AV Freelancer Awards

We carefully curate a diverse panel of industry professionals and influencers who possess a wide range of knowledge, expertise, and skills that align with our judging criteria. This ensures that the finalists are awarded fairly and justly. Transparency is crucial in our judging process, and we want to provide you with all the information you need to understand how your entry will be evaluated and how the winners will be chosen.

Each Judge is expected to actively engage in the evaluation process by:

  • Utilising their knowledge, expertise, and experience to assess all submissions in their designated categories
  • Verifying that each submission aligns with the category criteria, and if necessary, assisting in re-categorising with The AV Freelancer Awards administrative team
  • Collaborating in pairs to provide feedback and scores for all finalists and winners
  • Disclosing any potential conflicts of interest with participants in their assigned categories
  • Making an effort to attend the Awards Ceremony whenever feasible – it is crucial for our judges to connect with our finalists, winners, attendees, and sponsors.

Important Dates

  • DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES – Sunday 13th DECEMBER 2024
  • JUDGING SESSIONS – 14-24 DECEMBER 2024
  • SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED – SUNDAY 29 DECEMBER 2024 LATEST
  • AWARDS CEREMONY – FRIDAY 17 JANUARY 2025, LONDON

Judging Process

The process for evaluating the entries and selecting the winners will be carried out by our panel of Judges. Here is an overview of the steps involved:

  1. The AV Freelancer Awards administration team will review all the entries for accuracy and eligibility shortly after the entries deadline on Sunday, 13 DECEMBER 2024.
  2. The entries will be organised into their respective categories.
  3. The judging panel will receive all the entries related to their designated categories. Each pair of Judges will be responsible for two categories.
  4. During the Judging Sessions, the Judges will carefully review, assess, and score each entry. This process will help them narrow down the entries to the shortlisted ones, which will be considered as finalists.
  5. In some categories, the Judges may decide to conduct virtual interviews with the entrants to gather additional information and support their decision-making process. If this applies to your entry, you will be notified after the entries close.
  6. By the end of the Judging Sessions, a Winner will be selected for each category. The announcement of the Winners will take place in front of a live audience during the Awards Ceremony on 17 January 2025.

Judging Criteria

The Judges will evaluate the entries based on the evidence of clear and effective communication of successes and stories. It is important that your objectives are clearly stated and easy to understand. Providing examples whenever possible is recommended. The Judges will also consider the structure, presentation, language usage (including spelling and punctuation), and overall clarity of each entry.

The Judges will carefully review and score all entry forms, taking into account any supporting materials that have been submitted. Each question within the entry form will be assigned a score, which will then be combined to determine an overall score for each entry. The pre-scores given by all Judges will be combined, and the entries with the highest scores will be shortlisted.

The Judges will convene to discuss the entries with the highest scores and ultimately decide on the winners for each category. In some cases, this may involve meeting with the shortlisted entrants. If necessary, you will be notified to schedule a suitable virtual interview time and date.

Only the Judges assigned to your category and The Freelancer Awards team will have access to your entry(ies). The Judges are required to sign confidentiality agreements before reviewing your entry(ies).

Organisations involved in the judging process are encouraged to submit their own entries for the awards. However, they will not participate in any discussions related to their own organisation or any organisation in which they have a vested interest.

Judging Sessions

The judging sessions provide the Judges with the chance to collaborate and select the finalists and winners. Through virtual meetings, they will discuss the strengths of each entry to ensure a fair and comprehensive evaluation process.

Every duo of Judges will oversee two categories and review the entries before the judging sessions.

Throughout the judging sessions, each Judge will share their opinions and evaluate the entries or nominations. It is essential for all Judges to reach a consensus on the shortlisted entries and winners in each category.