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2025 BEST Application

ATD BEST Awards 

BEST Awards

2025 BEST Awards Application

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About ATD BEST Awards

Award winners must demonstrate that they are excellent in many aspects of talent development:

Awards - BEST - Information

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Why BEST

Benefits of Applying

Recognition for Winners

Congratulations to the 2024 BEST Award Winners!

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ATD BEST Awards: Why Apply + Tips for Your Application Webinar

Why Apply and Tips for Your Application

Get the Toolbox You Need to Design for All LearnersDesign for All Learners empowers instructional designers, trainers, and all talent development professionals to create learning experiences that are accessible to and inclusive of all people. Learn from practitioners’ vulnerable lived experiences, moving stories, and practical advice. Written with accessibility, inclusion, and L&D experts and edited by Sarah Mercier, this book will help you ensure that individuals can fully participate in the talent development and training programs you offer.Adopt a progress-over-perfection approach, and take steps to build momentum toward accessible, inclusive design. Start with shifting your mindset to consider that all learners are people who have unique experiences, perspectives, backgrounds, and abilities—and that learning design should be built for people, not just to compliance standards. Find what you need to know about designing for the modality you’re using to reach learners—from e-learning and job aids to training in the physical and virtual classroom. Gain a clearer understanding of requirements and standards, and then explore strategic tactics to foster an inclusive mindset throughout your organization.Anyone involved with the practice of design in the learning and development will benefit from the wide range of perspectives and techniques offered, whether you’re a team of one or work in an organization with a variety of resources. If your goal is to become a better designer, developer, teacher, and leader, this book presents a packed toolbox to do so. It will change everything you think you know. Use it as a guide in your journey to accessible, inclusive design for all.

Design for All Learners

Core4 is the premier foundational training and development conference where you’ll learn the fundamentals of instructional design, training delivery and facilitation, evaluating impact, and learning technologies.

ATD Core4 Registration

Measure Learning Impact Despite Limited ResourcesYear after year, talent development professionals report that lack of time, lack of support or partnership from stakeholders, and limited budgets are key barriers to measuring and evaluating their learning programs. Measurement and Evaluation on a Shoestring offers TD professionals a process to measure what matters to the organization with the tools and resources they have available. M&E pro Alaina Szlachta applies the Build-Borrow-Buy approach to provide guidance, quick tips, and shortcuts for making measurement easier while still demonstrating the value and impact of organizational learning.With this book, you will learn to ask the right questions, brainstorm metrics to evaluate learning, and build a measurement strategy that fits your needs. It also guides you on integrating measurement and evaluation into your instructional design approach from the beginning as well as using and analyzing data sources you might already have. You’ll discover how to build stakeholder relationships to secure buy-in and when to look beyond your expertise for external support and technology.The Association for Talent Development’s On a Shoestring series helps professionals successfully execute core topics in training and talent development when facing limitations of time, money, staff, and other resources. Using the Build-Borrow-Buy approach to problem solving, this series is designed for practitioners who work as a department of one; for new or “accidental” trainers, instructional designers, and learning managers who need fast, inexpensive access to practical strategies that work; and for those who work for small organizations or in industries that have limited training and development resources.

Measurement and Evaluation on a Shoestring

The ATD SELL conference focuses on bringing together the best practices and strategies across sales training, tools and technology, and processes needed to drive incremental sales performance. 

ATD SELL Registration

Design Effective E-Learning Courses Despite Limited Resources
Have you suddenly been asked to put together an e-learning course, but you have limited experience, time, or resources to do so? This happens often, and you’re not alone. E-Learning Design on a Shoestring offers talent development professionals a process for designing and developing e-learning courses, without breaking the bank. E-learning expert Marina Arshavskiy applies the Build-Borrow-Buy approach to provide guidance, quick tips, and shortcuts for creating meaningful asynchronous learning experiences.With this book, you will learn to tap into learner motivation and engagement; create e-learning scripts, storyboards, and prototypes; and build inexpensive yet effective interactivity in your courses. It also guides you on saving time and money by auditing existing e-learning content and creating reusable content. You’ll discover how to manage e-learning projects efficiently, select technology that meets your course needs, and secure buy-in for current and future e-learning efforts.The Association for Talent Development’s On a Shoestring series helps professionals successfully execute core topics in training and talent development when facing limitations of time, money, staff, and other resources. Using the Build-Borrow-Buy approach to problem solving, this series is designed for practitioners who work as a department of one; for new or “accidental” trainers, instructional designers, and learning managers who need fast, inexpensive access to practical strategies that work; and for those who work for small organizations or in industries that have limited training and development resources.

E-Learning Design on a Shoestring

ATD OrgDev will provide you with the skills needed to develop employee programs at all levels and throughout their employment lifecycle. You’ll learn innovative methods at all levels to manage the ever-increasing rate of change in today’s workplace.

ATD OrgDev Registration

During the Forum’s 2024 Fall Lab, we will showcase how some members create integrated talent ecosystems to catalyze employee engagement and thus influence performance-based results and success at the business level.

ATD Forum Registration

Demonstrate the value of training to clients and stakeholders.Training is often the first item to be stricken from the budget in tough economic times. Yet, with increasing global competition and new methods of doing business, including the use of new technologies, training is as imperative as ever, and showing the value of it crucial.Volume 4 of Train the Trainer, Measurement and Evaluation: Demonstrate Your Program’s Impact and Value, features essential new issues, along with evergreen material from TD at Work’s most popular issues. It gives trainers the tools to evaluate the success of their learning solution and explain the benefits of training to key stakeholders, including the C-suite. This collection includes 15 TD at Work issues, including: “The Four Levels of Evaluation—An Update” “Surveys From Start to Finish”“Get the Whole Picture With a Performance Assessment”“The Missing Link in Learning: Transfer”“Executive Dashboards to Win Over the C-Suite”“Project Management for L&D Purposes”“Preparing Your Organization for New Technologies”Volume 4 comes complete with job aids, case studies, and references that readers can use immediately.About the Train the Trainer VolumesThe Train the Trainer Volumes contain the most popular TD at Work guides about training and talent development. The four volumes include: Train the Trainer, Second Edition, Volume 1: Foundations and Delivery: Become a Successful TrainerTrain the Trainer, Second Edition, Volume 2: Instructional Design: Captivate Your LearnersTrain the Trainer Volume 3: Training Programs: Create a Culture of Learning and Maximize Your Organization's PotentialTrain the Trainer, Second Edition, Volume 4: Measurement and Evaluation: Demonstrate Your Program’s Impact and ValueYou can purchase them separately or together as a set. Each volume includes 15 issues, is available in print or as a PDF, and serves as a solid foundation for any training department or trainer. The revised volumes consist of 95 percent new content that will help talent development professionals stay on top of industry shifts.

Train the Trainer, Second Edition, Volume 4: Measurement and Evaluation: Demonstrate Your Program’s Impact and Value

An excellent starter pack for a training department of any size, Train the Trainer Volume 1, second edition: Foundations and Delivery: Become a Successful Trainer, delivers practical wisdom and essential tools designed to address the immediate needs of new trainers or serves as a refresher for more seasoned trainers. From designing learner-centered instruction to managing difficult participants, it covers core capabilities that all trainers must master to deliver top learning experiences, both in person and online.Among the 15 TD at Work issues are:“Basic Training for Trainers”“Great Presentations”“Icebreakers: Be Strategic”“Tap Memory Strategies for Learning Success”“Prioritize Inclusivity in Your Training Sessions”“Principles for Brain-Friendly Learning”“6 Steps to Moving Your Training Online”Volume 1 comes complete with job aids, case studies, and references that readers can use immediately.About the Train the Trainer VolumesThe Train the Trainer Volumes contain the most popular TD at Work guides about training and talent development. The four volumes include: Train the Trainer, Second Edition, Volume 1: Foundations and Delivery: Become a Successful TrainerTrain the Trainer, Second Edition, Volume 2: Instructional Design: Captivate Your LearnersTrain the Trainer Volume 3: Training Programs: Create a Culture of Learning and Maximize Your Organization's PotentialTrain the Trainer, Second Edition, Volume 4: Measurement and Evaluation: Demonstrate Your Program’s Impact and ValueYou can purchase them separately or together as a set. Each volume includes 15 issues, is available in print or as a PDF, and serves as a solid foundation for any training department or trainer. The revised volumes consist of 95 percent new content that will help talent development professionals stay on top of industry shifts.

Train the Trainer, Second Edition, Volume 1: Foundations and Delivery: Become a Successful Trainer

Volume 2 of Train the Trainer, Instructional Design: Captivate Your Audience, helps you design and deliver training that sticks by using fundamental adult learning techniques, including the use of digital and social tools for learning, engagement, and collaboration. This volume pulls together 15 of TD at Work’s most popular issues featuring essential information and material on instructional design. It provides the techniques trainers need to design and implement effective training solutions and comes complete with job aids, resources, case studies, and references. Issues include:“Learner Personas: Beyond Demographics”“And Action: Start Rolling With Mobile Video”“Welcome Neurodiversity”“Secrets to Successful SME Projects”“A Framework for Immersive Learning”“Self-Directed Learning Made Simple”“Building Compliance Training That Actually MattersAbout the Train the Trainer VolumesThe Train the Trainer Volumes contain the most popular TD at Work guides about training and talent development. The four volumes include: Train the Trainer, Second Edition, Volume 1: Foundations and Delivery: Become a Successful TrainerTrain the Trainer, Second Edition, Volume 2: Instructional Design: Captivate Your LearnersTrain the Trainer, Second Edition, Volume 3: Training Programs: Create a Culture of Learning and Maximize Your Organization's PotentialTrain the Trainer, Second Edition, Volume 4: Measurement and Evaluation: Demonstrate Your Program’s Impact and ValueYou can purchase them separately or together as a set. Each volume includes 15 issues, is available in print or as a PDF, and serves as a solid foundation for any training department or trainer. The revised volumes consist of 95 percent new content that will help talent development professionals stay on top of industry shifts.

Award winners must demonstrate that they are excellent in many aspects of talent development:

Talent development has an enterprise-wide role: involved in the executive team, creating solutions to business issues, and setting organizational strategy.

Learning has value in the organization's culture: learning opportunities for employees, C-level involvement, learning for growth of the organization, and innovation.

Learning links to individual and organizational performance: alignment with the business, efficiency, measurement of the effectiveness of learning, and success with non-training solutions for business needs.

Investment is made in talent development and performance initiatives.

Apply Today!

BEST Awards