Playbook
How to win a learning award: evidence beats storytelling
You win a Learning & Development award by proving a baseline, a designed intervention, and a business outcome — then matching one AEA Awards category. Judges score impact, not production value. Nominations open on 20 October 2026.
What actually wins
Advice about videos and celebrity judges will not help you here. AEA Awards uses independent MENA panels, published rubrics, and a bias toward numbers a CFO would recognize.
Winning entries name the problem in operational language (time-to-competence, regrettable attrition, safety, localization of critical roles), show what changed in the learning system, and report results with a time window and a comparison group or prior year.
Category fit and preparation
Category fit is half the score. A leadership pipeline does not belong in gamification. A vendor platform case needs client outcomes, not feature lists. Read the category page before you write a word.
Start now: assign an evidence owner, pull 12 months of HRIS or LMS data, and register your interest so you are not scrambling in October.
Five steps to a winning entry
- 1
Pick one outcome metric
Choose a number a board already watches: productivity, quality, safety, localization, or leadership coverage. Ignore vanity completions.
- 2
Lock a baseline and a window
Document the pre-program figure and the 6–18 month comparison. Name the data source (HRIS, LMS, or operations).
- 3
Match one category
Review the award categories and select the one whose criteria match your primary outcome. Do not force-fit.
- 4
Write for judges, not marketing
Replace adjectives with mechanisms: who learned, how practice changed, and what managers did differently.
- 5
Register and submit on time
Register your interest now, then submit when nominations open on 20 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Do we need a video to win? +
No. Optional media can illustrate, but scoring is driven by written evidence and metrics. A weak video cannot rescue a metric-free narrative.
Can a first-time nominee win? +
Yes. AEA Awards does not require prior shortlists. First-time programs with clean evidence regularly outperform famous brands with thin data.
How many categories should we enter? +
Enter the fewest categories with distinct evidence. One outstanding entry beats three recycled essays.
What is the main reason entries lose? +
No baseline. “We trained 4,000 people” is activity. “Time-to-productivity fell from 90 to 55 days versus last year’s cohort” is a nomination.
When can we submit? +
Nominations open on 20 October 2026. Register your interest now for portal access and reminders.
2027 cycle
Register your interest before nominations open on 20 October 2026
AEA Awards is the MENA Learning & Development benchmark. Leave your details and we will remind you when the entry window opens.