Ensuring integrity of the judging process

To safeguard the integrity of the judging process, an independent organisation is appointed to coordinate the judging process each year. Independent judging panels are convened and each judge is requested to complete non-disclosure agreements to ensure the confidentiality of information received through the awards process and decisions made by the judging panel. Any conflicts of interest, perceived or actual, must also be declared immediately by the judges to allow appropriate action to be taken.

A number of policies and internal procedures are applied to ensure the integrity of the judging process and ensure transparency and fairness in decisions made by each judging panel. In summary the judging process is as follows:

  1. Each award category is supported by a selection criteria tailored to address the specific demands and requirements of the category.
  2. Each nominee will be required to provide evidence that they are actively working towards or have attained an approved qualification in order to progress to the judging process.
  3. Judges apply a rating scale to each nomination against the appropriate criteria.
  4. A consistent approach and questioning will be used with all nominations to ensure fairness and equity.
  5. Judges will review and consider all nominations individually, then consider, rank and shortlist nominees.
  6. Interviews will be held with shortlisted nominees after consulting with their referees.
  7. The judging coordinator will consult with Quality Education and Care Northern Territory (QECNT) to ensure shortlisted nominees are not subject to significant non-compliance issues.
  8. Judges will then determine the winners of each category.
  9. In the event that the judging panel is unable to decide on an award winner for a category, the decision will be deferred to the Key Stakeholder Advisory Group (KSAG).