EMPLOYER BRANDING EXCELLENCE AWARDS (EBEA) 2026

§1. General Provisions

1. The organiser of the Employer Branding Excellence Awards (EBEA) competition is HRM Institute Sp. z o.o., with its registered office in Kraków, at ul. Zabłocie 19A/57, 30-701 Kraków.
2. The competition is international in character and is aimed at organizations engaged in employer branding activities in Europe and on global markets.
3. The aim of the competition is to recognise the most effective, distinctive, and strategic employer branding activities.
4. The competition covers projects implemented in private, public, and non-profit organisations.
5. The competition results are announced during the Employer Branding Excellence Awards Gala on 16 October 2026.

§2. Participation Requirements

1. Employer branding projects implemented within the last 18 months prior to the submission date may be entered into the competition. The project may be ongoing; however, the entry must include documented, measurable results from the implementation period.
2. Entries may be submitted by:

• employers,
• agencies and third parties – provided they have the written consent of the organisation to which the entry relates; the certificate should be attached to the entry or sent to konkurs@hrminstitute.pl

3. One project may be entered in several categories.
4. Each entry requires a separate fee.
5. Entries must be submitted in English. Bilingual entries are permitted: English + the official language of the country from which the entry is submitted.

§3. Competition Categories

The competition is divided into four pillars:

Pillar I – EB STRATEGY

• Challenger Strategy
• Grand Strategy
• Employer Brand Legacy

Pillar II – EB ATTRACTION

• Brand Campaign of the Year
• Visual Identity
• Creative Copy
• Film of the Year
• Career Website of the Year
• Candidate Journey
• Social Presence
• Talent Event & Experience

Pillar – EB & CULTURE

• Internal Campaign of the Year
• Organisational Culture & Values
• Employee Advocacy
• Talent Development
• People Wellbeing
• Employee Experience Event
• Power of Recognition
• Engagement Drive

Pillar IV – SPECIAL AWARDS

• Social Impact Award
• Grand Prix EBEA

In selected categories, subcategories apply, in particular:

• budget division, e.g. Talent Event & Experience:
  – Smart Budget – up to EUR 20,000
  – Grand Budget – above EUR 20,000
• industry division, e.g. Brand Campaign of the Year
• division by organisation size

The industry division is not a decisive factor in granting an award in a specific industry. A detailed description of the categories and subcategories is published on the competition website.

§4. Submission Process

1. Entries are submitted via the form available on the competition website.
2. A prerequisite for submitting an entry is the prior payment of the entry fee or entry package fee.
3. The entry template can be downloaded from the competition website before making a purchase.
4. Once the payment has been credited, the entrant receives:

•  an individual entry number or entry package number
• purchase confirmation together with instructions for submitting the entry

5. The entry number must be provided in the form when submitting the project. One number corresponds to one form.
6. An entry is deemed submitted once:

• the fee has been paid,
• the entry number has been received,
• the entry form has been completed,
• the competition materials have been submitted in PDF format.

7. Entries submitted without an entry number will not qualify for evaluation.
8. Once an entry has been submitted, it is not possible to edit or withdraw the materials.

§5.  Competition Fees

1. Pricing stages and fees for a single entry:

• Early Bird – until 10 July 2026 – EUR 250 net
• Regular – until 10 August 2026 – EUR 320 net
• Late – until 3 September 2026 – EUR 400 net

2. A package of 5 entries for the price of 3 is available, assigned to one ordering entity.
The package price depends on the submission stage:

• Early Bird – until 10 July 2026 – EUR 750 net
• Regular – until 10 August 2026 – EUR 960 net
• Late – until 3 September 2026 – EUR 1,200 net

3. The package may be used partially and across different categories.
4. The package is assigned to one ordering entity. Agencies submitting projects on behalf of different clients should make separate purchases for each employer or contact the organiser to agree on individual terms: konkurs@hrminstitute.pl.
5. Entry fees, including fees for unused entries within a package, are non-refundable, subject to §14 item 6.
6. Invoices are issued in PLN according to the EUR exchange rate applicable on the date of issuing the pro forma invoice, in accordance with applicable tax regulations.

§6. Submission Deadlines

1. Final submission deadline: 3 September 2026, 11:59 p.m.
2. Entries submitted after the deadline will not be accepted, without exception.
3. The Organiser reserves the right to change the deadlines. Any updates will be published on the competition website and sent by email to registered participants.

§7. Entry Requirements

1. The entry must:

• be prepared using the official competition template,
• be submitted in English or as a bilingual version (English + the official language of the country from which the entry originates),
• be submitted in PDF format (maximum file size: 15 MB),
• follow the structure: Challenge → Diagnosis → Solution → Result.

2. Presentation length limits:

• Strategy – maximum 25 slides
• Other categories – maximum 15 slides
• Maximum 2,000 characters per slide (in the case of bilingual entries, 2,000 characters per language, per slide)

3. Limits for additional materials:

• maximum 5 external links
• maximum 10 graphics (20 for the Visual Identity category)

4. Exceeding the character or content limits will result in the entry being rejected.

§8. Evaluation Criteria

1. Each entry is evaluated according to five criteria:

• Strategic approach and business alignment – 25 points
• Quality of implementation and execution – 25 points
• Effectiveness – 25 points
• Innovation – 15 points
• Premium Effect – 10 points

2. The maximum score is 100 points.
3. Each entry is assessed individually by several jury members assigned to the given category.
4. A jury member does not evaluate entries or categories of which they were a co-author or where there is a conflict of interest.
5. Jury members award points independently and do not know the scores given by other jury members.
6. The final score of an entry is the arithmetic mean of the scores awarded by all jury members evaluating the given project.
7. Based on the average score, a ranking of projects is created in each category.
8. Detailed descriptions of the criteria, together with jury guidelines, are available on the competition website and in the Competition Guide.

§9. Evaluation Process and Nominations

1. The evaluation of entries takes place in three stages:

• Stage I – individual evaluation: each project is assessed independently by several jury members, who award points in accordance with the evaluation criteria
• Stage II – shortlist of finalists: based on the arithmetic mean of the jury members’ scores, a ranking of projects is created in each category; projects that meet the required score threshold are granted finalist status
• Stage III – jury deliberations: the jury members meet and discuss the projects qualified for the shortlist, and then select the winners and distinctions.

2. Projects that have reached the required score threshold and achieved the highest average score in a given category qualify for the shortlist of finalists.
3. The minimum score threshold required to qualify for the shortlist is determined by the jury after the individual evaluation stage, based on the level and number of entries in the given edition. The threshold is not announced in advance – the organiser announces only the list of finalists after the threshold has been applied.
4. The jury reserves the right to adjust the score threshold depending on the level of entries in a given category.
5. The number of finalists in a category is not predetermined.
6. Projects qualified for the shortlist are granted the status of competition finalists. The list of finalists is published on the competition website. Information about the publication of the shortlist on the competition website will also appear on the organiser’s company LinkedIn profile and will be sent via newsletter to the organiser’s subscribers.
7. Detailed score results of entries are not disclosed during the competition or after its completion. This information is available only as part of the paid Premium Feedback service, provided after the announcement of the results during the EBEA Gala.

§10. Selection of Winners and Grand Prix

1. After the shortlist has been announced, the third stage of evaluation takes place – the jury meets and discusses all finalist projects within each category.
2. Based on the discussion, the jury selects:

• category winners
• distinctions

3. The jury may decide not to grant an award in a given category if the entries do not meet the required standards.
4. The EBEA Grand Prix is the highest distinction in the competition. It is awarded during the jury deliberations after all category awards have been presented – to the project that, in the given edition, has set a new standard in employer branding and deserves special recognition beyond the category level.
5. The Grand Prix is awarded by the exclusive decision of the full jury from among all projects awarded in the categories. It is not possible to submit a project directly for this award.
6. The Grand Prix does not have to be awarded in every edition.
7. All competition participants will be informed of the result by email, to the address indicated in the competition entry.
8. Winners and distinguished projects will be officially announced during the Awards Gala on 16 October 2026.
9. After the Awards Gala, information about the winners and distinguished projects will appear on the competition website and will be published on the organiser’s company LinkedIn profile, and on the next business day via newsletter to the organiser’s subscribers.
10. The winner in each competition category receives the Archer statuette – a unique piece handcrafted by Polish stained glass artists – and a personalised EBEA Certificate confirming the award. Participants awarded a commendation receive a diploma and an EBEA Certificate.

11. The EBEA statuette, diploma and the Laureate Certificate EBEA are presented to the winners and/or distinguished projects in person, on stage, during the Awards Gala on 16 October 2026. 
12. In the event that award recipients are absent from the Awards Gala, the Organiser may, at the request of the interested parties, send the EBEA statuette and/or diploma and the Laureate Certificate via InPost, subject to prior arrangement with the Competition Organiser and confirmation by email.
13. Laureates are required to:

• present their project during the EBEA Gala (maximum 3 minutes)
• prepare an article describing the project (approx. 5,000 characters), together with visual materials and the company logo – the deadline and editorial guidelines are provided after the announcement of the results.

§11. Publication of Competition Materials

1. Laureates and finalists are required to provide the Organiser with an article describing the project (approx. 5,000 characters), together with visual materials and the company logo. These materials form the basis for communication and promotion carried out by the Organiser.
2. Based on the materials provided, the Organiser creates content for social media communication, the Winners Book, and other post-competition materials.
3. The entrant may indicate data that may not be published. In such cases, percentage or aggregated data should be used in the entry and article instead of absolute values.
4. Reserving the confidentiality of data does not affect the jury’s ability to evaluate the project, as the jury receives the full version of the entry.

§12. Winners Book

1. After the competition ends, the Organiser prepares a publication summarising the edition – the EBEA Winners Book.
2. The publication includes case studies of awarded projects and selected finalists, based on materials provided by the entrants in accordance with §11.
3. The Winners Book may include:

• project descriptions
• results and achievements
• jury comments
• analyses of employer branding trends
• market inspirations
• lcompany logos (winners and distinguished projects)

4. The Organiser may edit the materials to ensure consistency of the publication, without changing the substantive meaning of the project.

§13. Confidentiality and Rights to Materials

1. Competition entries are treated as confidential and used solely for the purposes of the jury evaluation process.
2. Access to full entries is granted only to the competition jury members, the Organiser, and persons involved in supporting the evaluation process.
3. The Organiser reserves the right to publish information about finalists, winners, and awarded projects free of charge, without the need to obtain additional consent. The basis for this communication is the materials provided by the entrant in accordance with §11.
4. The entrant declares that they:

• hold the rights to all materials used in the entry
• have obtained consents for the publication of the image and content of third parties
• are responsible for any infringement of third-party rights

5. Upon submitting an entry to the Competition, the entrant grants the Organiser a free-of-charge, non-exclusive licence to use the entry materials for purposes related to the organisation, promotion, communication, education, and information about the Competition, as well as post-competition activities.
6. The licence referred to above is granted without territorial limitations, for a period of 5 years from the date of completion of the Competition, for use in social media, newsletters, promotional, educational, informational, and post-competition materials, as well as for presenting them during events, meetings, conferences, training sessions, webinars, and other activities related to the Competition.
7. Granting the licence does not transfer the economic copyrights to the entry materials to the Organiser and does not limit the entrant’s right to continue using those materials.
8. The Organiser may label the materials with the entrant’s first name and surname, company name, or other designation, provided they were included in the competition entry, unless the entrant has reserved otherwise.
9. The Organiser may make necessary technical and editorial changes to the materials, such as changing the format, size, cropping, shortening, or adapting them for publication, provided that the entrant’s moral rights are respected.

§14. Final Provisions

1. Submission of an entry constitutes acceptance of these Rules and Regulations, the evaluation rules, the publication rules, and the confidentiality rules.
2. The Organiser reserves the right to amend the Rules and Regulations, the competition schedule, the competition categories, and the composition of the jury. Information about any changes will be published on the competition website.
3. The Organiser reserves the right to reject an entry that does not comply with the Rules and Regulations, exclude an entry from the competition, and not grant an award in a given category.
4. The Organiser reserves the right to interpret the Rules and Regulations. In matters not regulated herein, the decision shall be made by the Organiser.
5. Entries are accepted only in English or as bilingual entries (English + the official language of the country from which the entry originates).
6. In the event of cancellation of the competition, the Organiser will refund the fees paid in full within 14 days of sending the information about the cancellation.
7. These Rules and Regulations enter into force on the date of publication on the competition website.

For any questions, please contact us at: konkurs@hrminstitute.pl

EBEA 2026 – Employer Branding Excellence Awards | www.ebeaawards.com