Judge the AITD Excellence Awards
If you are a subject matter expert who is keen to volunteer your time to participate in our annual awards program as a judge, AITD would love to hear from you!
Judging the AITD Excellence Awards is a great way to give back to your profession and see first-hand the innovations that are happening in learning and organisational development. Judges are also instrumental in making recommendations to improve our awards each year, maintaining the high calibre of AITD's awards program.
Express Interest in Judging
To offer your time and expertise to judge the AITD Excellence Awards, please complete the expression of interest form by Wednesday 30 December 2026. AITD will review expressions of interest and may seek additional information. Judging assignments will be confirmed in due course.
Expression of interest form closes Wednesday 30 December 2026.
About the Awards
The AITD Excellence Awards recognise achievement in training, learning and organisational development. These awards celebrate and acknowledge those who have made a significant contribution to the profession through innovative learning initiatives.
In 2027, there are nine award categories that require volunteer judges:
2027 Award Categories
- Best Blended Learning Solution
- Best Use of AI in Learning & Development
- Best Use of Technology for Learning
- Best Leadership Development Program
- Best Capability Building Program
- Best Onboarding or Induction Program
- Best Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Program
- Best Learning Culture in an Organisation
- Best learning impact or measurement strategy
The Judging Process
- Applicants submit their entries via an online awards platform by the closing date of Wednesday 30 December 2026. All entries are initially screened by AITD staff to ensure the applications are complete and all eligibility requirements are met.
- Judges are then assigned to a category, based on their subject matter expertise. Comprehensive checks are made to ensure there are no conflicts of interest between the judges and the nominees. Confidentiality agreements are signed by all judges prior to accessing the awards materials.
- Each category is assigned a panel of 3-5 judges depending on the volume of applications. The judges will independently assess applications via the online awards portal and provide feedback on each entry.
- Once the panel has reviewed all the applications assigned to them, the judges will participate in a virtual meeting(s) to discuss the applications and form a consensus on the finalists, highly commended and winners.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much time is required to judge the awards? While it depends on the volume of applications for each category, we estimate that it may take approximately 20 hours over the course of 2 weeks in late January to early February 2026. This includes time to review the submissions, assess all the nominations and form a consensus among the judging panel. However, as judging will take place online via the AITD awards portal, judges do not need to travel to meet face-to-face.
Do I have to be an AITD member to volunteer? We are looking for subject matter experts who can objectively assess nominations and have a good understanding of contemporary best practice in the chosen category. Current AITD members are highly encouraged to apply; however, volunteers are not required to be members.
If I want to be a judge, can I still enter the awards? To ensure there are no conflicts of interest between judges and nominees, you cannot participate as a judge in a category in which you have submitted a learning initiative. You may, however, judge a category that you are not entered for as judges only have visibility of the category they are judging.
Am I able to judge more than one category? Yes; however, AITD will assign a maximum of two categories to one judge to ensure the commitment is manageable.
Can I promote that I am an awards judge? No. AITD awards judges are anonymous to protect the integrity of the judging process. You are not able to promote your involvement in the judging process and are required to adhere to strict confidentiality requirements.
Do I get paid for judging these awards? No, our awards judges are volunteers and are not remunerated.
Any Other Questions
Please contact the AITD team at events@aitd.com.au or on 02 9211 9414 if you have any questions about the awards.