A wide range of works, innovations, and creative achievements produced by students during Kuliah Kerja Nyata (KKN) Cohort 120 received recognition through the KKN Awards 2026. The awards ceremony was held alongside the Closing/Withdrawal of KKN Cohort 120 at the Multi Purpose Building of UIN Sunan Kalijaga on Tuesday (9/8/2026).

The KKN Awards provide UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta a space to recognize students' contributions and work during their community service. The awards also serve as encouragement for students to continue developing creativity, collaboration, and innovation in applying knowledge to address community needs.

KKN Awards 2026 was officially opened by UIN Sunan Kalijaga Rector, Prof. Noorhaidi Hasan. The Rector commended the initiative of the Institute for Research and Community Service (LPPM) in establishing the awards as both a form of recognition and an incentive for student achievement and creativity.

According to Prof. Noorhaidi, recognizing students' work is important to encourage them not only to complete their service assignments, but also to produce ideas and innovations that can bring real benefit to communities.

KKN Awards 2026 were presented across several categories representing the main areas of student community service: education, harmony and humanitarian care, community economic empowerment, and eco-theology. Beyond group-based awards, recognition was also given through content categories: Most Favorite Reels and Best Reels.

In the category of excellent, inclusive, and integrated education, awards were presented to KKN Lemahputih I, KKN Batur III, and KKN Karanggede.

In the category of harmony and humanitarian care, awards went to KKN Ngondel Kulon, KKN Banjarejo, and KKN Bibis.

The community economic empowerment category recognized KKN Jenawi I, KKN Bakal II, and KKN South Korea.

In the eco-theology category, awards were given to KKN Oro-Oro Ombo I, KKN Guwa Lor I, and KKN Sintang.

Among all the recognized groups, KKN Oro-Oro Ombo I earned the highest honor as Overall Champion for Best KKN Group 2026.

The series of recognitions for KKN students also included several awards from the Directorate of Zakat and Waqf Empowerment, Ministry of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia. These awards recognized students' creativity in raising awareness of zakat and waqf issues throughout their service programs.

Several award categories were related to Zakat and Waqf Literacy activities, including Waqf Education Content, KKN Cheer/Chant Content, Best KUA (Office of Religious Affairs), and Best Zakat and Waqf Organizer (PWZ). The Best Zakat and Waqf Organizer (PWZ) award was presented to the PWZ of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Gunungkidul Regency.

The presence of these awards from the Directorate of Zakat and Waqf Empowerment shows that KKN also serves as a space for student collaboration with various stakeholders in strengthening zakat and waqf literacy and practice within communities.

The KKN Awards are more than just a competition among groups. They also serve as a platform to highlight good practices born from students' process of interacting and working alongside communities.

Through its various categories, the KKN Awards showcase the diverse forms of student contribution, from strengthening education and building harmony and humanitarian concern, to developing community economic potential and bringing an eco-theological perspective to community service.

For UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta, recognizing student work is part of a broader effort to build an academic ecosystem that emphasizes not only achievement within the classroom, but also encourages students to produce work and innovations with real social value.

KKN Awards 2026 thus stands as a marker that students' experience within communities can give rise to work worthy of recognition, while also becoming part of UIN Sunan Kalijaga students' broader contribution to society. (humassk)