Award programs have a tough job. You need a process that’s both fair and insightful. Yet many fall into one of three traps:
The Journalist Pick: Some awards rely on media professionals to choose winners. Now, journalists are great at sniffing out a story, but are they really the best at evaluating nuanced business achievements? I mean, would you want a food critic reviewing your sales strategy?
The Industry Peer Panel: Then, there’s the “we’ll just ask other businesses” approach. Sure, peers know the space, but it’s easy for bias—or plain old office politics—to creep in. Imagine your fiercest competitor scoring your nomination. Awkward.
The Public Vote Free-For-All: Crowdsourcing sounds democratic, but it can turn messy. Suddenly, it’s less about quality and more about who has the biggest social media following.
How We’ve Designed Our Judging System to Actually Work
At the Business Intelligence Group, we’ve flipped the script with a transparent, crowd-sourced model that’s driven by experts and real-world data. Our approach?
- Let the Pros Weigh In
We have a global panel of volunteer judges, folks who actually understand what it takes to excel in various industries. These aren’t just warm bodies—they’re professionals from your field who know the challenges inside out. - A Likert Scale That Talks Back
Every nomination gets scored on a Likert scale across multiple criteria. Think clarity, innovation, and measurable impact. It’s like a report card but without the anxiety-inducing red ink. - Feedback That’s Actually Useful
Here’s the kicker: nominees get private feedback. It’s more than a score; it’s advice from the judges who read your work to help you grow and improve. For the judges, it’s a way to pay their expertise forward. - Our Secret Sauce: A Weighted Algorithm
Behind the scenes, a proprietary formula calculates a final score for each nomination. It weeds out outliers and rewards submissions that are clear and impactful. It’s not magic, but it might feel like it.
Why It Matters
With our system, winners aren’t just chosen—they earn their spot. It’s not about who you know, how flashy your marketing is, or whether you can rally 10,000 people to vote. It’s about quality, pure and simple.
Compare that to systems where a journalist or biased panelist could make or break your chances. It’s like the difference between a science fair judged by actual scientists versus one judged by your mom’s book club. (Love you, Mom, but I don’t need a ribbon for my exploding volcano unless it’s deserved.)
Thinking of Entering? Here’s What to Know
Our judging process levels the playing field. Whether you’re a small business or a global juggernaut, you’re evaluated the same way: by people who care about recognizing excellence and giving you tools to succeed.
And let’s be real—winning feels great. But getting actionable feedback that helps you improve? That’s priceless.
Photo by Mikhail Nilov