Submissions open October 1, 2026

Celebrating the teams building real skills and real capability.

The Sesames is OpenSesame's annual awards program honoring the customers, publishers, and partners shaping the future of workplace training. We celebrate the programs and teams helping people build the skills they need to succeed today and prepare for what's next. Share your story and tell us about the impact you've made.

Start your application

Terms & Conditions

Days

Hours

Mins

Secs

until submissions open

Submissions open

Oct 1, 2026

Submission deadline

Dec 15, 2026

Application review

Dec 16, 2026 to Jan 10, 2027

Winners announced

Week of Jan 18, 2027

Why apply

Give your team’s work the recognition it deserves within your organization and across the learning community.

Internal proof for your program

An external validation point you can bring to leadership to justify budget or expand a program.

Visibility for your team

Highlight your team’s impact and give the people behind your learning program greater visibility for the outcomes they’ve achieved.

A story worth telling

Winners get featured across OpenSesame's blog, website, and social channels, plus webinars and customer panels that put your team in front of the industry.

Celebrate in person

Winners will be recognized on stage at the 2027 OpenSesame Catalyst Club in Los Cabos, Mexico, with travel and accommodations included for one customer representative. See the Terms & Conditions for full prize and guest details.

What's new this year

New categories, more organizations recognized

Enhanced categories create opportunities for a wider range of customers, including global, public sector, nonprofit, and mission-driven organizations, to share their success stories.

Innovation in AI-Enhanced Learning

Recognizing organizations that have successfully enabled employees to understand, adopt, and apply artificial intelligence in meaningful ways. This award celebrates learning programs that leverage their investment in OpenSesame to build AI literacy, develop practical skills, and support the responsible use of AI tools across the organization.

Leader in Frontline Employee Development

Recognizing organizations that have advanced the growth, performance, and success of frontline employees through learning programs that incorporate OpenSesame content. This award honors initiatives that create meaningful opportunities for frontline teams to develop skills, improve performance, and thrive in their roles.

Learning Impact Award

Recognizing organizations that have achieved measurable business or workforce outcomes through learning programs that incorporate OpenSesame content. This award celebrates teams that clearly connect learning initiatives to results such as improved engagement, productivity, retention, operational performance, or organizational growth.

Excellence in Leadership & Manager Development

Recognizing organizations that have elevated manager and leadership effectiveness through learning initiatives that incorporate OpenSesame content. This award honors programs that develop the skills needed to lead teams, coach employees, and drive strong organizational performance at scale.

Excellence in Learning Creation & Customization

Recognizing organizations that have improved learning effectiveness, relevance, and workforce outcomes by creating or customizing learning content to meet the unique needs of their employees. This award celebrates innovative approaches to adapting learning experiences, incorporating organization-specific knowledge, and delivering training that drives meaningful learner and business impact.

Community Impact Through Learning Award

Recognizing public sector, nonprofit, and mission-driven organizations that have strengthened their workforce and expanded their impact through learning initiatives that incorporate OpenSesame content. This award celebrates programs that help employees better serve communities, constituents, and the people who depend on them.

Best in Show

Awarded to the organization demonstrating exceptional achievement across multiple dimensions of learning impact, innovation, workforce development, and learner success.

Learning Journey Award

Recognizing organizations that invest in the growth of their people by creating meaningful opportunities to learn and develop. This award celebrates an individual learner nominated by their employer who has embraced that opportunity, demonstrating an exceptional commitment to continuous learning through professional development, course completion, career growth, and a lasting impact on their team or organization.

Last year's winners

A few of the organizations shaping the future of workplace training.

First Solar

Excellence in AI-Driven Learning Award

‍

First Solar created personalized, role-based learning paths supported by AI tools including Synthesia and Canva AI. The program drove more than 215 global AI course completions in a single quarter, with voluntary participation outpacing required training.

Alorica

Leader in Frontline Employee Development Award

‍

Alorica developed Spanish-language leadership pathways to strengthen coaching, communication, and emotional intelligence skills among frontline employees in a new market. The program trained 200 employees, contributed to 33 internal manager promotions, and achieved 85% retention.

Atria

Leadership Development Program Award

‍

Atria's six-month Rise Leadership Program combines OpenSesame courses with instructor-led sessions, coaching, and real-world application. The program has driven measurable behavior change in leadership communication, coaching confidence, and performance management.

Frequently asked questions

Have questions about The Sesames or the application process? Start here.

Who is eligible to apply?

Current OpenSesame Plus customers in good standing as of October 1, 2026, are eligible to apply.

How long does the application take?

Most applicants finish within 20 to 30 minutes.

Can I submit more than one category?

Yes. If your program fits more than one category, you're welcome to submit a separate application for each.

Who reviews the applications?

A jury of OpenSesame leaders and practitioners scores every submission against the same rubric.

What makes a strong submission?

The strongest submissions pair a clear program story with hard numbers, things like completion rates, ROI, or eNPS shifts, rather than relying on qualitative feedback alone.

When and how are winners notified?

Finalists are notified by email ahead of the public announcement. Winners are announced on the date listed above.

Where can I read the full rules?

Full eligibility, judging, and usage rights details are in the Terms & Conditions linked at the top and bottom of this page.

You've done the work. Now share your story.

Applications close December 15, 2026, and take about 20 minutes to complete.

Start your application

Read Terms & Conditions

Questions about the awards program? Reach out to us at awards@opensesame.com