Judging Process

In order to ensure rigour, transparency and fairness, shortlisted awards are adjudicated by a panel of independent judges with no direct affiliation with TrailblazHER™, their partners or awards sponsors. 

The judging process consists of four steps, from nominations to final judging and announcement of winners:

Step 1: Nominations

Participating individuals, teams and organisations will complete the online nomination form for one or more award categories.

Step 2: Eligibility Assessment

Each application is reviewed against the eligibility criteria. Applications that meet all eligibility criteria proceed to the next stage.

Step 3: Shortlisting Round

A panel of shortlisting judges assess each application against pre-defined, agreed and verified assessment criteria. All applications are scored. The five highest-scoring applications in each category move forward to the final round of judging.

Step 4: Final Round

A panel of final judges review the shortlisted applications and determine the winner and highly commended nominee in each category. An overall winner, the TrailblazHER of the Year, is selected. An independent verifier oversees all application reviews. 

All shortlisting and final judges are experts in relative areas and work across the public, private and not-for-profit sectors across a wider range of industries. 

Winners will be announced at the Awards Ceremony on 6th November 2025.

For a detailed overview of the judging process please see the TrailblazHER™ Excellence Awards Guidelines.