Worcestershire TechFest Awards 2027
Governance Framework
The Worcestershire TechFest Awards, delivered as part of Worcestershire TechFest 2027, have been designed with a clear and transparent governance process to ensure credibility, fairness and integrity.
Award Categories
Innovation Champion Award – Recognising the individuals and organisations helping to create the conditions for innovation to thrive across Worcestershire.
Innovation Growth Award – Recognising businesses and organisations that have successfully used innovation, investment and funding capability to turn opportunity into growth.
Innovation Talent Award – Recognising the individuals, businesses and organisations developing, inspiring and showcasing the talent needed for Worcestershire's future.
Objectives
· Recognise and celebrate innovation across Worcestershire.
· Showcase individuals, businesses and organisations contributing to the county's innovation ecosystem.
· Recognise innovation across ecosystem support, business growth and talent development.
· Highlight new and diverse examples of Worcestershire's innovation capability.
· Increase the profile and prestige of the Worcestershire TechFest Awards and Worcestershire TechFest.
Overall Process
Stage | Process | Outcome |
1 | Nominations | Open call for nominations across all three categories |
2 | TechFest Panel Review & Shortlisting | Maximum 10 shortlisted nominations per category |
3 | Category Judging | 5 finalists selected per category |
4 | Public Vote | Public vote contributes 60% of final score |
5 | Winner Selection | Judging score (40%) + public vote (60%) |
6 | Award Presentation & Post-Win | Three category winners announced and promoted |
Final scoring: Category Judging Panel = 40% of the final score | Public Vote = 60% of the final score.
Stage 1: Nominations
An open call for nominations will be hosted through the Worcestershire TechFest website. Individuals and organisations may nominate themselves or nominate another eligible individual, business or organisation.
· Nominations must be submitted against one of the three published award categories.
· A separate nomination should be submitted for each category where a nominee is entered into more than one award.
· Nominees must answer the published nomination questions for the relevant category.
· By entering, nominees agree that their name, business or organisation details and nomination story may be used in promotional activity connected to Worcestershire TechFest. Finalists may be asked to provide logos, photographs or additional information to support publicity.
Stage 2: TechFest Panel Review & Shortlisting
Following the nomination deadline, all nominations will be reviewed by the Worcestershire TechFest Panel. The purpose of this stage is to confirm eligibility and create a manageable shortlist of the strongest nominations within each category before independent category judging.
Eligibility and Due Diligence
· Meet the eligibility requirements of the relevant award category.
· Provide sufficient information for the nomination to be assessed.
· Demonstrate a clear connection to Worcestershire and the purpose of the relevant award.
· Operate within appropriate legal and ethical standards.
Basic due diligence may be undertaken. Any concerns that could negatively affect the reputation or integrity of Worcestershire TechFest and its partners may result in a nomination being removed from consideration.
Shortlisting
Eligible nominations will be considered by the TechFest Panel against the purpose and published criteria of the relevant award. The Panel will consider the strength of the nomination as a whole, including the evidence provided, demonstrated impact and category fit.
· A maximum of 10 nominations per category will progress to Stage 3.
· Where fewer than 10 nominations meet the required standard, the Panel is not obliged to progress the maximum number.
· Stage 2 does not contribute a weighted score towards the final award result.
· The TechFest Panel's role at this stage is to determine which nominations progress to formal category judging.
Maximum shortlist: 30 nominations across the three awards (10 per category).
Stage 3: Category Judging & Finalist Selection
Each award category will have its own judging panel responsible for reviewing the shortlisted nominations and selecting the five finalists who will progress to the public vote.
Panel Composition
· Two independent judges with relevant experience or knowledge.
· One representative from the category sponsor, where a sponsor has been secured in time for judging.
· If a category sponsor has not been secured, or cannot participate, the third position will be filled by an appropriate member of the TechFest delivery team.
All judges will score independently and equally. There will be no Head Judge or casting vote. Judges must declare potential conflicts of interest. Where a material conflict exists, appropriate steps will be taken, including replacement of a judge where necessary.
Scoring Framework
Each judge will score every shortlisted nomination against five category-specific criteria. Each criterion is scored from 0 to 10, giving a maximum raw score of 50 points per judge. The three judges' scores are combined to determine the five finalists.
Innovation Champion Award
Criterion | What judges will consider |
Enabling Innovation | How effectively has the nominee created opportunities, removed barriers or created the conditions for innovation to happen? |
Activity & Achievement | How strong is the specific activity, initiative or achievement demonstrated through the nomination? |
Impact | What measurable or demonstrable difference has the nominee made? |
Collaboration | How effectively has the nominee connected people and organisations or encouraged collaboration? |
Future Potential | How strongly does the nominee demonstrate potential to continue contributing to Worcestershire's innovation ecosystem? |
Innovation Growth Award
Criterion | What judges will consider |
Innovation | How innovative is the product, service, technology, process, business model or approach? |
Funding & Investment Capability | How effectively has the organisation secured and/or deployed funding, investment or other financial resources? |
Growth & Impact | What measurable business or economic growth has resulted? |
Overcoming Barriers | How effectively has the organisation responded to challenges associated with financing, commercialising or scaling its innovation? |
Future Growth Potential | How strong is the potential for further growth, investment, jobs, market development or wider economic impact? |
Innovation Talent Award
Criterion | What judges will consider |
Talent Development & Achievement | How strongly has the nominee developed, inspired or demonstrated innovation talent? |
Innovation | How innovative, forward-thinking or distinctive is the nominee's approach or achievement? |
Impact | What difference has the nominee made to themselves, others, their organisation or the wider community? |
Future Talent Pipeline | How is the nominee contributing to the skills, capabilities and people Worcestershire will need in the future? |
Future Potential | How strongly does the nominee demonstrate potential to make an even greater contribution? |
Worked Example: Category Judging
The example below illustrates how three judges may score a shortlisted nomination. The same calculation is used in each category, using that category's five published criteria.
Example Nominee | Judge 1 | Judge 2 | Judge 3 |
Criterion 1 | 8 | 7 | 9 |
Criterion 2 | 7 | 8 | 8 |
Criterion 3 | 9 | 7 | 9 |
Criterion 4 | 8 | 8 | 7 |
Criterion 5 | 8 | 9 | 8 |
Total Score / 50 | 40 | 39 | 41 |
Combined raw score = 40 + 39 + 41 = 120 points out of a maximum 150. The shortlisted nominations are ranked using their combined scores. The five highest-scoring nominations in each category become finalists.
Selecting the Five Finalists
· The five highest-scoring shortlisted nominations in each category will become official finalists.
· This creates up to 15 finalists across the Worcestershire TechFest Awards – five per category.
· If a tie affects the fifth and final position, the relevant Category Judging Panel will collectively review the tied nominations and agree which should progress based on the strength of evidence against the published criteria.
Converting Judging Scores to the 40% Final Weighting
Once the five finalists have been selected, each finalist's combined judging score is converted into the judging component of the final result. The maximum combined raw score from three judges is 150 points, which is equivalent to the maximum 40% judging score.
Finalist | Combined Judge Score / 150 | Calculation | Weighted Judging Score / 40% |
Finalist 1 | 120 | (120 ÷ 150) × 40 | 32.00% |
Finalist 2 | 111 | (111 ÷ 150) × 40 | 29.60% |
Finalist 3 | 105 | (105 ÷ 150) × 40 | 28.00% |
Finalist 4 | 99 | (99 ÷ 150) × 40 | 26.40% |
93 | (93 ÷ 150) × 40 | 24.80% |
Stage 4: Public Vote
The five finalists in each category will be promoted through the Worcestershire TechFest website and associated communications for a public vote.
· Voting results will be monitored to identify and prevent abuse, including automated or duplicate voting.
· The public vote will contribute a maximum of 60% towards the final result in each category.
· The finalist receiving the highest number of eligible public votes in a category receives the maximum Public Vote Score of 60%.
· Scores for the remaining finalists are indexed against the highest number of votes received in that category.
Worked Example: Public Vote
60% Weighting | Votes Received | Rank | Weighted Public Score |
Finalist 1 | 120 | 1 | 60.00% |
Finalist 2 | 90 | 2 | (90 ÷ 120) × 60 = 45.00% |
Finalist 3 | 42 | 4 | (42 ÷ 120) × 60 = 21.00% |
Finalist 4 | 7 | 5 | (7 ÷ 120) × 60 = 3.50% |
Finalist 5 | 88 | 3 | (88 ÷ 120) × 60 = 44.00% |
Stage 5: Winner Selection
For each award category, the finalist's weighted judging score and weighted public vote score will be combined. The finalist with the highest combined score will be the category winner.
Worked Example: Combined Final Score
Finalist | Judging Score (max 40%) | Public Vote (max 60%) | Total / 100% |
Finalist 1 | 32.00% | 60.00% | 92.00% |
Finalist 2 | 29.60% | 45.00% | 74.60% |
Finalist 3 | 28.00% | 21.00% | 49.00% |
Finalist 4 | 26.40% | 3.50% | 29.90% |
Finalist 5 | 24.80% | 44.00% | 68.80% |
· One winner will be selected for each of the Innovation Champion, Innovation Growth and Innovation Talent Awards.
· If a critical change occurs to a winning finalist's circumstances after judging but before the award presentation, the core TechFest delivery team reserves the right to review the outcome and, where appropriate, award the category to the next highest-scoring eligible finalist.
· In the event of a tied final score, the relevant Category Judging Panel will undertake a further review of the tied nominations. The panel's decision will be final.
· There is no right of appeal.
Stage 6: Award Presentation
· The three category winners will be announced as part of Worcestershire TechFest 2027.
· Winners will not be notified in advance.
· Finalists will be provided with finalist social media assets and recognition through TechFest communications.
· Where a category has a sponsor, a representative of the sponsoring organisation may be invited to present the relevant award.
· Each category winner will receive a personalised trophy.
Post-Win
· All three winners will be acknowledged on the official Worcestershire TechFest website.
· Winners will be included in relevant TechFest press and communications activity.
· Winner stories may be featured in future TechFest marketing, case studies and promotional activity.
Governance Summary
Stage | Decision Maker | Maximum Progressing | Contribution to Final Score |
1. Nominations | Public / nominators | All eligible submissions | None |
2. Shortlisting | TechFest Panel | 10 per category | None |
3. Category Judging | 2 independent judges + sponsor representative (or TechFest staff substitute) | 5 per category | 40% |
4. Public Vote | Public | 5 finalists per category | 60% |
5. Winner | Calculated combined score | 1 winner per category | 100% combined |
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