Hollywood, Fla. – September 29, 2026 -- Hard Rock International was named Land-Based Operator of the Year at the 2026 Global Gaming Awards Americas in Las Vegas, marking the company's third win in this category. A panel of 100 senior industry executives determined the winners, with the voting process independently adjudicated by KPMG US.

Shanghai – September 28, 2026 -- Mikala Sposito, a 21-year-old welding student from Washtenaw Community College, won a bronze medal at the 48th WorldSkills Competition, becoming the first woman to represent the United States in the Welding skill category.

Nine-member U.S. delegation competes against global field of 1,400

The 2026 WorldSkills USA team, comprising nine SkillsUSA state champions, competed Sept. 22-27 in Shanghai against skilled professionals from 73 countries and regions across 64 skill categories, including seven new emerging occupations.

New York City – September 24, 2026 -- The Conference Board has been named one of the Best Places to Work in New York City by Crain's New York Business, marking the fourth consecutive year the global think tank has earned the distinction.

Crain's ranking relies on employee surveys and employer data

The recognition, compiled in partnership with independent research firm Best Companies Group, is based on employee surveys and employer questionnaires assessing company culture, leadership, advancement opportunities, and benefits.

Gothenburg – – September 23, 2026 -- Professor Bojie Fu has won the 2026 Volvo Environment Prize for research that reversed decades of severe soil erosion across China's Loess Plateau, one of the world's largest landscape-restoration efforts. The prize, awarded by an independent foundation since 1990, carries SEK 1.5 million along with a diploma and glass sculpture, to be presented at a Stockholm ceremony on November 2, 2026.

San Diego – September 23, 2026 -- CollegeSource CEO Kerry Cooper has been named a Best Global EdTech Leader Finalist in the 2026 Tech Edvocate Awards, recognizing more than five decades of work on transfer credit and degree-planning technology for higher education institutions.

Baton Rouge – September 19, 2026 -- The Inner Circle has named Asia Alexus Alexander, M.S.M., a Pinnacle Professional of The Year for her work in marketing education. Alexander teaches marketing at Southern University and A&M College, where she structures coursework around live case studies, industry guest speakers, and analytics-driven projects to replicate the pace of modern marketing agencies.

New York – September 18, 2026 -- The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) has named six winners of the 2026 ACLS Open Access Book Prizes and Arcadia Open Access Publishing Awards, distributing a combined $300,000 across humanities disciplines.

Berlin – September 15, 2026 -- WELT chief reporter Ibrahim Naber won the Deutscher Fernsehpreis in the category "Best Presenter / Individual Achievement Information" on September 9, 2026, for his continuous frontline reporting from Ukraine.

Dubai – September 12, 2026 -- Flytxt's Agentic AI platform Niya-X has won a Bronze Stevie Award in the 'Best AI-driven Product' category at the 23rd Annual International Business Awards, beating out competition from over 3,400 nominations submitted across 82 nations and territories.

Mainz – September 09, 2026 -- German public broadcaster ZDF has shortlisted five debut novels for its 48th annual "aspekte" Literature Prize, a €10,000 award recognized as a launchpad for major literary careers since 1979.