but the remarkable community and stories at its heart.
Celebrating its landmark 40th year in 2026, the International ARC Awards, organised by MerComm, Inc., is the world’s largest annual report competition and is widely regarded as the “Oscars of Annual Reports”. Presented at a gala celebration in New York City, the awards recognise excellence in annual reporting, corporate communication, creativity and transparency among organisations around the world. Past winners have included global names such as PepsiCo, McDonald’s, IBM, The Coca-Cola Company, Nike, Boeing and BMW, placing OSC among an extraordinary international field.
For OSC, however, an annual report has never been simply a collection of achievements, statistics and growth metrics. It is something beyond the numbers and accolades: an opportunity to capture an actual year in the life of the school – the ideas explored, challenges embraced, progress made and the people who are at its epicentre who continue to move the community forward.
“Recognition at the ARC Awards for a fourth time is incredibly meaningful for OSC, particularly because our Annual Report has never simply been about documenting a year of achievements,” said Jehan de Silva, Director of Marketing and Communications at The Overseas School of Colombo. “It is about telling the story of our school with honesty, creativity and purpose, while holding ourselves to the highest standards of transparency and communication. To have that work recognised on the global stage, alongside some of the world’s most respected organisations, is something our entire community can take great pride in.”
At the heart of this award-winning story is a simple but powerful idea: growth must be cultivated.
The theme Cultivating Change, Inspiring Futures. takes inspiration from the tea plant – deeply rooted in Sri Lanka’s landscape and history, yet also a compelling symbol of patience, resilience, care, and renewal.
For OSC, that symbolism reaches even deeper.
The tea plant creates a bridge between the school’s earliest roots in Sri Lanka’s hill country, the extraordinary sustainability journey unfolding across OSC today, and the young people being prepared to inherit and shape the world of tomorrow. Its journey from tender sapling to flourishing plant also echoes the experience of a child at OSC: nurtured within the right environment, encouraged to explore and grow, and gradually developing the confidence and resilience to flourish.
“The tea plant gave us a powerful connection between OSC’s earliest roots in Sri Lanka’s hill country, the extraordinary sustainability work taking place across our school today, and our responsibility to the generations that will follow us,” Jehan explained. “Like education itself, meaningful growth doesn’t happen overnight. It requires patience, care, the right environment and people who are prepared to nurture it.”
That philosophy can be seen across the OSC campus.
As an Eco-School, sustainability is not treated as an occasional campaign or conversation. It is woven through learning, student action and everyday school culture, giving students opportunities to understand that meaningful change can begin with the choices they make within their own community.
OSC’s sustainability journey has also earned the institution the Eco-Schools Green Flag Award, the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA-CESS) Programme of Distinction in Sustainability, and recognition as a UNESCO Greening Education Partnership exemplar.
These achievements give Cultivating Change, Inspiring Futures. its substance. The theme is not simply a creative metaphor; it reflects something already taking root across the school.
Established in 1957, OSC is Sri Lanka’s only International Baccalaureate (IB) Continuum School and today brings together a vibrant community representing more than 40 nationalities. Across generations, its story has continued to evolve while remaining grounded in learning, international mindedness, community and a responsibility to the world beyond the classroom.
The ARC Awards celebrate excellence in annual reporting and institutional communications among organisations around the world. A fourth award is therefore a proud milestone for OSC, but the recognition ultimately belongs to the community whose work, ideas and experiences fill the pages of its annual report.
“What makes this Bronze award so meaningful is the story behind it. Our Annual Report, Cultivating Change, Inspiring Futures., celebrates a school deeply rooted in Sri Lanka, where students, teachers, staff and parents are working together to create a more sustainable future,” said Nel Capadona, Head of School at The Overseas School of Colombo. “To have their efforts recognised on the international stage is something we can all be proud of.”
For OSC, four wins on the global stage are cause for celebration. But perhaps the greater triumph lies in what those awards continue to recognise: a school unafraid to grow, a community determined to make a difference, and generations of young people being given the roots to belong – and the compassion, courage, and curiosity to reach far beyond them.
Cultivating Change, Inspiring Futures. may tell the story of one remarkable year. Yet its real promise lies in all the stories still waiting to flourish and grow.
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