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Eight judges, one independent Chair

Fair and balanced judging

Two neutral judges per category, one independent Chair. Judges are industry stalwarts and domain experts. All judges are volunteers. No one gets paid for judging. No conflicts of interest on the judging panel.

Composition

Two judges per category, overseen by the Chair

Eight judges score. The independent Chair reads the leading five in every category as a third scorer, which is also what resolves ties on a two-person panel.

The commitment

Judges volunteer two days, once a year

Staff reduce each category from every eligible nomination to twenty entries before judges see anything. We request our judges to devote two days to review twenty entries. This is the whole ask.

WhatWhenTime
Briefing callEarly January 202745 minutes
Score 20 redacted entries18 Jan – 5 Feb 2027~2 days
Panel reconciliation callEarly February 202760 minutes
Ceremony attendanceThursday 4 March 2027Optional

What judges get

  • Named credit on the site, in the annual report and in every press release.
  • A say in the rubric for the following cycle, to keep the judging criteria meaningful.
  • Nothing else. No fee, no honorarium, no gift. That is the point.

Serve on the judging panel

We are seating eight judges. If you have previously held a leadership position in a local or regional agency, we would like to hear from you. Reach out to us by filling out the form.

The Judges' Charter

Ten clauses every judge signs

  1. I will score only against the published rubric, and will record a reason for every score.
  2. I will not seek to identify a redacted entry, and will report it if I recognize one.
  3. I will declare any relationship with an agency, vendor or individual connected to an entry, and will recuse myself where the Chair judges it necessary.
  4. I will not accept anything of value from a nominee, a sponsor, or the program administrator, beyond reimbursement of costs I have actually incurred.
  5. I will not discuss entries, scores or outcomes outside the panel before publication.
  6. I will not use my position to solicit business, employment or consultancy.
  7. I hold no access to the program administrator's commercial data, and will report any attempt to give me some.
  8. I may raise a concern with the Chair at any time, and the Chair will record it in writing.
  9. I will not lend my name to a category I have not personally scored.
  10. I may resign at any time and ask that my name be removed, and GovTen will publish that I did.

Someone in your organization has done awesome work worth ten minutes of your time.

Nominations for the inaugural cycle close Wednesday 30 December 2026. There is no fee, and self-nomination is welcome — most good work is nominated by the people who did it.

Submit a nomination See how it is judged