OpenSesame is thrilled to announce the winners of The Sesames, our annual awards program honoring the publishers, partners, and customers who are shaping the future of workplace training. Winners were selected through a rigorous process that measured factors including data analysis, learner feedback, and quantifiable results. The Sesames celebrate leaders who are addressing workforce challenges with creativity and impact, inspiring organizations to rethink how training can transform their teams.
Customer awards: Recognizing transformative training initiatives
The Sesames Customer Awards celebrate organizations leveraging training to achieve measurable business outcomes while inspiring excellence in learning and development.
The Excellence in Data-Driven Learning Programs award recognizes customers who leverage analytics and insights to improve training outcomes. Align Technology won this award for their Learner Feedback Project, which drove a 49.2 percent increase in engagement and delivered hundreds of certifications to employees across 47 countries. Recognition in this category also included Healthesystems and Williston Financial Group.
The Most Impactful Upskilling Program award honors customers who develop initiatives that empower employees to meet new challenges and opportunities. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated received this recognition for its Summer of Learning campaign, which inspired its workforce to grow through curated eLearning paths and tailored training aligned with company priorities. Over 2,000 course engagements and nearly 1,000 voluntary learning hours highlighted the program’s success. Recognition in this category also included Home Partners and County of Washoe, Nevada.
The Leader in Frontline Employee Development award celebrates customers who excel in equipping frontline employees with critical skills for success. Spire earned this honor for its 16-week Leading the Field program, which blended OpenSesame courses, custom in-house content, and instructor-led sessions to build key leadership capabilities. The program drove measurable changes in team productivity and employee performance. Bunzl North America and South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority were also recognized in this category.
The Outstanding Leadership Development Program award recognizes innovative, successful leadership training initiatives. Hines received this award for its globally accessible LEAD program, which combines OpenSesame courses, live Master Classes, and multilingual content to empower employees to grow as leaders at all levels. Participation rates, positive feedback, and career success stories highlight the program’s far-reaching impact. Recognition in this category also included PDMI and KerberRose.
Summarizing the achievements, Stuart Finn, Senior Vice President & Chief Customer Officer, said, “Our customers are redefining what it means to drive business success through learning. These award winners exemplify the transformative power of strategic training investments, inspiring organizations everywhere.”
Publisher awards: Excellence in online learning content
The Sesames Publisher Awards celebrate those transforming workplace learning by creating engaging and impactful training content.
The Innovator of the Year award recognizes a publisher who pioneers groundbreaking content, learning methodologies, or technology. This year’s winner, Assemble You, stood out for its innovative audio learning methodologies that empower learners to build skills anytime, anywhere. Their mobile-first Microsoft series, designed to engage younger audiences, has set a new standard for inclusivity and accessibility in training. But they aren’t the only innovators in town; finalists for this award included Vim and Vibe Productions, VinciWorks, and Pineapple Academy, all of whom made valuable contributions to driving innovation.
The Rising Star Award honors an emerging or flourishing publisher who demonstrates significant impact and potential in the learning industry. EasyLlama earned this year’s award for its rapid growth and ability to create high-quality, learner-focused solutions. In its first year in the OpenSesame library, EasyLlama delivered innovative training that resonated with diverse audiences, solidifying its position as a standout contributor. Finalists for this award included Ally Safety and PMI – Process Management International, who also demonstrated impressive growth and innovation.
The Collaborative Impact Award recognizes a publisher who excels in partnership, responsiveness to changing training needs, and prioritization of learners. The Jeff Havens Company, a trusted partner since 2012, earned this award for their adaptability and commitment to addressing evolving training gaps. By consistently collaborating with OpenSesame, they have delivered lasting value to learners and organizations. Finalists for this award included Mindscaling, TED, Mind Channel, and SunShower Learning, each of whom demonstrated exceptional collaboration and responsiveness.
The Learner’s Choice Award celebrates a publisher with the highest learner satisfaction, as voted directly by the OpenSesame community. PINKTUM was this year’s winner, earning admiration from learners worldwide for its engaging, impactful approach to training. Their ability to deliver meaningful, high-quality training that resonates globally sets them apart. Finalists for this award included On This Topic and Simon Sez IT, who also received high praise from learners.
“Publishers like these are the heart of OpenSesame,” reflects Spencer Thornton, Senior Vice President of Curation. “Their innovation, commitment to quality, and learner-focused approaches demonstrate the transformative power of great content in driving workplace success.”
Partner awards: fostering collaboration and growth
The Sesames Partner Awards recognize organizations that drive exceptional value through collaboration, alignment with OpenSesame’s vision, and shared customer success.
The New Partner of the Year award celebrates a partner who makes a significant impact within their first year of collaboration. This year’s winner, UKG, generated substantial revenue, endeavored to integrate all of OpenSesame’s solutions across their platforms in order to embed learning into the flow of work, and demonstrated the potential for ground-breaking partnerships.
The Growth Partner of the Year award honors a partner with remarkable year-over-year growth in revenue and joint customer acquisition. Docebo earned this award by delivering enriched, high-value learning opportunities through the integration of OpenSesame’s extensive catalog in their Content Marketplace, empowering organizations globally to meet modern workforce challenges.
The Go-to-Market Excellence Award recognizes a partner who excels in aligning their commercial strategies with OpenSesame to deliver measurable impact. 360Learning stood out for its collaborative campaigns, “better together” philosophy, and strong alignment, which has driven shared growth and customer success with hundreds of joint customers.
The Collaboration Excellence Award highlights a partner who fosters a culture of teamwork, innovation, and mutual success. Engagedly earned this recognition for its outstanding co-selling initiatives, creative marketing campaigns, and consistent support of OpenSesame’s objectives. Their ability to innovate while staying aligned with OpenSesame has driven strong results across both organizations.
Rebeca Mesa, Vice President of Partnerships, shared, “These partnerships are essential to transforming the learning landscape. Each winner represents what is possible when collaboration, creativity, and alignment come together to achieve shared success.”
Looking ahead: Celebrating the future of learning
Congratulations to all the winners and runners up! Each of you exemplifies excellence in workplace learning, inspiring organizations worldwide to reimagine how training can transform their workforce.
To the OpenSesame community: stay tuned for more stories from The Sesames 2025 and beyond. Let’s continue to innovate, collaborate, and empower employees everywhere to achieve their full potential.
