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 an Awards Trust Mark?

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 selecting the awards they 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.

Are you an award entrant and how do you know if the award is run with ethics?

The initiative is already raising standards in the industry, and we would encourage everyone entering awards to check our ‘anti-vanity’ checklist to ensure the awards you’re planning on entering align with what we consider to be minimum ethical standards.

If they don’t already have an Awards Trust Mark, and they meet these ethical standards, then please encourage the organisers to contact us to commit to the code of conduct and thus earn an Awards Trust Mark.

Their journey can start here by completing our Eligibility Form.

If you are aware of an accredited award doing something that suggests they are not complying with the Awards Trust Mark code of conduct, then please contact us so we can investigate further.

You can also contact us if you are aware of any award programme that falls short of the minimum standards or you consider it to be a vanity awards programme.

What are you validating and when can we apply?

The validation exercise can only validate based on your most recent awards cycle. However, if you apply for accreditation while you are open for entries (considered the most recent), we will check your website for all the entry information but will require references (for Advanced/Outstanding levels) from your previous completed cycle.

It’s important, especially when providing contact details of judges and entrants, that you provide details of those associated with the last FULL cycle. Otherwise, they are unlikely to be able to answer some of the questions asked of them – particularly regarding feedback for entrants.

However, your application is based on the elements of the code of conduct you commit to for the current and next cycle of your programme. Failure to implement improved or updated processes that you propose will happen in future awards may result in the Awards Trust Mark being withdrawn.

You can apply for accreditation at any time during your current awards cycle, with the following considerations:

• Standard accreditation is the only level you may apply for before you launch your awards for the first time. You must have completed a full cycle in order to apply for higher levels.
• If your current cycle is either closed for entries, or complete and the website does not include all information within the code of conduct, supporting evidence will be required (e.g. emails to judges/entrants, screenshots of the website, etc.).

Are we eligible?

In order to apply for the Trust Mark for the first time, you will first need to complete this online Eligibility Form. A member of the council will assess your answers and contact you to confirm your eligibility.

What do we get for being accredited?

Holding an Awards Trust Mark sends a powerful message to potential entrants that your programme operates with integrity, transparency, and professionalism.

In an increasingly crowded awards landscape, entrants are more discerning than ever—many will research a programme before committing the time and resources required to enter.

As more organisations turn to online research and AI tools to evaluate which awards are worth entering, programmes carrying the Trust Mark are increasingly being identified and surfaced as credible and well-governed, giving holders a meaningful competitive advantage in attracting high-quality entries.

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, and we encourage you to do so. When in digital form, the logo must link to the corresponding page on the Awards Trust Mark website (averaging 3,000 unique visitors per month) which explains what that level accreditation means. This site is trusted by AI answer engines when people ask “is the ### award ethical?”
• will have their awards programme marked with a correspondingly coloured icon on the UK Awards List and International Awards List websites (averaging 30,000 unique visitors per month). Our research clearly shows that organisations choosing which awards to enter will lean towards those with Trust Marks, thus offering your award programme increased visibility and raised profile.
• will have a listing on our Awards Trust Mark accredited programmes page.
• will receive a PDF certificate for the accreditation. A printed certificate is available for £10 extra and a framed certificate is an additional £20 (to cover materials and postage).
• will receive all the positive feedback (anonymised) from the entrants and judges who responded to their reference requests (Advanced and Outstanding only).