Apr 24
Submission Deadline
15min
Max Demo Video
3
Finalists Selected
June 10
Awards at Marketplace Live
The Results Are In

Meet the winner & finalists.

Three finalists were selected from 23 submissions and presented live at Marketplace Live in Louisville on June 10. One took home the traveling trophy.

Winner
Merck KGaA, Darmstadt

Recruiting with E.A.S.E.

Turns interview notes, CVs, and job descriptions into manager reports and candidate summaries — and auto-drafts Works Council justifications in seconds. 88% adoption in pilot, with higher candidate NPS.

CXR members — watch the pitch →
Finalist
Assurant

Recruiting Copilot Agent Suite

A suite of reusable Microsoft Copilot agents for high-friction recruiting moments — intake summaries, screening questions, and candidate comparison grids. An estimated 3,200 hours saved annually.

CXR members — watch the pitch →
Finalist
GALLO

AI-Powered Offer Letter Checker

Validates offer letters before they reach candidates across 1,482+ scenarios, five legal entities, and nine bargaining units — shifting compliance from post-send audits to prevention.

CXR members — watch the pitch →
See all 23 submissions
About the Award

Built by practitioners.
Judged by practitioners.

This is not a vendor showcase. It is not a sponsored competition. It is a practitioner-first recognition of real work, built inside real TA functions by the people doing the actual recruiting.

CareerXroads has spent over 30 years connecting the talent acquisition community. This award is an extension of that mission: surfacing the work that moves the industry forward and giving the people behind it the recognition they deserve.

Whether you used ChatGPT to streamline your intake process or built a multi-step AI workflow that cut time-to-slate in half, we want to see it. The CXR community is the most senior, most collaborative TA network in the industry, and this is your chance to contribute to it in a very visible way.

Open to everyone.

You do not need to be a CXR member to submit or win. Any TA practitioner at any company is eligible. Full stop.

What Qualifies

Any AI that improves
the work of recruiting.

Your solution should produce a measurable improvement in at least one of these areas:

Save Recruiter Time
Fewer hours per req, faster time to slate, automated workflow steps.
Better Decisions
More consistent scoring, reduced bias, sharper TA reporting and insight.
Candidate Experience
Improved response rates, faster communication, better transparency.
Hiring Manager Partnership
Clearer intake, faster feedback loops, better alignment on requirements.
Recruiting Operations
Process improvements, capacity planning, quality or compliance gains.
TA Leadership Insights
Better reporting, dashboards, or analytics that inform strategy.
Key Dates

What happens
and when.

March 25, 2026

Submissions Open

Program announced. You can submit from day one — no need to wait.

April 1, 2026

Optional Kickoff Call

30-minute session reviewing guardrails, examples, and the judging rubric. Attendance is optional but encouraged.

April 10 & 17, 2026

Optional Office Hours

Drop-in Q&A sessions as you build and refine your submission. Get feedback before you finalize.

April 24, 2026

Submissions Close

Hard deadline. Entries require a completed form and a video demo of 15 minutes or less.

May 8, 2026

Finalists Announced

Three finalists selected and publicly recognized. All contributors added to the Wall of Fame.

June 10, 2026

Awards at Marketplace Live

Finalists present live in Louisville. Judges share rationale. Winner receives the traveling trophy at the awards ceremony.

How to Enter

Three things.
That's the whole ask.

Complete the entry form

Tell us what you built, who it's for, what problem it solves, and what impact you've seen or reasonably expect. Include any tools or budget required.

Record a demo video (15 min max)

Show a realistic workflow using fake or anonymized content. No slides-only submissions. We want to see it in action.

Submit by April 24

No membership required. No entry fee. No vendor-built tools. Just original work, built in-house by your team.

Start Your Submission

ⓘ Questions before you start?

Join the April 1 kickoff call or drop into office hours on April 10 or 17. Details will be shared after registration.

Recognition

Win something worth winning.

Winner

The Award

  • Traveling trophy, presented live at Marketplace Live
  • CXR-hosted dinner for your entire team, up to 15 people
  • 45-minute Community Spotlight interview, live and recorded
  • Winner social media package from CXR
  • Everything finalists receive, plus…
  • VIP dinner Monday night at Marketplace Live
  • Hotel lodging for two at Marketplace Live
  • Free event access for two team members
  • CXR Podcast interview
  • Finalist social media package from CXR
  • Invitation to present live in front of judges and community
  • Everything contributors receive, plus…
  • Recognized on the physical Wall of Fame at Marketplace Live
  • Featured externally on the CXR community site
  • Contributor social media package from CXR
  • Submission archived in the CXR AI Library for members
Finalists (3)

Finalist Recognition

  • VIP dinner Monday night at Marketplace Live
  • Hotel lodging for two at Marketplace Live
  • Free event access for two team members
  • CXR Podcast interview
  • Finalist social media package from CXR
  • Invitation to present live in front of judges and community
  • Everything contributors receive, plus…
  • Recognized on the physical Wall of Fame at Marketplace Live
  • Featured externally on the CXR community site
  • Contributor social media package from CXR
  • Submission archived in the CXR AI Library for members
All Contributors

Wall of Fame

  • Recognized on the physical Wall of Fame at Marketplace Live
  • Featured externally on the CXR community site
  • Contributor social media package from CXR
  • Submission archived in the CXR AI Library for members
How We Judge

A simple rubric.
A defensible result.

Each submission is scored 1 to 5 across four dimensions by a panel that includes CXR team members, top CXR community leaderboard members, and practitioners from the CXR global community.

Impact Time saved, quality improved, speed increased
35%
Usefulness Solves a real, defined TA problem
25%
Usability A TA team can adopt it quickly
20%
Responsible AI Safeguards, bias controls, oversight
20%
Guardrails

What's in bounds.
What isn't.

These rules exist to protect candidate privacy, ensure the work is genuinely yours, and keep the playing field fair for everyone.

No real candidate data

All demos must use synthetic or anonymized content only. No resumes, interview notes, ATS exports, or contact info.

Built in-house

Submissions must be original work by the employer team. Vendor-supplied solutions are not eligible.

Any budget level

A $0 tool using existing software is as eligible as a $25K+ custom build. Budget is disclosed, not penalized.

Permission required

If you use internal templates, scorecards, or processes, you must have employer authorization to share them.

ⓘ Confirmation required at submission

Each entry includes a required certification that the work is original, uses no confidential data, and complies with these guardrails.

Questions

Frequently asked.

No. The competition is open to any TA practitioner at any company. You do not need a CXR membership to submit or to win. That said, all submissions will be archived in the CXR AI Library, and contributors will be featured on the CXR community site, which may give you a sense of what the community is all about.
Submissions must be built in-house by the employer. If you used a vendor tool as a component, that's fine, but the workflow, integration, and application of that tool must be your team's original work. Submissions that are primarily vendor demonstrations are not eligible.
You do not need a fully deployed, production-tested tool. You can describe impact you have seen or reasonably expect to see. Concrete metrics are best: hours saved per week, percentage reduction in screening time, improvement in hiring manager response rate. But even a well-reasoned estimate with logic behind it counts. Be specific and honest.
Yes. Elegance and usability are scored just as highly as complexity. A single, well-crafted prompt that saves your team hours every week is a legitimate and valuable submission. Judges include "usability" in the rubric precisely because solutions that any team can adopt quickly are often more impactful than elaborate ones. Submit it.
Yes. Individual and team submissions are both welcome. If submitting as a team, list all team members in the entry form. If your submission wins or places, all team members receive recognition.
All submissions are archived in the CXR AI Library and made available to CXR members and alumni for 90 days following the event. Contributors are featured on the CXR community site, which is publicly visible. If you have concerns about sharing specific materials, contact us before submitting.
Finalists are expected to present live at Marketplace Live in Louisville on June 10. Free event access for two and hotel lodging for two are provided to all finalists. If you are selected as a finalist and attendance is a hardship, reach out to us and we will work with you.
Ready?

Your work deserves
to be recognized.

From a single clever prompt to a full multi-step workflow, the 2026 class showed what AI can do for recruiting. Explore every submission and meet the winner.

See All Submissions Learn About CXR