NatWest x Learning Pool: Pay and Bonus Decisions

This gold winner put people first while keeping technology at the centre. With bold leadership and smart design, they tackled real-world complexity and delivered meaningful, scalable impact — a powerful example of innovation with heart.

Avon x Thrive: Beauty Advisor Programme

Our silver winner delivered a very well-structured submission with powerful data points. The breadth of impact across individual learners and organisational metrics, combined with thoughtful technology integration supporting that design thinking, made this a standout submission.

Springpod

Our bronze winner demonstrated exceptional commitment to challenging existing practice and creating systemic change through partnerships. The judges were particularly impressed by characteristics of high-performing learning strategy often ignored: community, engagement, stakeholders, and bigger picture thinking.

EPAM: Empowering Talent through AI-Powered Language Assessment

A smart, well-planned project that used AI to enhance the human touch. Driven by passion and purpose, it delivered meaningful results — saving time, engaging learners, and proving the power of thoughtful innovation.

IPSEN: From Insight to Impact: Ipsen's Microlearning Revolution

This project showed great command and use of data for the benefit of the individual and the organisation. It was a well-considered solution, where digital content was backed up with role plays and coaching sessions, to good effect.

Alliander x Digital Chefs: Join the Grid

The judges liked that this was a totally different approach to onboarding. It was clearly based on people first, with technology used to reinforce this.

RESILIENCE: Transforming Medicines Manufacturing Skills in the UK

A very ambitious project that impressed the judges with its stellar use of technology to meet its stated outcomes. Impact data was well-articulated and the use of innovation to address crucial skills shortages shone through in the submission.

The Learning Lab x SELCA: Early Cancer Diagnosis Training

An extremely well-researched and designed project with specific needs addressed by the solution. The judges particularly liked the inclusion of patients and their families’ videos. The submission was backed up by a strong presentation that delivered success data in a very impactful way.

Nova Scotia Career Development Association: Case Management

This project clearly addressed a very specific skills shortage and the process followed, from analysis to evaluation, including the involvement of stakeholders, was an exemplary example of learning design best practice. The judges were also impressed by the enthusiasm brought by the presenters. 

NatWest x Learning Pool: Pay and Bonus Decisions

An immersive learning experience that surprises, challenges and engages. A superb learning design that brilliantly simplifies complexity to create an extremely effective tool for improving performance. Very impressive!

Lloyds Banking Group x Make Real: This Is Me

Beautifully crafted and sensitively executed, this was an excellent example of learning design. Every choice felt deliberate and well-considered, powerfully reinforcing its key messages.

Calor x The Edge: CARE

Highly imaginative and expertly executed, this entry showcased the power of video to convey a message and influence behaviour. 

Q-CTRL's Black Opal

A very impressive project that takes the hugely complex topic of quantum computing and makes it accessible to all. This thoughtful, beautifully designed and data-driven solution truly has the learner at its heart and is a clear winner. Through Black Opal, Q-CTRL is making a huge impact in opening this exciting new field to many more people worldwide.

eLaHub: Designing Accessible Learning Content Programme

The judges loved this programme that supports learning designers worldwide in designing more accessible content. The extremely well-thought through design, focus on the learner experience and commitment to continuous improvement make this project a worthy silver winner.

ABN AMRO Bank x Next Learning Valley x UP learning

The judges were impressed by this project's strong focus on data, which enabled them to very effectively iterate and improve the solution. The highly personalised approach that they have designed has reinvigorated knowledge, skills and attitudes around risk at the bank.

HOT and Safer Business Network: WAVE E-Learning Initiative

This project really stood out! A thoughtful design approach that combined graphic-novel style imagery with purposeful interactions to address a sensitive topic. It had clear evidence of behaviour change and application of learning.

NIHR x Cappfinity: Leadership Development e-learning

The team caught the judges' eye with creative hooks, practical examples, and meaningful reflection moments that bring leadership principles to life in a relatable way for a broad and underrepresented audience.

Pablo Media x NRC: The Energy Efficiency Challenge

Careful consideration of the audience and how best to engage them came through strongly with this project, brought to life with creative animation and an immersive challenge. The attention to detail in both the visuals and the mechanics of the challenge were particularly impressive.

i-Coach AI: Enterprise Learning through an Agentic Infrastructure

A truly innovative approach and a worthy Gold winner, this entry expertly blends technical excellence with a deep understanding of learning and performance enablement for sales professionals. Imparta’s i-Coach AI represents a thoughtful and sophisticated innovation in the field and a masterclass in driving value and impact at scale. 

London Business School x Make Real: AI for Storytelling Practice

This entry shows an innovative and impactful use of AI to help leaders master one of the most important capabilities that's difficult to personalise at scale: telling their story authentically and effectively. The judges were impressed by how the team overcame complex hurdles to bring this to life, creating a powerful and scalable model for developing this critical leadership skill. An outstanding Silver winner.

KPMG UK: Introducing 'Spark' - our AI learning assistant

‘Spark' is a truly impressive enterprise-scale deployment of a personalised learning system and a strong example of using AI successfully. The judges were impressed by the solid AI retrieval architecture, the use of AI to address real-world challenges, and the creation of a purposeful learning culture that would not have been possible without it. 

Institute of Technical Education, Singapore

The standout submission for all judges. Clearly meeting the criteria across the board. It was refreshing to see AI applied to a business critical manufacturing challenge with imagination and great design thinking. The approach to implementation has notable benefits for learner education and safety.

Novac Technology Solutions: Migoto-AI powered training solutions

The judges thought this project was an excellent example of innovation providing new possibilities for learning and realising transformational efficiencies. A strong method with equally strong data to demonstrate value.

Bongo Learn: Unlocking Sales Readiness at Scale

This submission showed a clear rationale for the adoption of AI to address a specific business need. The judges found that the initiative has created impressive efficiencies for ServiceNow and transformed the operation.

University of Cambridge Online: Creativity and Problem Solving

This entry demonstrates strong academic rigour and thoughtful design, showing a clear commitment to peer learning and creative problem-solving with well-integrated social and collaborative tools to support engagement and collaborative skill-building. The programme has good impact measures in place and clearly demonstrated improvements in how participants approach problem situations. 

Folio: A global network of students, by UOC.edu

This project uses large-scale, open-source tools to foster identity, peer interaction, and public knowledge sharing beyond traditional university boundaries. The approach is scalable and encourages social learning and self-sustaining community behaviour, with strong qualitative evidence highlighting behavioural change and community support.

Yusen Logistics x Busuu: Online Languages

The judges say this is a strong, well-structured programme using tech-enabled cohorts to promote peer learning and cross-border collaboration. The initiative shows clear organisational alignment, with dashboards to monitor engagement and tailored language and planning for different regions. 

Alliander x Digital Chefs: Join the Grid

The judges were impressed by the innovative and creative approach, especially how the map interface aligned with the business objectives and the use of mixed media to support the narrative. This creative foundation also appears to spark meaningful intrigue in learners.

Build Capable XCL: The End of Platform-Dependent Learning

This Gold winner demonstrated how it's possible to innovate and solve a long-standing industry problem. XCL’s impressive, accessible and disruptive tool plugs into existing tech stacks to connect any digital learning experience to analytics. It challenges what a platform is, how it works and how data in learning can be leveraged powerfully. 

Graide: AI Grading and Feedback Platform

The judges were impressed by how Graide uses machine learning to augment the marking process in a transparent, adaptive way, building on the abilities of each individual human marker. Significant efficiency gains were demonstrated and positive feedback from both teachers and students was evident.

Efekta - Supercharging teachers with AI-powered courses

Efekta’s large scale AI Language Learning Platform, designed to work alongside teachers not replace them, impressed the judges by using technology where it adds value, whilst remaining highly human-centred. A very well-executed platform – the way it's packaged and scaled globally is smart and learner-focused.

NHS Blood and Transplant x Make Real: Crossmatching

A very rigorous process and very well created. This submission met all of the criteria to a very high standard and is a worthy Gold winner.

Asda: Simulated Environments for Customer Transformation

A very large and well-thought out program, it was clear to the judges that this was created very well and delivered in a manner that worked within the organisation. The savings and impact were greatly presented.

Cognition Evolve x Box Hill Institute: Cert IV Music Industry

A good simulation and game aimed at a very tough market. The judges felt this was a great use of technology and a worthy Bronze winner!

Qualified to Advise – Holland & Barrett

This mature and highly successful onboarding programme for H&B retail staff demonstrates strong instructional design and effective use of educational technologies. The presentation stood out for its clarity, strong rationale, and compelling data on individual and business impact.

Thinqi and London Business School – LBS Online

This is a thoughtfully designed, research-led programme of study that places learning at its core, offering a rich, three-dimensional educational experience. It blends synchronous and asynchronous digital pedagogy with interactive, collaborative activities, and uses AI tools to enhance design efficiency.

EPAM Campus: Cutting-Edge Online Distance Learning Ecosystem

This global in-house training programme for software engineers is a well-executed and forward-looking initiative, impressively presented with strong data on impact and change. The initiative is clearly focused on talent attraction and retention, showcasing a strategic and future-oriented vision.

Telekom HU x MOME: Data Experiment – A Kaleidoscope of Learning

This project transformed something as abstract as data into a tangible and deeply engaging learning experience. It stood out not just as a data literacy upskilling initiative, but as a powerful piece of employee experience design. Bold, creative, and thought-provoking – a truly deserving Gold winner!

Noble Foods with Esendia: Blended Future Leaders Programme

The judges were impressed by the passion, care, and consideration behind this programme. Noble Foods identified a real business need and addressed it with thoughtful design, excellent execution, and rigorous measurement. Their journey “from famine to feast” in leadership development was inspiring to see – a clear example of how focused intent and great design can transform organisational capability.

Boost: Advancing Social Mobility through Scalable STEM Learning

This was a brilliantly executed solution to a very real learning challenge. The founders’ genuine passion for learning really shone through, and the juges particularly appreciated the responsible use of AI that underpins this programme. The attention to content quality, paired with clever automation to tailor learning to specific curriculums, made this entry stand out for both its scalability and its impact.

British Council x Opencentric: Transforming teaching at scale

This entry demonstrated an impressive commitment to transforming teaching at scale through a carefully designed blended approach. The judges were particularly struck by the alignment between pedagogy and technology, which had been used to empower educators and enhance learning quality. 

ICAS: A future-fit blended pathway to sustainable performance

This project presented a rigorous and forward-looking blended pathway that positioned professional education for long-term impact. The presenters highlighted the strong coherence between digital delivery, applied learning, and professional standards. It offered a model of transformation that modernised learning while preserving the integrity and credibility of the qualification process.

The Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine: Diia.Education

This entry represented a remarkable example of learning design in the service of national resilience and social progress. The judges were impressed by the accessible, scalable, and innovative approach of Diia.Education, which integrated technology with civic purpose.

GB Railfreight x VinciWorks: Compliance Training Transformation

The judges commended this very good presentation, noting how well the presenters stuck to the criteria well, with a clear structure and strong results – the reduction in phishing success rates was particularly impressive. The external audit of phishing strength adds real credibility and shows this is not simply a compliance exercise but a programme driving measurable risk reduction and organisational resilience.

Calor x The Edge: CARE

A brilliantly designed project that has clearly scalable opportunities in the future. The business impact data was impressive, as was the systematic design approach, with the evaluation framework embedded from the outset to specifically meet the project’s needs. The judging panel said this is a powerful solution that the organisation will benefit from for years to come, offering a strong foundation for sustainable compliance and risk management.

Pernod Ricard x TAKOMA: The CARE Agency – Beyond Compliance

A good, well-rounded health and safety entry with clear organisational impact and a very sleek design. The storytelling was strong, and the cultural considerations were well thought through, helping to deliver tangible results. Judges were impressed with how the programme moved beyond simple compliance to embed safer practices and raise awareness across the workforce. 

Efekta Education Group

The judges felt this was a fascinating project and a hugely worthwhile cause! It was fascinating to hear how the platform caters for different competency levels in the same classroom, as well as understanding the benefits to the learners. 

New Leaf Tech x Worth: aNewSpring Implementation

The judging panel thought that this was a very innovative implementation – with innovative features and a good example of driving engagement through the tech at their disposal. An interesting revenue model that doesn't rely on course registrations but rather on course completions, driving the need to make completion as easy as possible for the learner.

Sana x Spryker: When learning becomes the revenue engine

The judges felt that this was a good implementation of an AI search tool along with an augmented authoring system onto an established platform that has driven content authoring and allowed learners to find content more easily. All in all, a solid piece of work, with some good impact metrics.

ECITB: reshaping skills development with OpenSesame

The judges were particularly impressed by this project's clear business case, the intelligent use of technology to enable large-scale change, and the reinvestment of cost savings back into further skills development. An inspiring example of sector-wide transformation through learning technology.

Sodexo Live! Academy: A Systemic Shift in How We Train

This thoughtfully designed digital transformation addressed a clear business challenge with an elegant, learner-centred solution. The judges were impressed by how the team used technology to create a sense of belonging and purpose through localised, accessible content.

ICAS: Reimagining Chartered Accountancy for the digital age

This large-scale digital transformation reimagined a long-standing professional certification for the modern era. The judges commended how the programme integrates technology to make learning more relevant, applied, and reflective, anchoring behavioural transfer and ethical practice at its core. 

David Jordan, Holland & Barrett

A thoroughly well-rounded and thoughtful learning designer, David has significantly helped to raise the profile of learning in his organisation and his work has had a greatly beneficial impact on quality and engagement.

Kayla Lewis, Leeds Building Society

Kayla’s thorough and thoughtful approach to learning design has helped her organisation evolve its learning offering significantly. The judges commended her very positive approach to solving business problems and matching them to learning interventions.

Ilona Jastrzebska, The Access Group

Ilona is to be commended for her versatility across a wide range of industries and topics and her delicate handling of sensitive subjects. She has a strong track record of securing expert collaborators and her work has demonstrably supported business outcomes.

Rajesh Babhania, Henry Ford Academy (Powered by Calex)

This applicant has a huge variety of abilities and displayed an extraordinary level of competence, professionalism, collaboration, and innovation across all projects demonstrated. A credit to his organisation, who very clearly value him and his contribution.

Rob Taylor, Learning Pool

The judges were impressed by Rob's technical achievements, the variety of content he has produced, and the impeccably high standard of his work across all content types.

Zoe Barr, AXA UK

An excellent application, the judges were impressed with the scale and scope of the content created despite technological and organisational limitations.

The Learning Lab

The range of innovative approaches taken by the Learning Lab team to transform cancer care education. Along with Guy’s Cancer Academy, blew the judges away. Involvement of patients, clinicians and the dedicated individuals in the learning lab really proved that a, ecosystem can be much more than the sum of its parts – a worthy gold medal winner!

Marston's PLC, Digital Learning & Development Team

An excellent example of how a small team can evolve and overcome challenges continually learning, supporting each other and collaborating to deliver impactful learning solutions. The judges were particularly impressed at how Marston’s L&D team were able to adapt the existing learning technologies to meet the needs of a wider audience with great results and company-wide recognition.

The Hive Learning Designers - Holland & Barrett

The Hive team are clearly going from strength to strength, supporting changing business and upgrading learning programmes with impressive results and impact. The judges could feel the passion and envision a bright future with the pipeline of learning designers and future ambitions.

Aptem: Apprenticeship Management Platform

Aptem has demonstrated high levels of customer satisfaction with their apprenticeship platform, which translates into superior impacts for learners. The judges were impressed by Aptem’s commitment to inclusivity and  accessibility. The judges also commend Aptem’s sharing of good practice and increasing opportunities for learners throughout the Further Education sector and wider communities.

TalenTeam: Transforming Learning Through Innovation and Impact

The judges felt TalenTeam have delivered several impressive LXP implementations with excellent customer satisfaction. The team has become a key element of the SAP ecosystem and a source of good practice.

Ufi VocTech Trust

Ufi has funded and enabled several learning tech companies that might not otherwise have grown or delivered their results. The judging panel commend Ufi for acting as a catalyst and source of good practice for the whole learning tech sector.