What are the Global Academic Awards? The awards are held simultaneously with the Summer Olympics Games to recognize nations with the best education system from early childhood to college graduations.South Korea edged out Russia for the First Global Academic Awards that links education with major international sporting events. As the world is captivated by national team performances, NJ MED’s launched its awards this year to gain exposure for their support of the UN Sustainable Development Goal education mission during the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo.