If you are lucky enough to have been selected as a 2023 finalist, first of all, congratulations! As a finalist, you are likely going to have a few questions. Have a read through our previous finalists’ most frequently asked questions and our responses to help you participate as a finalist in the best possible way.
Why have I been selected as a finalist?
If you are an individual who has been selected as a finalist, you have been chosen because The WOW! Awards have received nominations that talk about the amazing service you deliver. Our team have read stories about you that demonstrate your passion and dedication to getting the right result for the end customer/patient and we believe you, out of more than 34,000 nominations we have received during the award year, deserve to be recognised.
If your organisation has been selected as a finalist, your organisation has demonstrated a commitment to outstanding customer or patient experience delivery. You have received high volumes or a high quality of nominations from either your customers, your patients, your colleagues, or a mixture of the two! Throughout the award year, your organisation has shown it has an inspiring vision, it has a customer or patient centric approach and it delivers exceptional results to its end customers/patients.
How will award winners be chosen?
The WOW! Awards team have put together a judging panel of service industry experts, who will dedicate their time to review all finalist entries and will have the tough job of choosing the 2023 award winners. All finalists must submit a finalist entry to the judging panel in order to be considered. Judges will be using set criteria to judge each finalist entry against. The judging is expected to take place during the last two weeks of September.
If you want to find out what award criteria you will be judged against, have a look at your Finalist Communications Pack. If you require another copy of your Finalist Communication Pack, please email us at info@thewowawards.co.uk with subject line “Finalist Helpdesk” and ask a member of our team for assistance.
What is a finalist entry?
A finalist entry is material that each finalist is required to submit to the judging panel to support their finalist shortlisting. It will help the judges decide who the winner of each award category is. All finalist entries need to be uploaded to the Finalist Entry Space before Thursday 31st August, 5PM.
A finalist entry is made up of 3 parts:
- A presentation.
- A video/written statement.
- A photograph/logo.
Presentation – This element of your entry should show and describe how you meet the criteria of your award category. This will be the first element that judges will view of your finalist entry. You can be as creative as you like with your presentation and can submit any file format you like. E.g. PowerPoint, Word, Canva file etc. There is a file size limit of 10MB.
Statement – This element of your entry can be either a video statement or a written statement, which tells the judges why you should win the award. For award categories where an individual is the finalist, the statement should be from a colleague or senior manager. For award categories where the organisation is the finalist, you can choose who the statement is from. Make sure your video/written statement tells the judges who it is from. There are limits on this part of the entry too; video Statements should be no longer than 1minute in length. written statements should be no longer than 500 words in length.
Photograph – The final element of your entry should be a photograph of your individual finalist, or if you are submitting for an organisation award, you should upload your company logo. The limit on this file size is 10MB.
Where can I find my finalist shortlisting nomination(s)?
Some finalists have been chosen because of a specific story or nomination. If you are a finalist in the below award categories, you have been selected based on a particular story/nomination that The WOW! Awards team have seen and you need to reference this in your finalist entry.
These award categories are:
- Customer Impact Award
- Outstanding Management & Leadership Award
- Internal Service Star Award
If your organisation has been selected as a finalist, The WOW! Awards Team have provided you with a recommended selection of nominations that could help you out in your award category and finalist entry. You can find these in your Finalist Communication Pack.
If you require another copy of your Finalist Communication Pack, please email us at info@thewowawards.co.uk with subject line “Finalist Helpdesk” and ask a member of our team for assistance.
I am a finalist in the Inspirational Individual Award, do I need to submit a finalist entry to the judges?
No, you do not. You have been selected as a finalist based on a particular story/nomination and we would like to recognise you at the awards ceremony. You do not need to prepare a finalist entry or any presentation for this award category.
How many award categories are there?
There are 9 award categories this year, split into 5 individual award categories and 4 organisation award categories. The individual award categories recognise specific individuals who have gone above and beyond for either their customer, patient or colleague. The organisation award categories recognise organisations as a whole for exceptional service delivery. View the full list of 2023 Finalists.
Which key dates should I be aware of?
The most important dates that you need to be aware of as a finalist are below:
Friday 9th June : Early Bird ticket release
Monday 12th June : Finalists announced
Friday 7th July : Early Bird ticket sales end
Monday 10th July : Judges announced
Thursday 31st August : Finalist entry deadline
Tuesday 28th November : The WOW! Awards Ceremony
Who are the judges and will I meet them?
The judges are an exclusive group of customer service industry experts, hand-picked by The WOW! Awards Team. With a wealth of knowledge and experience, they dedicate their time to reviewing all finalist entries and to choosing the 2023 award winners. Judges will be publicly announced on Monday 10th July.
As a finalist, you will not be required to meet with any of the judges. You are required to submit a finalist entry for the judging panel to review. However, there is no part of participating as a finalist that requires you to meet with the judging panel.
What is included in the ticket price?
We have designed an exclusive and spectacular event to recognise all of our 2023 finalists and winners. Included in the ticket price is entry to the illustrious event, sparkling reception & canapes, various performances from amazing entertainers, bowl food buffet menu is also included.
What do award winners receive?
Our 2023 award winners will receive a very prestigious WOW! Awards trophy to take home with them, or display in their organisation’s trophy cabinet.
What should I wear to the awards ceremony?
The dress code for the Ceremony is Formal, Dress to Impress.