January 5, 2026
Opening
Celebrating Transformative Learning Experiences
The D2L Excellence Awards honor the innovation, progress and betterment of learning in the communities we serve. Nominate outstanding individuals and teams shaping the future of learning.
March 27, 2026
Deadline
April 22, 2026
Winners notified
Celebrate Your Impact and Inspire What’s Possible
Gain recognition, grow your influence, and enjoy exclusive award benefits by participating.
Get Recognized
Earn recognition from a customer-led judging panel for your innovation and impact.
Be Seen Globally
Share your story across a variety of digital channels that expand your professional and organizational reach.
Elevate Your Profile
Boost your professional presence with an official award badge, trophy, press release and published case study you can share across your networks.
Unlock Fusion Exclusives
Step into the spotlight at D2L Fusion 2026 with complimentary passes (two for group winners, one for Individual winners), a guaranteed general session and access to additional invite-only experiences.
Celebrate Together
Enjoy a celebratory prize pack and meaningful opportunities to network with fellow innovators, D2L executives and leaders shaping the future of learning.
Everything You Need to Know
D2L Excellence Award Categories
The D2L Excellence Awards are open to anyone using D2L solutions to transform the learner experience across higher education, K-12 and corporate sectors.
Celebrate the Human Story Behind the Innovation
Individual nominations recognize people whose resilience, innovation and leadership are transforming learning with impact that extends beyond their role.
Download the individual nomination form
Why Nominate?
Give a colleague—or yourself—a moment to shine! Celebrate a role model, D2L Champion, or behind-the-scenes superstar who goes above and beyond. Give them the joy of special award experiences, winner perks and professional visibility that come with this award.
Judging Criteria
A customer-led judging panel reviews every nomination using four criteria worth a total of 100 points. Winners are determined by the highest overall scores in each category: Higher education, K–12 and corporate.
- Personal Story: 25 Points
- Solution: 20 Points
- Results: 40 Points
- Values and Leadership: 15 Points
Celebrate the Teams Transforming Learning at Scale
Group nominations recognize the teams, departments or institutions that come together to solve critical challenges, reimagine learning and delivering measurable impact with D2L.
Download the group nomination form
Why Nominate?
Behind every great team achievement is a story of time, effort and shared purpose. If your team has been working tirelessly to reimagine learning and create real impact, a group nomination is a powerful way to celebrate that journey—and amplify your professional visibility.
Judging Criteria
A customer-led judging panel reviews every nomination using four criteria worth a total of 100 points. Winners are determined by the highest overall scores in each category: Higher education, K–12 and corporate.
- Challenge: 20 Points
- Solution: 20 Points
- Results: 50 Points
- Testimonials: 10 Points
How to Enter
- Download the appropriate nomination form: Choose the correct form (individual or group), complete all sections and include any supporting materials.
- Submit your application: Fill out the online application and upload your completed nomination form through the submission portal.
Looking for Inspiration? Meet Past Year Winners
Excellence Award winners represent a diverse community of educators and innovators who transform learning, improve outcomes and inspire progress. Explore their stories to see how proven methodologies and creative solutions can pave the way for broader systemic change.
Northeast Iowa Community College
Transformative Accessibility Hub
A centralized Accessibility Hub simplified accommodation management, reducing staff workload and improving student engagement.
- Leveraging existing interactive Brightspace tools at no additional cost to the college
- Automated delivery of 12,000 personalized messages to 350 students
- Students have accessed accommodation letters over 3,000 times
Upper Grand District School
Agile and Responsive Professional Learning
Adaptable PD system has helped educator effectiveness, and improved student outcomes and teacher satisfaction.
- 67% of students moving out of math risk categories
- 26% improvement in early reading interventions across a 10-week cycle
- 545% access rate among 199 grade 3, and 529% access rate among 140 grade 6 educators in Professional Learning VLE
MGH Institute of Health Professions
Shaping the Future of Healthcare Professionals
The scalable, engaging and self-reflective course evolves each academic year to address contemporary issues in healthcare equity.
- Reached 3,500+ learners over five years
- 93% of participants found the program useful for their professional or educational goals
- 87% of participants reported a change in perspective on health equity-related concepts
Singapore Polytechnic
GenAI Upskilling for Staff
Designed within three months, the GenAI learning package features adaptive learning pathways for foundational and advanced training.
- 1400+ staff upskilled
- 94% completion rate within the first six months
- Increased engagement with AI-related projects, with four staff groups securing national grants
2022 Winners
- Pima Community College
- Sinclair College
- Purdue University West Lafayette
- Energy Safety Canada
- Greater Essex County District School Board
FAQs About D2L Excellence Awards
What are some best practices for preparing a nomination?
You can hear directly from members of our judging committee who will outline best practices, common pitfalls to avoid and guidance on how to prepare your submission.
Is there a limit to submissions per institution?
No, there is no limit to the number of submissions from an institution.
What is the difference between individual nomination and team nomination?
An individual nomination highlights the contributions and accomplishments of a single person, while a team nomination showcases the collective success of a department, group or entire organization. Both types of nominations recognize those who have demonstrated innovation in learning and made a positive impact in their communities.
I have applied to the Excellence Awards in the past. Can I apply with the same project?
We encourage you to apply as projects mature to gather evidence of impact. However, if you are a previous D2L Excellence Award recipient, you will not be able to win an additional award for the same project.
Previous D2L Excellence Award recipients can apply with another project.
What if another customer has a similar use case with Brightspace? Is it worth applying?
We highly encourage you to apply. There is no requirement that something be original or a one-of-kind solution.
Our project is new, and we don’t have detailed impact data yet. Will this affect our submission?
The results criterion for group nominations accounts for 50% of the score. Without sufficient impact data as evidence, a submission would have a tough time scoring highly in this category. Projects with evidence of impact are better positioned to succeed.
How does D2L use the data disclosed in nominations?
We do not require student or learner data. To show evidence of impact, previous nominations have opted to include bulk anonymized data. Some examples include metrics such as NPS scores, course completion rates, enrollment and engagement levels and resource savings.
Questions? Please send us an email.