Balance not bias - how to prevent prejudice in your judging process

You can put all the effort - and expense - you like into a swanky ceremony or a glitzy trophy but, if people think your awards are rigged, your reputation will be in tatters and entrants will give your programme a swerve. To attract high quality entries from engaged entrants, you need a watertight judging process that assures people that your awards are worthy of their time and input.

So how do you set up a fair and equitable judging framework that your entrants can trust? Here are our top tips.

For awards managers, a straightforward submissions process means fewer support queries, less data cleanup, and more time to focus on promoting your programme and engaging stakeholders.

Start with blind judging - remove identifying information from entries before they reach your judges. Names, logos, company details – strip it all out (hint: it’s super easy to do this in AwardStage!) This simple step prevents unconscious bias based on brand recognition or past relationships. People are much more likely to evaluate work impartially when they don't know who's behind it.

Diversify your judging panel - a homogeneous panel brings homogeneous perspectives. Mix things up with judges from different industries, backgrounds, and experience levels. Equally, you’ll need to avoid any perceived conflict of interest by choosing independent judges who don’t have a commercial stake in the awards, and aren’t linked to any nominees.

Create crystal-clear criteria - vague judging criteria are a breeding ground for bias. Instead of general terms like ‘innovation’ or ‘excellence’, break down exactly what you're looking for. Give each criterion a weighting (again, super simple in AwardStage!) and provide judges with specific questions to answer. The more structured your scoring system, the less room there is for subjective interpretation.

For the ultimate in best practice - as outlined by the highly respected Awards Trust Mark - ensure that all judges use the same robust scoring system, and that all decisions on shortlisting and winning are made by at least two independent judges.

Use technology to your advantage - the days of unwieldy spreadsheets and email attachments are, thankfully, long gone - today’s awards management software can distribute judges and entries randomly, cope with complex weighted scoring criteria and set up mandatory NDAs for judges to sign.

Train your judges - don't assume everyone knows how to judge fairly. A pre-judging briefing can align expectations, explain your criteria, and remind judges to check their biases at the door. And don’t forget to give your judges a rundown of how to use your awards management system.

Don’t forget, perception matters as much as reality. When entrants see you've taken concrete steps to ensure fairness, your credibility will get a boost, as will your entry numbers - win-win!

If you’d like to find out how AwardStage can support your judging process, and your whole awards programme, just drop us a line or book a call. We’d love to chat to you!