The AWS Badge-Dex: An Almost Complete Guide for 2026

Source: Dev.to

AWS Badges Overview

A comprehensive reference of all current AWS badges available on Credly, covering public badges, subscription‑based programs, educational offerings, and AWS‑employee‑exclusive badges.

1. AWS Certified Early Adopter

• Description – Badge awarded to candidates who pass a certification exam during its beta phase. The earner receives both the certification and the Early‑Adopter badge (beta‑only).
• Requirements – Be among the first 5,000 participants of the exam.
• Cost – ½ the normal price of the certification.
• Course Level – Ranges from Foundational to Advanced (beginners, intermediates, experts).
• Duration – 250 minutes.
• Assessment – Proctored exam that must be passed to achieve AWS Certified status.
• Platform – Link

2. AWS Microcredentials

• Description – Hands‑on, scenario‑based labs that validate the ability to solve real‑world problems using a specific AWS service. Focus is on practical tasks in a controlled AWS environment.
• Requirements – Active Skillbuilder subscription.
• Cost – $29 (or the cost of the basic Skillbuilder subscription at the time).
• Course Level – Intermediate and Advanced learners.
• Duration – 1 h 30 m.
• Assessment – Set of questions tied to the to‑do tasks performed in the controlled AWS account.
• Platform – Link

3. AWS Ambassador

• Requirements
  • Must be an employee of an AWS Partner Network (APN).
  • Hold ≥ 2 AWS technical certifications at the Professional or Specialty level.
  • Actively contribute to the AWS community (presentations, blogs, whitepapers, etc.).
• Cost – No subscription fee; participation is based on community contribution.
• Course Level – For individuals already familiar with AWS who want to deepen expertise and share knowledge.
• Duration – Varies with the individual’s level of involvement.
• Assessment – Real‑world application and community contributions rather than a formal test.
• Platform – Link

4. AWS Quest

5. AWS re/Start

• Target Audience – Individuals with little or no technology background, especially those who are unemployed or under‑employed.
• Cost – Free for learners.
• Course Level – Entry‑level (new to cloud computing).
• Duration – 12 weeks, full‑time.
• Assessment – Prepares participants for the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam.
• Platform – Link

6. AWS Instructor

• Program Overview – The AWS Authorized Instructor Program and AWS Classroom Training provide instructor‑led learning paths covering a wide range of AWS topics and services.
• Requirements – Minimum AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate certification and sponsorship by an AWS Training Partner.
• Cost – Joining the Instructor Program is free; classroom‑training fees vary by course and delivery method.
• Course Level – Beginner → Advanced (roles include Solutions Architect, Developer, Cloud Practitioner, etc.).
• Duration – Varies from half‑day workshops to multi‑day sessions.
• Assessment – Instructors are evaluated on knowledge and teaching effectiveness; students complete hands‑on labs and practical exercises.
• Platform – Link

7. AWS Subject Matter Expert (SME)

• Requirements
  • Relevant hands‑on AWS experience.
  • Hold an AWS certification and apply for SME status.
  • Strong English reading and writing skills.
  • Foundational / Associate – ≥ 1 year practical experience.
  • Professional / Specialty – ≥ 2 years practical experience.
• Cost – None.
• Course Level – Advanced.
• Duration – No fixed duration; must participate in at least 3 exam‑creation activities.
• Assessment – Pass the Item Writing Course and complete knowledge checks.
• Platform – Link | SME Item Writing Course

8. AWS Educate

• Description – Introductory, hands‑on labs covering six core AWS services:
  • Amazon S3
  • Amazon EC2
  • Amazon RDS
  • Amazon DynamoDB
  • AWS IAM
  • Amazon VPC
• Requirements – Register with an email address (no educational‑institution email required).

All links are placeholders and should be replaced with the actual URLs to the respective platforms.

AWS Knowledge (Skillbuilder)

The AWS Skill Builder is an integrated learning platform designed to enhance knowledge and skills in AWS technologies. It offers digital and classroom training options, learning paths, and hands‑on labs.

• Requirements – Registration is mandatory (email or Builder ID).
• Cost – Free access is available. Paths that include labs require a subscription at $29 / month (optional for earning the badge).
• Course Level – Suitable for Beginners, Intermediate, and Advanced learners.
• Duration – Learning paths vary from 2 – 100 hours.
• Assessment – End‑of‑path assessment (≈ 40‑60 questions). One attempt per day; not timed.
• Platform – Link

AWS Certified

AWS Certified is a certification program for professionals seeking to validate their technical expertise in the AWS cloud.

• Requirements – Registration with any email address. Prior knowledge/experience in the certification area is beneficial.
• Cost – Varies by certification level; exam fees range from $100 – $300 (free resources also available).
• Course Level – From Foundational to Advanced (covers beginners, intermediates, experts).
• Duration – Preparation time varies; courses and study materials range from a few hours to several weeks.
• Assessment – Proctored exam that must be passed to achieve AWS Certified status.
• Platform – Link

How to Obtain a Discount on Your Certifications

1. AWS Certified Benefits – Once certified, you receive a 50 % discount voucher for recertification or any other exam.
2. AWS Emerging Talent Community (ETC) – Participate in AWS Educate, AWS re/Start, or earn a digital badge to join ETC. Completing challenges earns points redeemable for certification vouchers.
3. AWS Certified Global Community – Similar to ETC; members earn points through challenges for voucher rewards.
4. Get AWS Certified Challenge – Join before the deadline to receive a 50 % discount code for Practitioner, Associate, or Professional exams. Specialty challenges occur throughout the year; follow AWS Training & Certification on LinkedIn for updates.
5. AWS Community Builders Program & Other Initiatives – Free certification vouchers are available via programs such as the Community Builders Program, All Builders Welcome Grant scholarship, and AWS New Voices foundational speaker training.
6. AWS re:Invent Discount – Attendees receive a 50 % discount voucher usable for any AWS certification exam.

AWS Partner

• Requirements – Company email (the company must be part of the AWS Partner Network).
• Cost – None.
• Course Level – Suitable for Intermediate and Advanced learners.
• Duration – Learning paths range from 4 – 8 hours.
• Assessment – Yes – you can retake as many times as you like.
• Platform – Link

AWS Cloud Club Captain

AWS Cloud Clubs are student‑led user groups for post‑secondary students and independent learners. Led by Cloud Club Captains, these communities are open to learners aged 18+ and focus on building, sharing, and growing cloud knowledge through peer‑driven activities and events.

• Requirements – Must be a post‑secondary student or an eligible independent learner aged 18 or older.
• Cost – None.
• Course Level – Community‑focused; targeted at individuals interested in building and leading learning communities.
• Assessment – No formal assessment; badge levels are earned based on participation and contributions.

Additional Course Listings (Cleaned)

Course A

• Requirements – Invited by an education institution to a Canvas platform.
• Cost – None (no additional cost; enrollment in a course is required).
• Course Level – Beginner.
• Duration – 3 – 12 months.
• Assessment – Assessments per module.
• Platform – Link

Course B

• Requirements – Registration with a business/education email is required.
• Cost – None.
• Course Level – Appropriate for Beginners, Intermediates, and Advanced learners.
• Duration – Sessions typically range from 4 – 6 hours.
• Assessment – No formal assessment; participants must complete a form at the conclusion of the presentation.
• Platform – Link

All links marked “Link” should be replaced with the actual URLs when publishing.

Community Activity, Event Organization, and Overall Engagement

Platform: Link

AWS Support Engineer

The AWS Support team works with a global community of companies and developers to run mission‑critical applications. This badge recognizes demonstrated expertise and a deep understanding of AWS services.

• Requirements
  • Be an active AWS employee.
  • Pass a curated course comprising Level 300 laboratories.
• Cost – None.
• Course Level – Advanced – for engineers with a deep understanding of support‑related services.
• Assessment – SME assessment.
• Platform – Link

AWS Worldwide Field Enablement

The WWFE mission is to enable the AWS field organization to be the most efficient in the world by empowering sellers to focus on helping customers succeed.

• Accreditation badge demonstrates
  • Foundational industry domain knowledge.
  • Understanding of financial‑services customer outcomes.
  • Familiarity with AWS industry solution areas.
• Requirements – Must be an active AWS employee.
• Cost – None.
• Course Level – Targeted to individuals working within a specific industry domain.
• Assessment – No formal assessment required.
• Platform – Link

AWS Builders League

Builders League (BL) is a 4–6 month event where customers compete in a gamified environment through AWS GameDays, Immersion Days, Certification Challenges, Workshops, and other activities.

• Goals
  • Increase AWS certifications.
  • Build a technical community for sharing AWS‑related queries.
  • Enhance Skill Builder platform knowledge.
• Requirements – Must be part of the APN of Latin America.
• Cost – None.
• Course Level – Intermediate to advanced – targeted to technical AWS practitioners.
• Assessment – No formal assessment; participation and challenges are gamified via point accumulation.
• Platform – Builders League virtual AWS‑hosted environments and online events (GameDays, Immersion Days, Webinars).

AWSome Award

The AWSome Award program recognizes individuals who exemplify Amazon’s Leadership Principles and deliver extraordinary customer outcomes over the course of a year.

• Requirements – Must be an active AWS employee.
• Cost – None.
• Course Level – Not applicable.
• Assessment – No formal assessment; recipients must consistently perform at the highest level in their role, raise the bar through their contributions, deliver extraordinary customer outcomes, and be selected by their respective organizational leader.
• Platform – AWS Private

Other Badges

• Tip: Gather all your emails in one Credly account. You can find the option in Settings.