FAQs

What’s new for this year?

The 2026 iteration will open in the spring. Please stay tuned for updates.

All LearningElite finalists will receive a digital badge via Credly and a digital certificate celebrating their recognition.
All application fees include licensing for the LearningElite logo and guidelines for usage.

Who is eligible to apply?

The LearningElite is open to all for-profit, nonprofit, government or academic organizations, regardless of size, location or industry.

• Companies worldwide are encouraged to apply.
• Lines of business are encouraged to apply.
• Academic institutions that apply should reference learning and development provided to employees, staff and faculty (not the student population).
  

I work for a learning vendor. Can I apply?

Vendors can apply if they reference internal learning programs. Vendor applications that solely describe their external learning programs or products are disqualified from ranking and are not included in the benchmark.

While we prefer applications that reference the learning function of the entire enterprise, business units with their own learning function can apply.

How do I apply for the LearningElite?

Online applications are filled out through our nomination entry portal: https://betterworkmedia.awardsplatform.com/

Is there a word limit? Can I include charts and photos on my application?

There is a 12,000-word limit on Part II of the application. Organizations exceeding this limit will be penalized up to a quarter point on their scores. Attachments are allowed and can be added at the bottom of Part II.

Is there a cost to apply? How do I pay?

2025 LearningElite Pricing:
Benchmark: $795

• Includes application fee, digital badge sent via Credly and scorecard.

Benchmark Plus: $1095

• Includes application fee, digital badge sent via Credly, scorecard, copy of the annual LearningElite Best Practices and Benchmarking Report ($795 value), and benchmarking data cut ($1,500 value).
  

Application fees include brand licensing, logo and brand guidelines from Chief Learning Officer. Usage must adhere to the guidelines provided and approved by Chief Learning Officer before use.

Application fees are submitted with a credit card at the awards portal. Your application is not finalized until payment.

Application Fee FAQs:
Which option is right for my organization?

• The Benchmark option is best for first-time organizations and organizations who don’t plan to purchase the annual report or wish to purchase the report later. The 2025 annual report cost is $795.
• The Benchmark Plus option is best for organizations who plan to purchase the report or who wish to get a more granular view of their ranking in relation to other organizations.
  

When will I receive my materials?

• The report, scorecards and custom data cuts will be delivered in late spring, after the winners are announced.
  

Can I invoice my application fee?

• Government and nonprofit organizations can invoice their application fee.
• Contact us for details.

How will data from my LearningElite application be used?

Individual organizational data will be used to establish your organization’s standing in the LearningElite. The BetterWork Media Research and Advisory Group will use application data to generate a personalized scorecard delivered to you after final rankings are announced. LearningElite finalists will be announced in a press release and on ChiefLearningOfficer.com. The top LearningElite organizations will be featured on ChiefLearningOfficer.com.

Summarized and anonymized application data is included in the annual LearningElite benchmarking report.

Who are the judges?

Judges include senior practitioners and solution providers and consultants who are BMG Corporate Members. Most judges have about 10 years’ experience in the learning and development industry. If you are interested in being a judge, please fill out this form.

What is the judging process and criteria?

LearningElite judgeship is open to senior practitioners and learning-solution providers’ executives from any size organization and industry. Judges are vetted prior to the application review process. Many judges participate year after year.

Each application is reviewed by multiple judges to minimize bias. Judges do not review applications from organizations in their industry and may recuse themselves from any application if there is a potential conflict of interest.

Judges are given a detailed set of instructions and a scoring rubric to assist them. Judges rate an organization in each of the five dimensions of the LearningElite model: learning strategy, leadership commitment, learning execution, learning impact and business performance results. For each question, judges assign each question a score from 2 (underdeveloped) to 5 (elite).

How are the winners determined?

Multiple judges’ scores are aggregated to determine the ranked list of LearningElite organizations.

The seven Editor’s Choice awards are determined by the BetterWork Media Group’s Research and Advisory Services. The Editor’s Choice winners scored the highest in each of their respective dimensions. Organizations with fewer than 4,000 employees qualify for Best Small Company, while Best Mid-Size Company is open to organizations with 4,000-8,000 employees.

The Editor’s Choice awards are:

• Learning Strategy
• Leadership Commitment
• Learning Execution
• Learning Impact
• Business Performance
• Best Small Company
• Best Mid-Size Company

When are the winners announced? How are winners notified?

Applicants can expect to be notified of their status via email correspondence. Please note that all correspondence will be sent to the person listed as the primary contact in the application.

An unranked finalist list is also published on ChiefLearningOfficer.com after applicants are notified of their status as a finalist.

The final ranking, including the top recognition, the Organization of the Year, is revealed at the annual LearningElite Gala. Please stay tuned for more information regarding the 2026 LearningElite Gala.

Is there an awards ceremony and is there a cost to attend?

The LearningElite Gala is our annual awards ceremony. You can watch the 2025 LearningElite Gala, which was held virtually, on demand at your convenience using the following link: https://app.events.ringcentral.com/events/2025-learning-elite-awards-ceremony/replay

All LearningElite applicants are encouraged to attend the Gala, and invite their teammates, colleagues, friends and family to tune in and celebrate their achievements.

What do applicants receive?

All applicants receive a custom scorecard featuring a year-over-year comparison and judges’ comments about their application.

Ranked applicants also receive:

• A discount on the LearningElite benchmarking report if Benchmark Plus was not selected during the application process.
• An invitation to the LearningElite Gala.
• Digital badge shared via Credly.
• Application fees include brand licensing, logo and brand guidelines from Chief Learning Officer. Usage must adhere to the guidelines provided and approved by Chief Learning Officer before use.
• A LearningElite digital certificate.

What is the Winner's Circle?

The Winner’s Circle was introduced in 2014 and was retroactively applied to 2013. The Organization of the Year joins the Winner’s Circle for three years. While Winner’s Circle organizations may participate in benchmarking, they aren’t included in the ranking or banding. After three years, the organization is considered out of the Winner’s Circle and may once again participate in the ranking.

Current Winner’s Circle organizations are Nationwide, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, and KPMG. Previous Winner’s Circle organizations (which are once again eligible to participate in the rankings) are ADP, Inc., Verizon, Accenture, AT&T, DAU, Vanguard, Qualcomm Inc. and General Mills.