2025 Award Finalists Best Transformational Project
The Best Transformational Project Award acknowledgies projects that have genuinely transformed assessment practices through technology.
Read on for more information on the 2025 finalists in this Award category at the 2025 International e-Assessment Awards.
Consortium Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO), Conestoga College and Vretta with Mathematics Proficiency Test: Secure
Project Summary
The Mathematics Proficiency Test (MPT) serves as a large-scale, innovative assessment model designed to evaluate the mathematical knowledge and pedagogy skills of teacher candidates across Ontario. Offering both in-person and remote proctoring options, this computer-based test ensures accessibility and flexibility for candidates, including those requiring accommodations.
By integrating advanced technology such as a Secure Exam Browser (SEB) and live proctoring, the test maintains high standards of security, fairness, and integrity. This assessment plays a crucial role in upholding the quality of mathematics education by certifying candidates through a rigorous, policy-driven framework. The structured approach, combined with designated testing windows, enables thousands of candidates to complete the assessment efficiently while ensuring alignment with professional teaching standards.
Additionally, the MPT’s bilingual format supports both English- and French-speaking candidates, reinforcing Ontario’s commitment to inclusivity in teacher certification. Through its scalable design and commitment to equity, the MPT has established itself as a reliable model for large-scale assessments, demonstrating how technology-enhanced testing can effectively support the certification process while maintaining accessibility, security, and fairness for all candidates.
Commenting on being a finalist, Education Quality and Accountability Office said, “The EQAO, Vretta, and Conestoga consortium is honoured to be named a finalist for the 2025 e-Assessment Awards in two categories for the Mathematics Proficiency Test: Professional Certification Programme of the Year and Best Transformational Project.
Our nomination for Best Transformational Project recognizes the MPT’s role in redefining large-scale teacher certification features—combining remote and in-person proctoring, bilingual accessibility, and rigorous security measures to ensure fairness and scalability while upholding Ontario’s standards for mathematics education. This transformation reflects our commitment to adapting technologies and processes in direct response to the evolving needs of teacher candidates.
This recognition holds special significance as it follows last year’s win for EQAO as Best Practitioner of the Year (Team)—a milestone that reinforced our commitment to advancing digital assessment. Today, we are proud to see our continued progress acknowledged once again.
This dual nomination affirms our ongoing commitment to developing assessment solutions that are:
- Learner-centered
- Technologically advanced
- Fair, inclusive and accessible to all
By leveraging innovation in technology, we strive to empower educators, parents, guardians, stakeholders and the public at large with the insights and information needed to support student learning and improve student outcomes.
Our progress is powered by the strong collaboration between Ontario’s assessment agency, EQAO, our assessment technology partner, Vretta, our academic implementation partner, Conestoga College, and our valued administration partners across the province of Ontario. Together, we remain guided by our core principles: integrity, fairness, inclusivity, accessibility, flexibility, and responsiveness.
We are deeply honoured by this recognition and look forward to joining the global e-assessment community in June to celebrate the remarkable innovations across our industry. This gathering provides an invaluable opportunity to share knowledge and collaborate with fellow innovators and education professionals Our innovation journey continues: we’re already looking ahead to 2026 and new adventures to come.”
Excelsoft Technologies Limited and Training Qualifications UK (TQUK) with Revolutionising Vocational Assessments: TQUK’s Learner-First Transformation
Project Summary
TQUK identified a critical gap in vocational assessment: the lack of truly flexible testing options for working learners. Existing assessment providers couldn’t accommodate the complex schedules of professionals pursuing functional skills qualifications, particularly those working in nursing and early childhood education. This gap was preventing talented professionals from advancing their careers.
The transformation project delivered remarkable results within six months:
- Learners can now take exams anytime that suits them, removing traditional scheduling barriers.
- Close to 25,000 annual assessments were delivered, with candidates able to sit exams from home or at the workplace.
- Results returned in six days rather than weeks, accelerating career progression.
- A mock exam portal was introduced, helping candidates prepare more effectively.
- Automated monitoring ensures assessment integrity without requiring live invigilation.
‘We now offer a truly flexible, anytime-anywhere assessment model. Learners can sit exams at their convenience, whether Friday evening or Sunday morning. This transformation aligns perfectly with our vision for accessibility and innovation,’ notes Andrew Walker, Managing Director, TQUK.
This new approach has made vocational qualifications more accessible while maintaining high assessment integrity and regulatory compliance standards.
Commenting on being a finalist, Excelsoft said, “Securing a place on the e‑Assessment Awards 2025 shortlist is a proud achievement for Excelsoft alongside our partner, Training Qualifications UK (TQUK). The eAA recognises the most transformational projects in digital assessment worldwide, so advancing to the finals affirms that our solution sets a new benchmark for vocational testing. It highlights how strategic collaboration can turn an industry pain‑point into an innovation that benefits learners, awarding bodies, and employers alike.
This acknowledgement also resonates strongly with Excelsoft’s core purpose: to widen opportunity through technology that adapts to real‑world learner contexts. Recognition from such a respected panel bolsters stakeholder confidence, accelerates development of our AI‑driven assessment tools, and renews our commitment to designing inclusive, learner‑centred solutions.
We are grateful to TQUK for its trust and to the award jury for acknowledging the project’s impact. This shortlisting propels us to push boundaries further—ensuring every learner, regardless of schedule or location, can advance their career through transparent, reliable, and inclusive assessments.”
Open Assessment Technologies and Generalitat Valenciana with From Paper to Digital: The Community of Valencia Transforms Diagnostic Evaluation in Spain
Project Summary
The educational authorities of Spain’s Valencian Community (Generalitat Valenciana) undertook a major digital transformation by migrating its Diagnostic Evaluation program from paper-based assessments to a fully digital platform using TAO Ignite. This initiative aimed to enhance scalability, accessibility, and efficiency while aligning with Spain’s education law (LOMLOE) requirements.TAO enabled the seamless administration of diagnostic assessments to over 110,000 students across 1,736 schools, with up to 20,000 students tested concurrently—a scale previously unattainable with traditional methods. The platform’s cloud infrastructure, WCAG-compliant accessibility tools, and real-time session management ensured smooth execution.
A structured phased rollout, including a pilot with 1,000 students, validated the platform’s reliability before the full-scale implementation. TAO’s dedicated support team facilitated the migration of over 1,000 assessment items, ensuring readiness within just one month.
The results were transformative: educators and students praised TAO’s intuitive interface, while administrators gained data-driven insights to enhance educational strategies. Comunidad Valenciana now plans to expand the initiative in 2025, reinforcing its commitment to digitalizing assessments and improving educational outcomes.
This project exemplifies a best-in-class digital transformation, setting a benchmark for large-scale assessment modernization. It has since provided a framework for additional Communities in Spain, including Galicia and Castile-la, to partner with TAO.
Commenting on being a finalist, Open Assessment Technologies said, “This transformation marks a significant milestone and step forward in the digitalization and quality of educational assessment in Spain. On behalf of the the teams at Open Assessment Technologies and Generalitat Valenciana, we wanted to sincerely thank the jury for considering our project as a candidate for the EAA Awards.
This recognition holds great significance for us. We’ve dedicated considerable time, energy, and passion to bringing this vision to life, and it is truly rewarding to see that effort acknowledged. Being part of the E-Assessment Awards also brings much-deserved attention to a project that we believe has had a meaningful impact on schools, educators, and students throughout the community. We are proud of what we have achieved and we are excited to keep moving forward. Thank you very much.”
Recrytera with Pioneering the Fully Digital Assessment Era
Project Summary
Recrytera has transformed public sector recruitment in Italy by fully digitizing candidate selection. Manual, paper-based processes once caused long delays, high costs, and minimal transparency. Now, our cloud platform integrates registration, scheduling, assessments, and automated grading, eliminating paperwork and streamlining administration. Through the official INPA portal (the single portal for Public Administration recruitment, serving citizens and Italian public administrations), candidates apply online, track real-time updates, and enjoy a more transparent process, replacing traditional bureaucratic inefficiencies. Previously, applicants had to search multiple sources, risking missed opportunities; today, everything is centralized on one platform.
Recrytera’s intuitive interface and robust security measures ensure fair, compliant exams, while real-time analytics deliver essential performance insights. Its widespread adoption across public agencies has resolved years of stalled hiring, enabling 200,000 positions to be filled annually and guaranteeing vacancies are filled within 180 days. This modernized approach has increased candidate satisfaction, with zero complaints since 2020.
By demonstrating how technology can streamline recruitment at a national level, Recrytera positions Italy as the only European country to fully digitize public hiring nationwide. This success underscores the potential of digital innovation to reshape historically paper-driven processes, benefiting both public institutions and aspiring candidates. Recrytera continues to drive lasting improvements.
Commenting on being a finalist, Recrytera said, “”Recrytera is delighted to announce that it has been shortlisted for the “Best Transformational Project” category at the 2025 International e-Assessment Awards (EAA). Organised by the e-Assessment Association, the Awards recognise organisations that advance assessment through technology. The nomination celebrates our nationwide initiative that has replaced Italy’s paper-based public-sector recruitment with a secure, scalable digital solution, proving that large-scale government hiring can now be fast, fair and fully transparent.
Central to our bid is the Recrytera Platform, the cloud-native system fully integrated with INPA – the national recruitment portal- that brings together candidate registration, scheduling, high-stakes exam delivery and automated scoring for more than 4 million candidates since 2020. Customized item banking, offline continuity and real-time analytics uphold exam integrity while giving hiring panels instant insight. Since launch, average vacancy-fill time has fallen from over two years to 180 days, printing costs have been eliminated and candidate satisfaction has soared, with zero formal complaints recorded since 2020.
Tommaso Spagnoli, Chief Operating Officer at Recrytera, said: “Modernising public-sector recruitment is about creating equitable opportunity at national scale. Being recognised by the EAA jury validates the transformative impact of the Recrytera platform and the dedication of the multidisciplinary teams behind it. We are honoured to stand alongside fellow innovators and to show how digital assessment can raise the bar across Europe, and can’t wait to embrace the next challenge around the world!”
Recrytera extends its gratitude to our public-administration partners, the e-Assessment Association and the millions of citizens whose feedback shaped every sprint. We look forward to the Awards ceremony on 11 June 2025 at London’s Leonardo Royal St Paul’s Hotel and to driving ever-bolder innovation that makes recruitment smarter, fairer and unmistakably human-centred for years to come. Together we will redefine recruitment across Italy and beyond.”
Yüksəliş Public Union with “Yüksəliş” – Transforming Leadership Assessment through Innovative Practices
Project Summary
Yüksəliş” (pronounced Yukselish)—meaning “”Ascent”” or “”Elevation””—is a nationwide leadership competition designed to identify and develop Azerbaijan’s most promising talents. Established in 2019 by Presidential Decree, the competition serves as a structured leadership assessment and talent development initiative. Its goal is to create a national high-potential (HiPo) pool, providing a centralized platform for leadership identification, mentorship, and career advancement.
Before “Yüksəliş,” Azerbaijan lacked a structured, scalable, and technology-driven approach to leadership competency assessments. The competition introduced a fully digitalized, multi-stage evaluation process. Over 10,000 candidates participate annually, progressing through general knowledge, aptitude, and managerial skills tests, followed by semi-final and final rounds featuring real-world case challenges, assessed by experts and top-level mentors.
A key innovation was the “Personal Cabinet” platform, which centralized applications, assessments, appeals, and feedback, ensuring efficiency and transparency. Additionally, the introduction of the “Talent Pool” revolutionized recruitment by allowing HR professionals from government and private entities to access, filter, and directly engage with top-performing participants.
By fostering a merit-based talent pipeline, “Yüksəliş” has connected 96 winners with ministers and CEOs, shaping the next generation of leaders. With continuous framework enhancements for 2025, it has set a new standard for leadership selection through digital innovation and strategic collaboration.
Commenting on being a finalist, Yüksəliş Public Union said, “We are incredibly proud that “”Yüksəliş””— Azerbaijan’s pioneering national leadership competition—has been shortlisted for the Best Transformational Project Award by the International e-Assessment Association.
Launched under the leadership of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in 2019, “”Yüksəliş”” was born from a bold vision: to create a transparent, merit-based pathway to identify and elevate the country’s most promising leaders. With over 39,000 applicants to date, and only 96 achieving the prestigious title of “”Yüksəliş”” Winner, the competition represents a gold standard in talent assessment, leadership development, and digital innovation.
This international recognition is a profound honor that highlights both the integrity of our multi-stage evaluation process and the transformational impact “”Yüksəliş”” has had on individuals and institutions alike. From real-time simulations and advanced testing to Azerbaijan’s first National Talent Pool and leadership platform, the initiative has set a new benchmark in national-scale human capital development.
We are deeply grateful to the experts, mentors, assessors, volunteers, and tech teams whose dedication and collaboration have brought this vision to life. Most importantly, we thank every candidate who put their trust in this process and challenged themselves to rise.
Being shortlisted is a celebration of how far we’ve come—and a motivation to keep pushing boundaries. It fuels our commitment to scaling this vision, empowering future leaders, and contributing to a globally recognized model of leadership assessment.”
For more information on all finalists in the 2025 International e-Assessment Awards, visit our finalists webpage.
