For the 2011 National Credit Union Awards, our independent panel of judges will assess each of the entries based solely upon the information contained within the applications. In so doing, they will look for evidence of skills and experience relevant to the category. The decisions of the judges are independent and final and no correspondence will be entered into about the results. Any judge who has been involved with an entry is not allowed to lobby the other judges, nor vote for that project.

Time of judging and awards ceremony

Judging will take place in January 2011.  The formal presentation of the awards will take place in London in April 2012.  

Method of judging

The judges will use the entry and supporting material to assess all entries. They will study all the entries received, looking for examples of excellence that contributes to the overall success of an activity. Each project will be assessed according to its objectives and budget. The judges will give credit to effective campaigns and creative ideas rather than big budgets. The judges have the right to move entries between categories if they feel they had been entered in the wrong category.

The judging panel

The winners of the awards were selected by an eminent panel of judges including:

• Stephen Robertson, Big Issue
• Steve Johnson, Advice UK
• Nigel Fawcett, ex-FSA credit union regulator
• Baroness Thornton, ex-chair of the Social Enterprise Coalition
• Dawn Vear, UKCreditUnions Ltd
• Barbara Hann, ACE Credit Union Services