The Judging
Process
Click on the video link (bottom right) to see a short clip of the National Judging Meeting and interviews with the judges.
Click on the ‘headers’ below for more details on the judging process.
IN BRIEF
- Awards will be presented across 19 categories (+ 2 special categories) in 7 geographical regions of England.
- The regional shortlists for each category will be announced on this web site in mid-November.
- The regional award winners in each category will be announced on the awards web site in late-November. Each regional winner will automatically go through to the national final. The Awards for the national final will be announced and presented live at the Awards event on Wednesday 18th January, 2012.
- The national award winners will be announced live on stage at the awards event on Wednesday 18th january, 2012.
- It is not just about the total number of votes. Each entrant’s average voter score will be calculated and used throughout. The proportion of each entrant’s eligible voters who vote will be also be taken into account.
IN DETAIL
- Awards will be presented across 19 categories (+ 2 special categories) in 7 geographical regions of England.
- Entries and Voting close at 5pm on 31st October 2011
- After this time, all entrants with no votes will be automatically removed from the competition and their listings will be removed from the Awards web site.
- All eligible votes from the remaining entrants are then collated and the resultant data is then ‘crunched’ to produce a shortlist for each category, in each region. There is no limit on the number of entrants on each regional shortlist.
The data ‘crunching’ will be done as follows...
In the voting process, each voter gives a score between 1 and 10 in each of 6 criteria. Quality of product, value for money, level of service before the wedding, level of service on the day of the wedding, level of service after the wedding and ‘recommendability’. This will give each entrant a total score out of 60 for each vote received. The average score per vote for each entrant is then calculated (If one or more of the criteria is not applicable to the entrant this will be taken into account). The average score for each category is then calculated. All entrants scoring below the average score are eliminated from the competition. This process is repeated 3 times and is performed automatically by computer. All entrants who remain in the competition after this process will be on the shortlist for their category in their region.
This process ensures that, as far as possible, a level playing field is created for all entrants. Using the average score ensures that the judging process is not simply based on the total number of votes received.
IMPORTANT: The proportion of eligible voters who vote will be taken into account where necessary. To illustrate, getting 50 votes from a possible 50 eligible clients is better than getting 50 votes from a possible 100 eligible clients.
Data given in each entrant’s profile will be used to calculate the total number of possible eligible voters.
- If a category in any region does not have any or enough entrants before or after the data ‘crunching’, or if entrants don’t have a high enough ratio of ‘votes : eligible voters’ recorded etc then the judging panel reserves the right to not have a regional shortlist for that category. In this instance no regional Award will be made in this category. Entrants in such categories will be offered another category where applicable. If a category cannot be supported in several regions, the judging panel also reserves the right not to have a national Award for that category.
- THE REGIONAL SHORTLISTS FOR EACH CATEGORY WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON THE AWARDS WEB SITE IN MID-NOVEMBER.
- The Judging Panel will then have access to the profile and voting details of all entrants who have been shortlisted for a regional Award.
- The judges will make their decisions based on an in-depth analysis of the voter scores, comments, the entrant’s web site and entrant interviews and product samples etc where applicable and necessary.
- All regional judging is done remotely, independently and confidentially. Each of the judging panel has equal weight in the judging process. Each judge decides upon a GOLD, SILVER and BRONZE for each category in each region where applicable. Each gold awarded = 8 points. Each silver awarded = 4 points. Each bronze awarded = 2 points. The shortlisted supplier with the highest total number of points is the regional winner. If two or more shortlisted suppliers have the same score then the one with the most 'golds' awarded will be the winner. If they have the same number of golds awarded then the one with the most 'silvers' will be the winner and so on. All regional winners automatically go through to the national final.
- THE REGIONAL AWARD WINNERS IN EACH CATEGORY WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON THE AWARDS WEB SITE IN LATE NOVEMBER.
- Each regional winner will automatically go onto the national shortlist.
- The judging panel will then decide upon the national winner in each category.
- THE NATIONAL AWARD WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED LIVE ON STAGE AT THE AWARDS EVENT ON WEDNESDAY 18TH JANUARY, 2012.
IMPORTANT: Throughout the judging process great emphasis will be placed on the data and comments received from voters. The methodology of the Awards is deliberately and firmly based on the fact that entrants may only receive votes from their eligible wedding clients. These clients have experienced all aspects of the entrant’s service and product at first-hand and, as a result, their input is of paramount and over-riding importance in the judging process.
