The Independent Awards Standards Council – Awards Trust Mark

What is the Awards Trust Mark?

The Awards Trust Mark initiative is a not-for-profit accreditation programme run by The Independent Awards Standards Council with the goal of, as the name suggests, enhancing trust between those entering awards programmes, and the organisations running them.

It is predominantly based around a voluntary code of conduct that awards organisers commit to; with a requirement for a director to sign up to this code of conduct. The highest levels (Advanced and Outstanding) not only have the most extensive list of elements within the code of conduct but are also validated by emailing five judges and five entrants, provided in your application form. From these, we must receive four (two judges and two entrants) replies with positive feedback.

As a not-for-profit, all individuals on the council, and organisations supporting the accreditation, monitor their time and the fees charged to award organisers are purely to cover these costs, with any surplus reinvested back into the running of the initiative, which includes research for the benefit of organisers and entrants.

So how does the Awards Trust Mark work?

There are three levels of accreditation that you can apply for, with an industry leader’s mark (no additional charge) for organisers who are leading the way in delivering a fair and transparent programme and instilling a positive impression of the awards industry. (Click logos for detailed criteria):

Standard: This level is based around a voluntary code of conduct that awards organisers commit to by agreeing that they follow certain processes. This must be signed by a Director of the company and the application will be checked against the information on the website by one of our assessors.

Advanced: This level includes everything from the Accredited level and requires the applicant to comply with several additional processes surrounding the judging of entries and this will be validated by contacting and receiving references from judges and entrants from your last completed awards cycle.

Outstanding: This top tier accreditation includes everything from the Accredited and Advanced levels but extends further into the more detailed judging processes and the giving of feedback.

There are then some optional questions, which are not required to earn an Outstanding Awards Trust Mark, but will help us identify “industry leaders” and recognise programmes that go above and beyond in their commitment to ethics and transparency — ultimately strengthening the reputation of the awards industry as a whole. Being named an industry leader is only given in exceptional circumstances and is at the discretion of the assessor.

What is the evidence for needing one?

The need for the Awards Trust Mark, and the elements within an agreed code of conduct, are based on research by Boost Awards that gained input from both awards entrants and organisers. This research showed that about 80% of businesses entering awards would be influenced by such an accreditation when picking awards to enter. It found that transparency was essential, and that most awards organisers were willing to consider such an accreditation, for the benefit of all stakeholders within the awards industry. The research also showed that perceived trust in the judging process used in an awards programme is one of the most influential factors for businesses when picking awards to enter.

What do we get for applying?

Any awards programme that earns an accreditation:

• Can use the Awards Trust Mark logo, of the level of accreditation that they have earned, in any marketing for a period of 12 months after accreditation has been earned. When in digital form, the logo must link to the corresponding page on this www.awardstrustmark.org website which explains what that level accreditation means.

• Will have their awards programme marked with a correspondingly coloured tick on the awards-list.co.uk and awards-list.com websites. These sites are the agreed locations where the accreditation level is published and can be verified. The research clearly shows that organisations choosing which awards to enter will lean towards those with Trust Marks.