by Bright Ewuru | Jun 13, 2024 | Articles
An awards nomination program process can feel like a dizzying array of tasks: nomination entry; review and acceptance of nomination; evaluation of candidates, and, then, of course, the final awards.
The traditional process of nomination was once manual and paper-based, characterised by physical nomination forms, supporting documents and other relevant materials. It might have involved physical collection, manual verification and evaluation of each nomination for completeness and eligibility.
But this type of process could be plagued by multiple downsides such as delays, inefficiency, limited accessibility and inclusivity, risk of error and mismanagement of documents and a lack of transparency.
These days, awards nomination has largely moved online. A major timesaver! But, even an online nomination program requires careful planning for a streamlined and efficient process.
A modernised awards nomination process can save time for program managers, nominees and your review team. But it also provides:
A modern nomination program makes the award nomination process easier for everyone.
If you haven’t moved your process away from paper, now is the time. And, the right awards management software can help by streamlining the nomination process and improving user experience. By offering digital nomination forms with prompts to guide nominators and nominees, it simplifies data entry and reduces paperwork.
Such digital tools can provide multilingual support and follow important Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). This eliminates language and disability barriers, thereby boosting the reach of the nomination process and making it accessible to a diverse audience.
Another way to modernise your nomination program is by automating the process. Automation can help you effortlessly manage the nomination from collection to candidate selection. It can eliminate manual operations by handling repetitive tasks to save valuable time.
With automated notifications and reminders, judges and other participants can stay informed about the status of each nomination. Deadline notifications and acknowledgement prompts can ensure that deadlines are met and submissions are confirmed.
Fairness and transparency can be a game-changer in your awards nomination program. By ensuring fairness and transparency in selecting award candidates, you can maintain the award program’s integrity, prestige and credibility.
To guarantee equity, ensure that the nomination criteria and guidelines are clear for all participants. It’s also important to provide a standard nomination form; this makes sure all nominators provide the same type of information.
For evaluation, have a diverse review team; the diversity of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives can reduce the possibility of bias. Implement a standard scoring system and outline clear scoring guidelines to ensure consistency and objectivity in evaluations. Consider implementing an anonymous review process where nominations and other personal information are hidden to minimise bias during evaluation.
Good communication can revolutionise your awards nomination program. To nail it, consider creating a dedicated website or landing page that serves as the hub for all relevant information. It’s helpful to publish a detailed FAQ that addresses all common questions and concerns that participants might have.
Also, consider publishing the guidelines of the nomination program, eligibility and evaluation criteria as well as all crucial dates.
It’s helpful to gather input from the nominators and other participants. Send out surveys at different stages of the program to gather detailed feedback on participants’ experiences and their suggestions for improvement.
To further modernise your nomination program, consider strengthening the security and management of nomination data and other personal data. Software that offers robust security features such as data encryption, backups, two-factor authentication and other security measures is perfect for advanced data protection. It can also store all nominations in a central digital database, facilitating the review of nominations.
Using these tips to remodel your nomination program will help ensure a hassle-free experience for your nominators, nominees, judges and other participants.
For even greater time and cost savings, along with ultimate modernisation— leverage Award Force. Nomination-based awards from around the world use Award Force to streamline nominations, submissions, enhance fairness, automise communications and secure their awards. It is an indispensable tool for nomination-based award programs.
Get in touch or watch our demo videos to learn more about how we can help you modernise.
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