The OpenWater Blog

You’ve Selected Your Awards Judges. So, Now What?

Great judges don’t just find themselves. This means that once you’ve actually found excellent, credible judges for your awards program, you should get a much-deserved pat on the back. But, what happens after that?

Selecting awards judges is really just the beginning of the battle. In fact, getting organized for your judging period and keeping your judges informed as to what to expect and what is expected of them should be your first steps after selecting your judges themselves.

So what are these critical steps? We’ve laid them out for you here:

1. Sending Out Thank You’s

A simple thank you goes a long way and this is especially true when it comes to your judges. By doing so, you can both validate and recognize their efforts before the actual awards judging begins.

Of course, thank you’s can also serve an additional purpose because you can include other key information within them. For example, you can keep your judges looking forward with information about your awards gala or even other important events that are coming up. As a result, you can serve multiple purposes while keeping your judges happy. And, of course, every director wants happy awards judges!

2. Sending Out Information About Awards

Judges are critical for your awards program and so is the information you send them regarding your awards. In fact, you’ll send information to your judges right after they accept your invitation to judge, during your call for entry (CFE), and even during judging itself.

This information can include countless different details depending upon the specifics of your program, such as:

• Additional information about your program
• Specific judging criteria
• Important dates, including your CFE, deadline for judging, and the awards gala
• Reminders regarding when judging begins and ends, which entries require more attention and other key details you might want to communicate

3. Getting Your Team or Organization on Board

While awards judges are vital for your program, so is your staff. Throughout your program, your staff will provide critical support and guidance for entrants while also directly affecting the progression of your awards program.

As a result, getting them on board with judging selection is critical to ensure that you have a unified effort moving forward into your CFE and the remainder or your program. Of course, this joint effort will be apparent when it comes to the program’s success because your staff is the driving force behind everything you do.

So, when you choose your judges and you want to let the world know about the amazing experts you’ve landed, be sure you let your organization know first.

4. Showcasing Your Judges, the Right Way

Announcing your judges is important, but showcasing your judges is even more critical. Now you might be wondering, “but how can I showcase my judges in a way that’s most beneficial for my program?” And really, there’s quite a few ways you can do this:

• Turn to Your Website – Your website is the perfect place to offer additional information showcasing your judges, especially because it will serve as a critical reference point throughout the duration of your program. On your website, you can add details for each judge including their biography, qualifications and credentials, history with your program, and a photograph to help entrants put a name with a face.
• Create a Press Release – Putting together a high-quality press release is an excellent tool to not only announce your program itself, but to announce your judges as well! You can even reuse this copy on your website, social media accounts, and other marketing efforts, adding true value to your program.
• Social Media – Speaking of your social media accounts, you can even showcase your judges there as well! This will not only save you both time and energy, but it will also get the information to your entrants, and quickly!
• Put Together an Email Newsletter – An email newsletter can do more than just showcase your judges. As a matter of fact, it can also link back to your website, which in turn can encourage higher submissions.

How do you showcase your awards judges? Share some of your success stories in the comments below!

Still not sure exactly how you want to showcase your own judges? Download our guide here and get the information you need to boost your program’s success!

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Miriam Hancock

Miriam Hancock
Miriam is the Marketing Coordinator for OpenWater. When she isn't writing and designing content she paints and cooks for her own personal blog.

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