How entries are judged

A fair, consistent and transparent process for every award

Every entry is judged against the published criteria for its award, weighted to a total of 100 points. Judges assess the evidence you provide, not reputation, seniority or presentation polish (unless presentation is itself part of the assessment, as in the Innovation Award's live pitch).

The process

  1. Eligibility check. When applications close, we check every entry for eligibility, completeness and conflicts of interest.
  2. Independent scoring. At least two judges score each eligible entry independently against every criterion.
  3. Moderation. The panel reviews the scores together, resolves any significant differences and agrees a shortlist.
  4. Finalists confirmed. We complete final checks, secure any permissions needed and notify all applicants of the outcome.
  5. Winners presented. Awards are presented at BOA Congress 2027. For the Innovation Award, shortlisted entrants pitch live at Congress and the final decision is made after that session.

The scoring scale

Judges score each criterion on a five-point scale:

Score

What it means

1

Insufficient evidence, or does not meet the criterion

2

Limited evidence, with important weaknesses or gaps

3

Meets the criterion with credible evidence

4

Strong evidence and clear achievement beyond the expected standard

5

Exceptional, compelling and transferable evidence

Each score is then weighted according to the criteria on the award page to give a total out of 100.

Fairness and conflicts of interest

Applicants, judges and panel members must all declare any conflicts of interest. No judge will assess an entry where a conflict, whether actual, potential or perceived, could affect confidence in the decision. The panel chair records the reasons for every shortlisting and winning decision.

Hearing from us

All applicants will receive an acknowledgement when they submit and a notification of the outcome. Finalists will receive a full briefing on Congress arrangements, deadlines and publicity. Feedback is provided where it forms part of the award, including to Innovation Award entrants.