The most respected workplace
awards in America.
The Washington Post Best Places to Work awards, powered by WorkL, are quick and easy to enter, bring national recognition and give you world leading employee insight and benchmarking.
Enter today. Be recognised as one of America’s best.
Pick your organisation size, choose your entry, and you’re in. National recognition, market-leading insight, and a badge that wins talent — for one simple fee.
- Earn national recognition
- Get your Best Places to Work badge
- Win and keep the best talent
- Pinpoint hotspots with live heatmaps
- Surface what matters with AI analysis
- Benchmark against millions worldwide
- Set up in just 10 minutes
- 5-minute survey for employees
- No admin, no heavy lifting
Enter the awards, share your story, and earn editorial recognition.
- Awards Entry Engagement Survey (35 questions, 3–5 min)
- Dynamic results dashboard with overall + 6 driver scores
- Editorial recognition in The Washington Post
- Enhanced data: AI thematics & heatmapsOptional add-on
- Your Best Places to Work award logo for use in your materials
Tailor the survey to your organisation and benchmark across teams.
- Everything in Lite
- Plus —Enhanced data: AI thematics & heatmaps, included as standard
- Plus —Add 3 bespoke questions — by team, role or department — for sharper, more granular analysis
- Plus —Weekly response-rate reports, broken down by your custom questions — track participation in detail
A fully bespoke engagement survey designed around your priorities.
- Everything in Core
- Plus —A fully bespoke Engagement Survey — designed for your organisation by our behavioural scientists
- Plus —Complimentary pulse surveys — quick temperature checks that reveal the why behind the score
- Plus —Dedicated consultant & strategic onboarding
- Plus —Priority support and PR coordination
Every feature, side by side.
The full picture of what’s included in each entry package.
| Features | Lite Entry$6,500 · Medium org | Core EntryPOA | Bespoke EntryPOA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Awards entry | |||
| Engagement surveyWorkL’s 35-question framework, 3–5 min per employee | Included | Included | Fully bespoke |
| Survey deadlineAll entries must complete by | 18 Sep 2026 | 18 Sep 2026 | 18 Sep 2026 |
| Custom survey questionsAdd your own questions to the engagement survey | Not included | 3 bespoke questions | Unlimited |
| Custom hierarchySegment results by team, location, or function | Not included | Included | Included |
| Results & insights | |||
| Dynamic results dashboardLive, interactive view of your scores | Included | Included | Included |
| Overall happiness scoreSingle org-wide score | Included | Included | Included |
| Six engagement driversReward, Information sharing, Empowerment, Wellbeing, Pride, Job satisfaction | Included | Included | Included |
| AI thematicsThemes pulled from open-text responses | Add-on | Included | Included |
| HeatmapsVisualise hotspots and cold spots across drivers | Add-on | Included | Included |
| Action plans & resourcesSuggested next steps based on your results | Included | Included | Included |
| Recognition | |||
| Washington Post featureEditorial recognition for winners | Included | Included | Included |
| Award logoBest Places to Work 2026 mark for your brand | Included | Included | Included |
| PR coordinationCoordinated announcement with our team | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Support | |||
| Email supportHelp launching and during the survey window | Included | Included | Included |
| Dedicated consultantNamed contact through onboarding and beyond | Not included | Not included | Included |
Frequently asked.
Still wondering something? Email us at wpbestplacestowork@workl.com and our team will get back to you within one working day.
You’ll get recognition from The Washington Post and WorkL for the employee experience you provide, plus the data and insight to keep improving it. Specifically:
- Get recognition by The Washington Post and WorkL for the employee experience you provide
- Retain employees
- Attract new talent
- Build your brand as a great place to work
Each organisation receives access to its own dynamic dashboard with full engagement survey results.
You’ll see an overall score, scores for the six engagement drivers, and tailored action plans and resources to drive change in your organisation.
The Awards Entry Engagement Survey contains 35 core questions that take each employee about 3–5 minutes to answer.
Designed by WorkL’s team of behavioural scientists, psychologists, and academics, the survey covers six key areas:
- Reward and Recognition
- Information Sharing
- Empowerment
- Wellbeing
- Instilling Pride
- Job Satisfaction
If you need more information please contact us at wpbestplacestowork@workl.com.
Surveys must be completed by 18 September 2026. We recommend launching at least 4 weeks before the deadline to maximise your response rate.
There are four main categories, by organisation size:
- Best Places to Work: Small Organisation (10–49 employees)
- Best Places to Work: Medium Organisation (50–249 employees)
- Best Places to Work: Big Organisation (250–1,999 employees)
- Best Places to Work: Very Big Organisation (2,000+ employees)
Additionally, The Washington Post may recognise the best places to work for women, younger workers, and specific industries — to be confirmed for 2026.
Select your entry package based on how many employees you have:
- Small organisations (10–49 employees): $3,750
- Medium organisations (50–249 employees): $6,500
- Big organisations (250–1,999 employees): $9,750
- Very Big organisations (2,000+ employees): $14,500
Core and Bespoke entries are priced on application — speak to our team for a quote tailored to your organisation.
Enter the 2026 Awards and get the recognition your team deserves.
Get meaningful and actionable employee engagement data, rich industry benchmarking and boost your employer brand.