How to organise your awards entries for easier judging

The success and reputation of your awards program can rely on many different aspects of your program, but especially on the end results. The judging process is incredibly important— a panel of knowledgeable and renowned judges amplifies the perceived value of your awards and nurtures the confidence of other participants as well as the general public in the integrity of the process. 

This means it’s critical to provide value and a good experience to your awards judges as they evaluate the submissions in your awards program. Below are actionable pointers on how to organise your awards entries for a smooth judging process.

1. Create entry guidelines

The first step towards streamlining the judging process through awards entries is to establish entry guidelines. These entry rules outline what’s required for entrants to take part in the awards program. Consider publishing them on your awards program’s dedicated website or the awards entry form. 

By ensuring that only quality entries make it through, entry guidelines trim down the volume of submissions that judges must assess. Also, it saves your judges the stress of wading through a sea of unqualified or subpar entries. This allows them to channel their focus towards compliant and high-quality submissions.    

2. Sort entries into categories

It’s also a good idea to group your submissions into different categories. Creating categories for different entry types streamlines assessment by nurturing specialisation, and can help organise large amounts of entries into digestible loads for judges

Using categories for different entry types allows the judges to navigate through the entries effortlessly. It fosters a clear understanding of the expectations and criteria relating to each category.   

Moreover, submissions in the same category can be evaluated using the same standards since they share common characteristics. The consistency of rubric by category guarantees a regular and structured assessment, and judges can easily recognise exceptional submissions.    

3. Separate entries by geographic location

Is your awards program global? Or does it span across multiple geographic locations? 

If so, splitting the entries by geographic location is an effective way to organise the awards entries for easier judging. This separation makes for a painless judging process because it allows you to share the entries among different sets of judges. Each set of judges gets a reduced volume of work because they focus only on entries from a particular location.  

A more manageable workload allows the judges to evaluate each entry thoroughly. 

Dividing entries by geographical location aids the judges in understanding and taking into account different applicable frameworks. Whether the cultural context, legal standards or knowledge of local industries, separating entries by location can help ensure entries are assigned to judges seasoned in those various areas. Or, conversely, this could be used as a way to prevent bias by assigning judges with entries outside their own region.

4. Create a scoring rubric for each category

A rubric can simplify the judging process. This scoring tool guarantees consistency in evaluating entries by establishing a set of criteria for judging. It defines expectations, eliminates subjectivity and promotes fairness. 

By helping judges appreciate what’s expected, they can focus better on evaluating the entries. 

The performance levels provided by the scoring rubric for the various criteria of assessment allow judges to give an elaborate evaluation of the submissions. Such precise assessment shows how one entry excelled over another, building transparency and trust in the awards program. It also saves the judges’ time as they can assess each entry without unnecessary deliberation. 

If judges are expected to give feedback, the rubric further simplifies this task. The standards provided by the rubric will ensure that they give targeted and actionable feedback to the entrants.   

5. Lean on awards software

Using awards management software such as Award Force to accept entries can make the evaluation process easier for your judges. It makes online submission and assignment of entries a breeze and also provides judges with a centralised judging platform. 

Awards management software can also help streamline: 

• Anonymous submissions, so you can hide the identity of entrants and prevent any bias
• Rubrics and scoring systems that ensure standardised assessment
• Real-time communication and instant notifications that keep the judges informed and engaged throughout the evaluation period
• Remote operation which allows judges to participate in the judging process from anywhere 

Your judges are important; they decide the actual outcomes of your awards program. So it’s critical to provide your judges with an experience that is easy, intuitive and streamlined—a hassle-free process to ensure they come back, season after season.