Judging for joy: how to show your judges some love

Finding the perfect panel of judges is fundamental to the success of your awards programme: the right mix of industry experts will not only provide a rigorous and impartial assessment process, it will also add credibility to your awards and enhance your reputation. But recruiting them is only half the battle – keeping them happy and engaged is what really matters.

Your judges are likely to be busy people at the top of their game, giving you their most precious resource: time. The best way to acknowledge this is by streamlining the process, making it as slick and straightforward as possible for them.

Clarity is crucial - nobody likes feeling confused about what they're supposed to do or when. Put together a judges' pack which sets out definitive timelines, expectations, and evaluation criteria. Communicate clearly and concisely, and prompt them as necessary, but don’t bombard them with endless emails.

The key to an easy, efficient judging process is an intuitive, user-friendly platform - which is where AwardStage comes in! Judges will expect to easily and quickly score their assigned entries, download them to assess offline, and see their judging progress at a glance, among other things. Happily, AwardStage does all this plus much more, including enabling judges to leave criteria-based and overall comments, automatically saving their scores, and allowing them to amend them.

Don’t forget to pay tribute to your judges publicly - namecheck them in your socials, feature them prominently on your website, and sing their praises at the awards ceremony. This visibility provides professional kudos for your judges, raises their profile, and demonstrates your appreciation.

When the judging is done and the dust has settled, ask your judges for their feedback. They'll be able to give you a valuable perspective on what worked, and what could be done better, and it will show them that you appreciate their input beyond simply scoring entries.

Great judges can become your biggest advocates. When they feel respected and appreciated, they'll talk up your programme which will boost your reputation, and help attract quality entrants and fellow judges for next year.

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