Our 2026 Judges

In accordance with our Awards Trust Mark we have a fair and robust judging process.

Every award submission is reviewed internally by the Inside Out® Awards team.

Each Judge then has four weeks to review all the award submissions within their assigned award category.

The following criteria must be met before application:

• Each Judge is expected to fully participate in the judging process to;
• Use their knowledge and experience to assess entries during our Judges Day.
• Check all entries meet the correct category criteria and re-allocate into correct categories if necessary.
• Provide scores and written comments on all shortlisted entrants and award winners.
• Attend the Awards event. It is important that the judges are there to meet all award finalists, sponsors and guests and be accessible to them.

After each Judge has reviewed and supplied initial scores and comments, we come together as a judging panel for a day of discussion, debate and benchmarking. This means:

• Each category can be discussed in depth.
• The judges are able to benchmark and ensure consistency in scoring.
• The entire panel can come together to make the final shortlist and winners decision.
• Each winner is a majority rules decision.

There are two possible tiers of recognition awarded across all categories:

• Category winners will be awarded our Inside Out® Award, recognising outstanding creative craft, business impact, teams and individuals.
• Our Judging panel also has the opportunity to Highly Commended entries –  those submissions which have demonstrated something significant or unique. 

Each award winner receives a hand-crafted trophy and winners’ assets to help promote their award win. 

We are proud to have been awarded the Awards Trust Mark for the sixth year, accredited by The Independent Awards Standards Council. This not-for-profit scheme aims to raise standards across the award industry and operates an ethical code of conduct for award schemes to follow.

Having successfully demonstrated and met 12 key criteria, this is both a reflection of the excellent standards to which the Inside Out®Awards are organised, and the processes we have in place to ensure our Awards are run ethically.