AWS Emerging Talent Community Is Retiring on 9 December 2026: What Learners Need to Know
The AWS Emerging Talent Community is approaching its final chapter. Here is what the change means for existing members, how to protect your outstanding rewards, and how to continue your cloud learning journey with AWS Builder Center.
For many students and aspiring cloud professionals, the AWS Emerging Talent Community (ETC) has been a valuable place to engage with AWS learning programmes, earn points, and work towards rewards. It has also helped learners take their first steps towards building a career in cloud computing.
Now, AWS is preparing for a transition.
The AWS Emerging Talent Community will be retired on 9 December 2026, with AWS Builder Center becoming the recommended destination for learners who want to continue developing their skills, sharing their work, and connecting with the global AWS community.
This change is more than a platform transition. It is an opportunity to rethink how we learn cloud technologies, demonstrate practical skills, and become part of a wider technical community.
However, there is one important detail every existing ETC member should understand: your ETC points, activity, and rewards progress will not transfer to AWS Builder Center.
If you currently use ETC, now is the time to review your progress, understand the deadline, and prepare for the transition.
1. When is the AWS Emerging Talent Community closing?
AWS has confirmed that ETC will be retired at 00:00 UTC on 9 December 2026 as part of its ongoing effort to improve the learner experience.
Until the retirement deadline, eligible learners can continue earning ETC points and requesting available rewards under the existing programme terms.
Here are the key dates and details:
- Retirement date: 9 December 2026.
- Final ETC rewards deadline: 00:00 UTC on 9 December 2026.
- Existing points and progress: They will not transfer to AWS Builder Center.
- Builder Center availability: Learners can join and start using it now.
Because the deadline falls at the beginning of 9 December in UTC, existing members should aim to complete their reward requests by 8 December rather than leaving them until the final hours.
For the official announcement and guidance, visit the AWS Builder Center announcement .
2. What should existing ETC members do before the deadline?
If you have already earned points through ETC, do not assume that your progress will automatically appear in Builder Center. AWS has stated that ETC activity and progress, including points and rewards, will not transfer.
The most practical approach is to review your account and take care of any outstanding rewards before the programme closes.
Step 1: Sign in to AWS Educate
Go to the AWS Educate sign-in page and log in with your existing account.
Step 2: Open the Emerging Talent Community
If you qualify for ETC, look for the Emerging Talent Community tab in the navigation menu near your AWS Educate profile.
Step 3: Review your points and available rewards
Check your current points balance and the rewards available to your account. Review the redemption requirements for each reward before deciding what to claim.
Step 4: Submit your reward requests
Request any rewards you are eligible for before the official deadline. Allow enough time to complete the process, and keep any confirmation emails or other relevant records.
Step 5: Keep a record of your achievements
Save any useful information about your previous ETC participation. Your ETC progress will not migrate to Builder Center, so it is sensible to retain records for your own reference.
A note for learners who cannot access ETC: Eligibility requires you to be at least 18 and to have earned a qualifying badge through an AWS training programme, such as AWS Educate, AWS Academy, or AWS re/Start.
If your qualifying badge was earned outside AWS Educate, ETC access may take up to 72 hours to appear. Learners who earn a qualifying AWS Educate badge may receive access within a few minutes, provided they meet the other eligibility requirements.
You can review the official list of qualifying ETC badges on Credly .
3. What is AWS Builder Center?
AWS Builder Center is a free community platform designed to help people learn, build, share knowledge, and connect with others who work with AWS technologies.
It brings together several activities that are important for professional development: learning new concepts, exploring practical projects, publishing technical content, and contributing to discussions with other builders.
One of its most useful features is the public profile. Rather than keeping every achievement within a learning platform, you can develop a profile that showcases your articles, contributions, and earned badges.
For students and early-career professionals, this creates an opportunity to demonstrate not only what they have studied, but also what they are working on and sharing with others.
With AWS Builder Center, you can:
- Learn: Explore free learning resources, courses, workshops, and technical content covering areas such as AI, machine learning, serverless computing, and cloud development.
- Build: Work through practical activities and use what you learn to develop your technical skills.
- Publish: Share tutorials, project walkthroughs, lessons learned, and explanations of technical challenges.
- Connect: Participate in discussions, learn from experienced professionals, and engage with a global community of developers and cloud enthusiasts.
- Showcase your work: Share your public profile on LinkedIn, your CV, or your personal portfolio website.
- Participate in community activities: Earn badges through eligible activities and take part in events and building initiatives.
AWS describes Builder Center as a free platform that does not require an AWS cloud account or credit card just to join.
You can explore the platform here: https://builder.aws.com/ .
4. How to get started with AWS Builder Center
You do not need to wait until ETC closes to join Builder Center. Getting started now gives you time to become familiar with the platform and build a consistent presence in the community.
Step 1: Visit AWS Builder Center
Open builder.aws.com and follow the sign-in or registration instructions.
Step 2: Use your AWS Builder ID
Sign in with your existing AWS Builder ID, if you have one, or create one by following the registration process.
Remember that an AWS Builder ID is different from the credentials you use to sign in to the AWS Management Console.
Step 3: Choose your public alias
During setup, you will be asked to choose an alias for your Builder Center profile.
Choose it carefully. Your alias forms part of your public profile URL and, according to the platform guidance, cannot be changed. A professional, memorable alias is a good long-term choice.
Step 4: Complete your profile
Add a suitable profile photo and write an About section that explains your interests and technical experience.
You might include your interests in AWS, cloud computing, DevOps, software development, AI, or infrastructure as code. Mention relevant projects or certifications where appropriate, and keep the information accurate.
Step 5: Explore the community
Browse articles, discussions, workshops, and other learning resources. Follow subjects that interest you and take time to understand how other community members share their work.
You do not need to contribute everything at once. Start by learning from the community and identifying areas where your own experience may be useful.
Step 6: Publish something you have built or learned
One of the most valuable ways to participate is to document your practical experience.
For example, you could publish an article explaining how you deployed an application on Amazon EC2 using Nginx, created a VPC using AWS CloudFormation, configured a CI/CD pipeline, or resolved a networking problem.
Describe the objective, explain the steps, include relevant architecture diagrams or code snippets, and share the lessons you learned. Practical, well-documented content can help other learners facing similar challenges.
Step 7: Share your profile
Once your profile is complete, add its public URL to your LinkedIn profile, CV, or portfolio website.
Over time, your contributions can help others discover your interests and see the work you have shared with the community.
For additional information, visit the AWS Builder Center FAQ .
5. An additional opportunity for university students: AWS Student Rewards
For students currently enrolled in higher education, the transition also brings an opportunity worth exploring.
AWS Student Rewards is a separate programme for eligible students who verify their enrolment and participate in Builder Center. It is not a transfer of ETC points or rewards, and students must satisfy the requirements of the new programme.
The published reward milestones include:
| Requirement | Published reward |
|---|---|
| Verify student status and complete the required profile steps | 12 months of AWS Skill Builder Premium |
| Earn 7 eligible Builder Center badges | $10 in AWS credits |
| Earn 14 eligible Builder Center badges | An additional $20 in AWS credits |
| Earn 21 eligible Builder Center badges | An AWS Foundational Certification exam voucher, with a stated value of $100 |
To get started, eligible students must complete student verification through SheerID and complete their Builder Center profile, including a photo and About section. Further badges can be earned by participating in eligible community activities, such as publishing articles, commenting, and maintaining activity streaks.
The certification voucher is for a Foundational-level AWS certification; it should not be confused with a general-purpose voucher for Associate- or Professional-level exams. Credits and rewards are subject to the applicable programme terms.
If you are a university student, check the current eligibility requirements and reward conditions before planning around a particular reward.
Official link: AWS Student Rewards
6. How to make Builder Center part of your learning journey
Creating a profile is only the beginning. The real value comes from using the platform consistently and sharing work that reflects your learning.
A simple approach is to start with your profile, explore relevant technical content, and then make regular contributions. As you complete projects, document what you have learned and share explanations that may help others.
For example, a cloud learner could publish a series covering the deployment of a web application, infrastructure automation with CloudFormation, cloud security fundamentals, and troubleshooting common AWS networking issues.
This approach has two benefits. First, writing about a topic encourages you to understand it more clearly. Second, your articles and documented projects can become useful additions to your professional portfolio.
There is no need to publish something every day. Consistent, useful contributions are more valuable than posting simply to increase activity or collect badges.
If you are working towards Student Rewards, review the badge requirements displayed by the programme and plan your participation accordingly. Do not assume that every activity automatically qualifies for a particular reward.
7. What does this transition mean for the AWS learning community?
The retirement of ETC marks a change in how AWS is directing learners towards its community and learning resources.
For current ETC members, the immediate concern is practical: check your points, review your available rewards, and submit eligible requests before the deadline. Existing ETC progress will not transfer, so delaying these steps carries a risk of losing the opportunity to redeem available rewards.
For learners who are new to AWS community activities, Builder Center offers a place to begin building a public presence, learn from others, and share practical work.
It is also important to keep expectations realistic. Community badges are not the same as professional AWS certifications, and a public profile does not replace hands-on experience. However, a collection of meaningful contributions and well-documented projects can help demonstrate initiative and a willingness to learn.
Ultimately, the benefit of a technical community depends on how you use it. The most valuable outcome is not simply accumulating points or badges, but developing skills, learning from others, and helping the next person who encounters a problem you have already solved.
8. Final checklist: prepare for the transition
Before the ETC retirement deadline:
- Sign in to AWS Educate and confirm your ETC access.
- Review your points balance and available rewards.
- Submit any eligible reward requests before 00:00 UTC on 9 December 2026.
- Save relevant confirmations and records for your own reference.
To continue through AWS Builder Center:
- Create or access your AWS Builder ID.
- Choose your alias carefully and complete your public profile.
- Explore learning resources and community discussions.
- Share useful technical articles or projects.
- Add your public profile to your professional portfolio.
- Check Student Rewards if you are eligible for higher-education student verification.
Your next step: Join AWS Builder Center .
The key dates and reward details in this article are based on the AWS announcement and programme information provided. Check the official links for any changes to eligibility, availability, or redemption terms.
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