CONTACT:
Lorri Freifeld
Editor/Publisher
Training magazine
Excelsior, MN (April 2, 2025)—After recently facing a David vs. Goliath legal dispute over the utilization of the word, “APEX,” in its Training APEX Awards program, Training magazine opted to rebrand its awards program that recognizes excellence in employer-sponsored training and development. The newly rebranded program is now called the Training MVP Awards, and the 2026 application is available now at: https://MVPawards.trainingmag.com/
“We opted not to get involved in a protracted and costly legal battle that would jeopardize the 2026 awards application process,” explained Editor/Publisher Lorri Freifeld. “Under a tight timeline, our small but mighty team collaborated and brainstormed ideas for the rebranding. I’m excited that we will continue our quarter-of-a-century of honoring stellar human capital development by recognizing those companies that are, indeed, the Most Valuable Players (MVPs) in the Training/Learning and Development (L&D) industry.”
Just as the publication did for the Training APEX Awards, it will rank organizations based on information they provide in the Training MVP Awards application that demonstrates how they provide their employees with world-class training and development that aligns with business goals and contributes to behavior change and business outcomes.
What does the rebranding mean for applicants?
- The Training MVP Awards application process will remain the same with the same timeline: application is available for download now at https://MVPawards.trainingmag.com/; application due September 2, 2025; winners notified the last week of November 2025; rankings revealed at the Training MVP Awards Gala February 23, 2026, at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, FL, during the Training 2026 Conference & Expo.
- The process of scoring the Training MVP Awards application will remain the same—quantitatively by an outside analyst and qualitatively by the Training Hall of Famers (organizations that achieved a Top 10 ranking for four consecutive years) and Editor/Publisher Lorri Freifeld.
- All 2026 Training MVP Awards applicants will receive a feedback report and qualitative scorecard and have the opportunity to do a feedback call with Editor/Publisher Lorri Freifeld, as usual.
- The 2026 Training MVP Awards application remains the same as the 2025 Training APEX Awards application; Editor/Publisher Lorri Freifeld just made a minor scoring change in the Tuition Reimbursement section. The 2026 application and quantitative and qualitative scoring guidelines can be downloaded at: https://MVPawards.trainingmag.com/
For questions about the rebranding of the awards program or any aspect of the 2026 Training MVP Awards application process, contact Editor/Publisher Lorri Freifeld at lorri@trainingmag.com or 516.524.3504.
About Training magazine
Training magazine is the leading business publication for Learning and Development and HR professionals. It has been the ultimate resource for innovative learning and development—in print, in person, and online—over the last 60-plus years. Training magazine and Training magazine Events are produced by Lakewood Media Group. For more information, visit www.trainingmag.com and https://MVPawards.trainingmag.com/
