Judging the Awards

Guidelines from the HITA Board on judging the awards.

We want to extend our sincere thanks to our 24 judges as individuals for their invaluable contribution to our awards process. Without their industry expertise the awards would not be held in the high esteem in which they are.  Many of them have previous experience on our  judging panel but in  2025 we welcomed 9 new judges.  New judges bring a fresh approach to the awards in our endeavour for continuous improvement.

Each category has a panel of 3 independent judges who have been individually selected for their knowledge and experience in the industry.

Each judge is issued with a judging manual which will include a set of criteria for each of the awards they have been selected to judge. The following guidelines exist to support the overall process and to provide clarity of expectations for everyone involved.

  1. Understand the Category Criteria

    • Familiarise yourself thoroughly with the judging criteria and standards for the awards.

    • Ensure consistency in how the criteria are applied to all entries.

  2. Avoid unconscious bias.

    • Approach every entry with an open mind, free of personal preferences, prejudices, or favouritism.

    • Refrain from letting personal relationships with entrants influence your judgment.

  3. Confidentiality

    • Respect the confidentiality of the process. Do not share information about entries, scoring, or deliberations outside of your own judging panel for each award.

    • Avoid discussing entries with other judges outside official judging meetings.

  4. Impartiality

    • Remove yourself immediately from evaluating any entry where a conflict of interest exists (e.g., relationships, affiliations, or other vested interests).

    • Notify the chair of the judging panel immediately if you recognise a conflict of interest.

  5. Transparency

    • Provide clear, honest, and constructive feedback as required for each entry in the on-line portal.

    • Judges scores can only be accepted if they have been uploaded into the on-line portal and in advance of all deadlines issued.

    • Be prepared to explain or justify your scoring and your decisions if requested.

  6. Professional Conduct

    • Treat all entrants and fellow judges with respect and professionalism.

    • Do not criticise, belittle, or demean any entry publicly or privately.

Ethical Principles

  1. Integrity

    • Ensure all judgments are based solely on the merits of the entry and the stated criteria.

    • Refrain from accepting gifts, favours, or incentives that could compromise your impartiality.

  2. Fairness

    • Treat every participant equally, regardless of their background, reputation, or prior achievements.

    • Ensure that no external pressures (e.g., sponsors or influential parties) affect your decisions.

  3. Honesty

    • Be truthful in your evaluation and scoring. Avoid inflating or deflating scores without justifiable reasons.

  4. Objectivity

    • Focus solely on the quality, originality, and alignment of the entry with the award’s aims objectives and criteria.

    • Avoid letting emotions or assumptions influence your decisions.

Moral Principles

  1. Respect for Effort

    • Acknowledge the time, effort, and creativity entrants have put into their submissions.

    • Provide feedback (if part of the process) in a constructive, respectful, and supportive tone.

  2. Promoting Excellence

    • Strive to elevate and recognize excellence, encouraging innovation and creativity in the field.

  3. Upholding the Awards’ Integrity

    • Ensure that the awards maintain their reputation by adhering to the highest standards of judgment.

    • Avoid actions or decisions that could damage the credibility of the process.

    • Be punctual and adhere to the deadlines for scoring and deliberations and final interviews.