AI is changing how organizations learn, work, and create value. New tools can extend what teams can do. Critical thinking, leadership, and sound decision-making help people apply those tools with purpose.
That focus is at the center of FWD Virtual 2026, our global event for leaders across learning, business, government, and technology. This is the first FWD since Coursera and Udemy are now one company. The combined strengths of both platforms can give learners and organizations greater choice, flexibility, and opportunities to build skills.
The virtual event launches a global program that will continue through regional events later this year. Across the program, leaders will explore how human capabilities and proven AI skills can help teams perform.
Each platform is presenting its own 2026 customer awards. Here, we recognize the global and regional winners of the Coursera Outstanding Achievement Awards. Their work shows what thoughtful learning programs can achieve across businesses, campuses, and public institutions.
See the full list of global and regional award winners here.
Note: You can check out the Udemy customer award winners here.
Meet the 2026 Coursera award winners
Learning Excellence Award
This award recognizes organizations across business, higher education, and government that embed high-quality, industry-relevant learning across the academic or workforce experience and deliver results at scale.
Global winner: iPeople Inc.
iPeople Inc. has embedded Coursera across six institutions in its education network. They are Mapúa University, Mapúa Malayan Colleges Laguna, Mapúa Malayan Colleges Mindanao, Mapúa Malayan Digital College, National Teachers College, and the University of Nueva Caceres. Students combine their degrees with globally recognized, industry-relevant learning. At Mapúa University, more than 80% of the curriculum incorporates Coursera. Students can earn 20% to 30% of their academic credits through the platform.
Across the network, access has grown from 15,000 to 45,000 learners. Learners have earned more than 170,000 Coursera certificates. At National Teachers College, the program reached 99.4% license utilization and more than 50,000 verified certificates. The college also expanded digital upskilling for faculty.
At network scale, iPeople connects academic study, global credentials, and future-ready skills to prepare students and educators for a lifetime of learning.
Regional winners: SRM IST Kattankulathur; Telekom Malaysia; Fondation Marocaine pour la Promotion de l’Enseignement Préscolaire; Ministry of Science and Higher Education (Kazakhstan); Instituto Mexicano del Petróleo
AI Pioneer Award
This award recognizes organizations across business, higher education, and government that turn AI learning into adoption, applied innovation, and measurable outcomes.
Global winner: Bausch + Lomb
Bausch + Lomb has made AI a practical enterprise capability by embedding AI learning into how colleagues develop, innovate, and work. Through the Bausch + Lomb AI Academy, powered by Coursera, colleagues build foundational skills. Company-wide platforms and initiatives then help them apply those skills to business priorities.
These programs have contributed to more than 200 AI-driven business solutions and 94% Microsoft Copilot utilization. AI-enabled workflows now save more than 30,000 work hours each year. Bausch + Lomb connects learning, experimentation, and business application so colleagues can turn AI capability into meaningful innovation and impact across the business.
Regional winners: Walmart Inc.; BMW TechWorks India; Mahidol University; MEF Üniversitesi; UBS; TP México
Maximizing Impact Award
This award recognizes organizations across business, higher education, and government that use Coursera to deliver broad, measurable benefits for people and organizational performance.
Global winner: Ernst & Young
EY has made learning a measurable driver of talent and business performance through its global EY Badges program. Coursera content supports pathways that connect future-focused learning with demonstrated, real-world application.
Available to nearly 400,000 employees worldwide, the program has awarded more than 780,000 badges. Thirty-eight percent of EY professionals have voluntarily earned at least one credential. Professionals who earn multiple badges are 83% more likely to be promoted and 79% more likely to receive high-performance ratings. These outcomes contribute to a 9% increase in retention among top talent.
The program also supports recruiting. Seventy-four percent of new joiners said EY Badges greatly influenced their decision to join. EY combines Coursera learning with rigorous skill application and validation to support career growth, talent outcomes, and organizational performance.
Regional winners: Texas State University; Karmayogi Bharat; FPT; Deutsche Telekom; MTN Group; Grupo Energía Bogotá (GEB)
Engagement Excellence Award
This award recognizes organizations across business, higher education, and government that sustain learner participation and connect learning with academic, professional, and community goals.
Global winner: Chandigarh University
Chandigarh University, ranked India’s No. 1 private university in the QS Asia University Rankings 2026, has embedded Coursera throughout the student and faculty experience. The university uses a Coursera ambassador network, multidisciplinary learning communities, personalized pathways, peer mentoring, recognition programs, and a project gap learning model. These elements make continuous learning purposeful and social.
More than 23,500 students have used targeted learning to close skill gaps in real-world projects across artificial intelligence, data science, and cybersecurity. More than 1,500 faculty members have completed personalized development pathways that support teaching, research, and innovation.
Chandigarh University connects Coursera learning to academic credits, projects, internships, and career goals. The program keeps learners engaged beyond course completion as they share knowledge, apply new skills, and contribute to a culture of continuous growth.
Regional winners: The University of Southern Mississippi; Myntra Designs Pvt Ltd; Carelon Global Solutions Philippines, Inc.; Qatar University; Schneider Electric; Universidad del Valle de México
Skills Transformation Award
This award recognizes organizations across business, higher education, and government that align learning with changing roles and priorities to build stronger workforce capabilities.
Global winner: The Department of Government Enablement – Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi Government is strengthening how its workforce builds capabilities for a digital and AI-enabled future. Tomouh is the Department of Government Enablement’s unified learning and capability development platform. Through Tomouh, DGE has created a skills ecosystem for more than 70 government and semi-government entities. Coursera is a partner in the initiative.
Coursera Professional Certificates, Skills Tracks, and role-based learning pathways help employees develop AI, data, cybersecurity, digital transformation, and leadership capabilities tailored to their roles. More than 214 workshops, roadshows, webinars, and activation sessions support adoption.
Employees use new AI and digital skills to automate routine tasks, accelerate analysis and reporting, improve decisions, and increase productivity. Coursera learning and credentials work alongside Tomouh’s AI-powered personalization and workforce insights. The combination supports a skilled, agile, and future-ready Abu Dhabi Government workforce.
Regional winners: Coast Capital Savings; RV University; AirAsia; WJ Towell; Aptiv; Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia (UNAD)
Thank you to our global learning community
Congratulations to every global and regional winner. Thank you to the businesses, universities, and government organizations that make learning a priority and help people build skills for a changing world.
To the 300+ million learners across Coursera and Udemy who make this global learning community possible, thank you. Your curiosity, effort, and ambition give this work its purpose.