Every nomination follows the same six stages — from submission to independent judging.
At the INSPIRE Awards, we are committed to delivering a fair, transparent and credible awards process. Every nomination follows the same stages to ensure nominees are assessed consistently and deserving individuals are recognised for their impact.
A nomination is submitted through the INSPIRE Awards website.
The nominee will automatically receive an email to let them know they have been nominated.
Every nomination is reviewed by the INSPIRE Awards team before it can progress. Our basic due-diligence checks may include:
A nominee must satisfy at least two of these checks before their nomination can be ratified and progressed.
This helps us confirm that the nomination is genuine, credible and aligned with the values of the INSPIRE Awards.
Approved nominees will progress to the public voting stage.
Public voting contributes 75% towards a nominee progressing to the finalist stage. The remaining 25% is based on the strength of the original nomination submitted.
Public voting is an important part of the process, but nominees will not progress based on votes alone. Our experienced judging committee will review every application to ensure each nominee meets the award criteria and is deserving of progressing.
Each award category will have no more than six finalists.
Finalists are selected following the public vote, the assessment of the original nomination and a review by the judging committee.
At this stage, finalists will have the opportunity to review the nomination submitted on their behalf. Where they feel the original application does not fully reflect their work or achievements, they may submit an updated nomination for the final judging stage.
The winners are decided entirely by the INSPIRE Awards judging committee.
Each finalist application is assessed through a secure online judging portal using a structured marking scheme based on the published award criteria.
Each judge will usually assess three to four categories. Judges score applications independently to support a fair and consistent decision-making process.
The highest-scoring finalist in each category will be selected as the winner.
All results remain confidential and winners are announced live at the INSPIRE Awards ceremony.
The INSPIRE Awards recognise genuine achievement, inspiration and impact.
Public support plays an important role in celebrating our nominees, but popularity alone does not determine who becomes a finalist or winner. Every nomination is reviewed, every finalist is independently assessed, and every winner must demonstrate that they meet the published award criteria.
Nominations open now · Saturday 13 February 2027, The Eastside Rooms, Birmingham. Early Bird tickets from £110.
