Worcestershire Innovation Champion Award - Governance Framework
- Daniel Filipi
- Oct 29
- 6 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
The Worcestershire Innovation Champion Award, introduced as part of TechFest 2.0, has been designed with a clear and transparent governance process to ensure credibility, fairness, and integrity.
Objectives
To recognise and celebrate innovation across Worcestershire.
To highlight businesses and organisations that make a positive impact through innovative products, services, or community support.
To diversify the current lineup of TechFest talent.
To engage both expert judges and the wider public in the selection of the winner.
To amplify TechFest’s overall prestige and sponsorship appetite.
Timeline
Activity | Date |
Nominations Open | 31st October 2025, 9 AM |
Nominations Close | 1st December 2025, 8 PM |
Finalists Notified by | 7th January 2026 |
Public Vote Opens | 12th January 2026 |
Public Vote Closes | 6th February 2026 |
Winner Announcement | 26th February 2026 |
There will be an eligibility review, followed by a 2-stage internal scoring process (involving 5 judges in total), followed by a public vote:
· Initial Review Stage (20%)
· TechFest Review Stage(20%)
· Public Vote Stage (60%)
40% of the final scores will be provided by internal judges
60% of the final scores will be provided by the public vote
· There will be 2 judges at the ‘initial review’ stage, and a different 3 judges at the ‘TechFest review’ stage
· Each member of the internal judging panels will provide a score carrying equal weight to the other judges i.e. no ‘Head Judge’ Score
· The internal processes will provide weighted scores which will, together, reach up to a max of 40% of the final total, with each judge able to award up to a max 8% to a nominee.
· The public votes will provide scores which will be weighted to a max 60% towards the final total.
Process
1. Stage 1: Nominations
Open public call for nominations through the new TechFest website platform.
Clear published criteria on the page:
Who Can Be Nominated?
Any business, organisation, or initiative based in Worcestershire that*:
Has demonstrated outstanding innovation in their products, services, or operations.
Has contributed to growing Worcestershire’s reputation as a hub for innovation and technology.
Has actively supported or enabled other businesses, start-ups, or communities to innovate and succeed.
*The objective of the award is to diversify the current TechFest lineup of talent; therefore, companies that are currently taking part in the BetaDen programme are not eligible to be considered, as they will already have a strong presence on the closing night.
By entering, nominees agree that their name, business details, and nomination story may be used in promotional activity connected to Worcestershire TechFest, including press releases, event marketing, and social media. Finalists may be asked to provide logos, photographs, or additional information to support publicity.
2. Stage 2: Initial Review (internal, two judges)
Nominations received will be reviewed by an initial judging panel comprising two members of the core TechFest delivery team.
All shortlisted nominees will be subject to a basic due diligence check to ensure they meet eligibility requirements, operate within legal and ethical standards, and reflect positively on the reputation of Worcestershire TechFest and its partners. Any concerns identified during this process may result in removal from the shortlist at the discretion of the judging panel.
The scores from this review stage will provide up to 20% of the available Internal Process 40%, with each judge able to award a maximum of 8%.
When reviewing nominations, the initial review team will consider:
Innovation - How original, creative, and forward-thinking is the nominee’s approach?
Impact - What measurable difference has the innovation made (e.g., economic growth, community benefit, sustainability, efficiency, or problem-solving)?
Leadership & Inspiration - Has the nominee inspired others or played a role in building an innovative culture locally?
Collaboration & Support - Has the nominee helped other businesses or the wider community to embrace innovation?
Future Potential - Does the nominee demonstrate clear plans for continuing to innovate and contribute in the future?
For each of these factors, each judge may award up to 10 points, with a maximum of 50 points available per nomination. The total score out of 50 will provide the weighted score of a maximum 8% per nominee.
The weighted scores will be added up for each nominee, and the highest-scoring 10 Nominees will be put forward for the TechFest review stage.
e.g.
Nominee 1 | Judge 1 | Judge 2 |
Innovation | 8 | 5 |
Impact | 5 | 5 |
Leadership and Inspiration | 7 | 5 |
Collaboration and Support | 7 | 5 |
Future Potential | 9 | 6 |
Total Score | 36 | 26 |
Weighted Score | (36/50)*8 = 5.76% | (26/50)*8 =4.16% |
Nominee 2 Scores | Judge 1 | Judge 2 |
Innovation | 7 | 5 |
Impact | 6 | 5 |
Leadership and Inspiration | 8 | 5 |
Collaboration and Support | 8 | 5 |
Future Potential | 4 | 5 |
Total Score | 33 | 25 |
Weighted Score | (33/50)*8 =5.28% | (25/50)*8 =4% |
| Judge 1 | Judge 2 | Total Weighted Score out of max 16 % |
Nominee 1 Weighted Score | 5.76 | 4.16 | 9.92 % |
Nominee 2 Weighted Score | 5.28 | 4 | 9.28% |
In the scenario above, Nominee 1 scored 9.92% out of a maximum available 16% and Nominee scored 9.28%. The scores for all Nominees will be calculated in this way and then placed in rank order, with the highest-scoring 10 put forward to the Tech Fest Judging Panel.
3. Stage 3: Tech Fest Judging Panel
The TechFest Panel will comprise Nigel Hall, Heather Horton, and 1x Sponsor TBC.
All judges must sign and adhere to an appropriate NDA and other legally binding agreements to ensure confidentiality and fairness of the judging process.
The TechFest judges will score the top 10 applicants against the published criteria using the same consistent scoring framework as in the initial review (see example above).
Using the weighted scores, this process will provide a shortlist of the top 5 nominees. All 5 of these nominees will be put forward for a public vote.
All votes from the judging panel will carry equal weight.
Nominee 1 | Sponsor Score | Tech Fest Judge 1 | Tech Fest Judge 2 |
Innovation | 8 | 4 | 4 |
Impact | 5 | 5 | 4 |
Leadership and Inspiration | 8 | 4 | 4 |
Collaboration and Support | 9 | 5 | 3 |
Future Potential | 9 | 6 | 7 |
Total Score | 39 | 24 | 22 |
Weighted Score | (39/50)*8 = 6.24% | (24/50)*8 =3.84% | (22/50)*8 =3.52% |
Nominee 2 Scores | Sponsor Score | Tech Fest Judge 1 | Tech Fest Judge 2 |
Innovation | 7 | 5 | 9 |
Impact | 6 | 5 | 9 |
Leadership and Inspiration | 8 | 5 | 9 |
Collaboration and Support | 8 | 5 | 9 |
Future Potential | 4 | 5 | 10 |
Total Score | 33 | 25 | 46 |
Weighted Score | (33/50)*8 =5.28% | (25/50)*8 =4% | (46/50)*8 =7.36% |
| Sponsor Score | Tech Fest Judge 1 | Tech Fest Judge 2 | Total Weighted Score out of max 24 % |
Nominee 1 Weighted Score | 6.24 | 3.84 | 3.52 | 13.6 % |
Nominee 2 Weighted Score | 5.28 | 4 | 7.36 | 16.64 % |
The weighted scores from all 5 judges will be combined for the 10 Shortlisted Nominees
| Judge 1 | Judge 2 | Sponsor Score | Tech Fest Judge 1 | Tech Fest Judge 2 | Combined score out of 40% |
Nominee 1 | 5.76 | 4.16 | 6.24 | 3.84 | 3.52 | 23.52 |
Nominee 2 | 5.28 | 4 | 5.28 | 4 | 7.36 | 26.44 |
The highest-scoring 5 of the Nominees will become Finalists and will go forward to the public vote.
4. Stage 4: The Public Vote
The 5 shortlisted finalists will be promoted for a public vote.
Voting results will be monitored to prevent abuse (e.g. automated entries).
The Public votes will provide scores that will count towards the final result.
The Public will have 1 vote only, to be allocated to their top-choice Finalist.
The Finalist scoring the highest number of votes will receive the maximum weighted Public Score of 60%.
The other nominees will receive an indexed score to provide their weighted % score to a max of 60%.
(60% weighting) | Votes received | Rank position | Weighted Score |
Finalist 1 | 120 | 1 | 60 % |
Finalist 2 | 90 | 2 | (90/120)*60= 45 % |
Finalist 3 | 42 | 4 | (42/120)*60= 21 % |
Finalist 4 | 7 | 5 | (7/120)*60= 3.5 % |
Finalist 5 | 88 | 3 | (88/120)*60= 44 % |
Combined weighted scores to find 1 Winner
| Judges (Combined weighted scores) | Public Vote (weighted scores) | Total |
| Max 40% | Max 60% | 100% |
Finalist 1 | 23.52 | 60 | 83.52 % |
Finalist 2 | 26.44 | 45 | 71.44 % |
5. Winner Selection
Judges will consider both scoring and the outcome of the public vote.
If a critical change occurs to the Winning Finalist’s circumstances after the judging has taken place but before Showcase (e.g. PR crisis, criminal charges etc.), then the core delivery team reserves the right to change the outcome and award to the second-highest scoring Finalist.
In the event of a tied score, the core delivery team reserves the right to run a 3rd round of judge scoring involving all 5 judges.
The judging panel’s decision on the winner is final and binding. There is no right of appeal.
6. Award Presentation
The winner will be announced at the BetaDen Technology Showcase on February 26, 2026, and must not be notified in advance under any circumstances.
Each shortlisted company will be provided with a finalist social media badge and will have 2x reserved seats for representatives at the BetaDen Technology Showcase. More tickets may be booked, subject to availability.
The sponsor representative will join the stage to present the award to the winner.
The winner will receive a personalised trophy.
6. Post-Win
· The winner will be acknowledged on the official TechFest website.
· The winner will be included in the TechFest closing press release.
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