The 2026 Pathfinder Awards.
Celebrating the organizations and individuals driving transformational change in HR and redefining the talent experience.
What is a Pathfinder?
Visionaries in HR, Pathfinders are pioneering the Intelligence Age, charting new ways forward in work to deliver extraordinary outcomes that benefit everyone: HR, the workforce, and the business.
The awards
The Eightfold Pathfinder Awards celebrate the organizations and individuals driving transformational change in HR and redefining the talent experience through the use of talent intelligence, agentic AI, and other innovations.
Talent Attraction award
Celebrating excellence in talent acquisition
This award honors organizations achieving exceptional results in hiring top talent through innovative strategies, advanced technology, and inclusive practices that exceed traditional recruitment models and drive organizational success.
Key criteria:
Effective use of core capabilities within the Eightfold Talent Acquisition product, including CRM, sourcing, events and campaigns, etc.
Enhanced candidate experience and engagement throughout the hiring journey.
Streamlined, efficient processes that reduce time-to-hire and improve quality of hire.
Collaboration between recruitment, HR, and business leaders to align talent strategy with company objectives.
Unique or innovative approaches to using Eightfold Talent Acquisition and the Eightfold platform.
Career Compass award
Celebrating excellence in talent management
This award celebrates organizations excelling in strategic talent management, fostering growth, empowering employees, and building a future-ready workforce through continuous development, leadership cultivation, and workforce alignment with business goals.
Key criteria:
Impact-driven results: Measurable outcomes such as improved efficiency, enhanced workforce experience, and organizational effectiveness.
Effective use of core capabilities within the Eightfold Talent Management product, including performance management, succession planning, workforce planning, career navigator, projects, mentoring, etc.
Strategies for employee engagement, retention, and career progression.
Alignment of talent management initiatives with company culture and values.
Unique or innovative approaches to using Eightfold Talent Management and the Eightfold platform.
AI Innovation award
Celebrating organizations pioneering the future with agentic AI
This award honors organizations turning the future of work into a reality by moving beyond basic automation to embrace agentic AI as a Digital Worker. By leveraging Eightfold AI Interviewer, these innovators achieve exponential productivity, drastically compressing hiring cycles while reducing costs. These pioneers ensure uncompromising quality and eliminate decision fatigue by evaluating 100% of candidates with the same high rigor, regardless of volume. Through these autonomous, skills-based ecosystems, they are architecting an Infinite Workforce that drives unprecedented business agility and growth.
Key criteria:
Workforce Innovation award
Celebrating innovation in the public sector
This award recognizes public sector organizations that have demonstrated outstanding leadership, innovation, and impact in facilitating workforce mobility, talent sharing, and skill development across agencies or departments. It celebrates organizations that break down silos, enhance collaboration, and optimize workforce potential through strategic talent exchange programs, reskilling initiatives, or technology-driven workforce solutions.
Key criteria:
Pathfinder of the year
Celebrating the visionary leaders
This award celebrates the visionary leaders who drive transformative initiatives and innovative talent strategies, prioritize people and skills, demonstrate forward-thinking leadership that drives impactful workforce outcomes, and inspire the HR community through thought leadership.
Key criteria:
Rewards and recognition
Recognition
Finalists and winners will be recognized at Cultivate '26. Winners will receive a Pathfinder Award trophy, finalists will receive a Pathfinder Awards plaque.
Brand exposure
PR, media, social, customer stories, and future thought leadership opportunities.
VIP perks
VIP seating at Cultivate ’26 and other exclusive rewards.
Charitable donation
Winners will receive a $2,000 USD donation to a charity of their choice.
Timeline
Feb 9, 2026
Submissions open
Mar 20, 2026
Submissions close
apr 14, 2026
Finalists announced
May 12-13, 2026
Winners announced - North America
june 11, 2026
Winners announced - EMEA
Eligibility and criteria
Eligibility
Criteria and judging
The Workforce Innovation and Pathfinder of the Year are global awards.
Submissions will be judged by a panel of Eightfold stakeholders using the following criteria. See specific key criteria for each category in The Awards section.
Cultivate '26
- May 11-13, 2026
Frequently asked questions
Celebrating the organizations and
individuals driving transformational change in HR and redefining the talent experience.
What are the Pathfinder Awards?
The Eightfold Pathfinder Awards celebrate the organizations and individuals driving transformational change in HR and redefining the talent experience through the use of Talent Intelligence, AI / agentic AI, and other innovations.
Who can enter?
Eightfold customers that have a live Eightfold instance from any size company or company type may enter. Customers must be open to being mentioned in a press release announcing the winners and sharing their story publicly. Entries must be submitted in English.
How do I enter the 2026 Pathfinder Awards?
What is the deadline to submit?
Submissions close March 20, 2026 at 11:59pm Pacific Time (PST).
What are the categories?
There are five categories for the 2026 awards program: Talent Attraction, Career Compass, AI Innovation, Workforce Innovation, and Pathfinder of the Year (individual award) See more details in The Awards section.
Can I enter more than one submission?
Yes, you may enter up to one submission per category per company. However, we ask that you enter a different program, initiative or project if you are entering in more than one category.