> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://herd-security.gitbook.io/herd-security-docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://herd-security.gitbook.io/herd-security-docs/trainings/getting-started-with-trainings/completion-awards.md).

# Completion Awards

## What Are Completion Awards?

**Completion awards** are celebratory, organization-branded **PDF awards** Herd sends to learners when they finish a training. They're a recognition tool — a way to make finishing feel rewarded — and are separate from Herd's compliance evidence (completions remain the audit record; see [Drata Integration](/herd-security-docs/compliance/drata-integration.md)).

Each award is an A4 landscape PDF rendered in one of three themes, carrying your organization's branding. An issued award is a snapshot: changing your branding later never alters awards that were already sent.

***

## Issuing Awards

There are three ways an award gets issued (each learner receives at most one award per training):

* **Automatically on completion** — in the [assign flow](/herd-security-docs/trainings/getting-started-with-trainings/assigning-users-to-training.md), turn on the **Completion award** toggle for the users you're assigning. Herd sends the award when they complete the training; if a passing score is set, the award waits until they meet it.
* **In bulk, after the fact** — on the training's **Results** tab, click **Award All Completed** (next to **Export CSV**) to issue awards to everyone who has already completed. It's safe to click more than once — nobody gets a duplicate.
* **One person at a time** — expand a person's row on the Results tab and click **Send completion award**.

### How awards reach learners

Awards are delivered as a **Slack or Teams DM** with the PDF, falling back to **email** for users without a connected chat account. Every delivery carries a **30-day download link that works without logging in**, so even offboarded users can retrieve their award.

***

## Branding Your Awards

Configure the look under **Trainings → Training settings** (the gear icon) **→ Completion awards → Award branding**:

* **Award title** — the headline; leave empty for the default.
* **Congratulatory text** — supports `{firstName}`, `{lastName}`, `{trainingTitle}`, and `{dateOfCompletion}` tokens; leave empty for the default.
* **Accent color** — validated for readability (at least 3:1 contrast against the award background).
* **Background gradient** — optionally wash the background with a soft two-color gradient (**Gradient start** / **Gradient end**). Colors are blended toward white so text stays readable, and your chosen colors are kept even while the toggle is off.
* **Theme** — Classic, Modern, or Minimal.
* **Logo** — PNG, JPEG, or SVG up to 5MB (SVG is converted to PNG).
* **Signatories** — up to 2 names and titles.

A live **Preview** shows all three themes as you edit. Click **Save settings** to apply.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Apply brand guidelines.** If your [Organizational Context](/herd-security-docs/settings/settings/general-and-approvals.md#your-organizational-context) carries brand data, an **Apply brand guidelines** button prefills the form for you — your primary color becomes the accent, your secondary color the gradient, and your Context logo is imported. Nothing is persisted until you review the preview and save, and changes apply to future awards only.
{% endhint %}

***

## Where Awards Show Up

* **Admins** — a user's profile has an **Awards** tab listing every award, with download and re-send actions (revoked awards render struck through). On the Results view, a badge shows whether a person's award is pending or received.
* **Learners** — a **My awards** section on the [member dashboard](/herd-security-docs/getting-started/member-dashboard.md) (Slack App Home and the Teams **Dashboard** tab), plus a download button on the web player's completion screen when an award was issued.