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Inside the Judges’ Room: What Really Makes an Award-Winning Entry

We asked our judges from around the world a simple question: what separates a good awards entry from an award-winning one? We got an incredible 37 responses for you.

Unprompted and across regions, industries and perspectives, their answers were strikingly consistent. While the examples and language varied, the underlying advice came back to the same core ideas: clarity of purpose, evidence of impact, authenticity and culture shown in action, not just described.

To help entrants make sense of that collective wisdom, we’ve distilled their feedback into six clear principles that consistently underpin high-scoring submissions. Below, you’ll find those principles first, followed by the judges’ comments in their own words, shared verbatim, to bring each one to life.

A final reassurance: judges aren’t looking for perfect organisations because they don’t exist. They’re looking for honesty, progress and impact. If you’re doing meaningful work and learning as you go, don’t talk yourself out of entering. You might be surprised by just how powerful your story is.

In fact, one of our past #1 ranked Inspiring Workplaces almost didn’t enter at all, believing it might be “better next year.” You never know what’s possible until you put your work forward.

A big thank you to all our judges (not just listed below) for the time they give up to review all our entries across the world each year.

Enter The #1 PeopleFirst HR & Workplace Awards by February 25, 2026 in your region.

Six Principles That Consistently Separate Strong Entries from Winning Ones

Impact beats intention
Values, initiatives, and good ideas only matter if they changed something. Show clear outcomes: behaviours, decisions, experiences or results. Not just what you hoped to achieve.

Prove it with evidence
Anchor every claim in proof. Use data, trends over time, before-and-after comparisons, employee feedback and measurable results. Stories shine brightest when paired with receipts.

Start with the “why”
Clearly explain the problem you were solving and why it mattered. Judges want context. What wasn’t working? What was at risk? and why action was necessary?

Show culture in action
Bring your workplace to life through real examples: everyday leadership behaviours, moments under pressure, and authentic employee experiences. Show what happens when no one’s watching.

Close the feedback loop
Demonstrate how listening led to action and impact: You said → We did → Here’s what changed. This signals trust, accountability and genuine employee voice.

Be honest, focused, and distinct
Authenticity outperforms polish. Acknowledge challenges, be selective about what you include and show how your work reflects your unique purpose and context. Not generic best practice.

Judges verbatim advice for you

North American Judges

Christopher B Littlefield
Beyond Thank You, Founder, Speaker and Author

Jason Lauritsen
Speaker, Author, Advisor, Management Innovator

The best entries tend to include four elements in my experience:

They explain their intentions or commitments. The “why” behind what they did.

They explained the plan and what they actually did (programs, policies, investments, etc.).

They share measures of how they assessed the impact of the work.

They provide a story or two that illustrate the impact and bring it to life.

Kamaria Scott
Founder and CEO, Enetic

Don’t just talk about the data you collect. Talk about what you do with it. Most organizations measure engagement, sentiment, or culture. What matters is how those insights actually change decisions, priorities, and leadership behavior.

Russell Robinson
Founder, Amplified Research and Consulting

Provide support for your attestations. If you are claiming you are good at X or have increased your score….provide evidential data to support your attestation.

Tony Martignetti
Founder | Leadership Advisor | Chief Illumination Officer, Inspired Purpose Partners

Design for wholeness, not just performance. The strongest workplaces create environments where people don’t have to fragment themselves to succeed. Show how you’ve built psychological safety, invited diverse perspectives, and translated human connection into real outcomes.

Misty Oratokhai
Chief Operating Officer, National Children’s Center

Show Evidence, Not Just Intent

A great story is wonderful, judges love envisioning the human component and the impact on the workplace and its team members, however, we need proof of the very hard work being done to create a PeopleFirst culture. Doing the following will definitely strengthen your submission:

Use data to quantify impact (engagement scores, retention improvements, DEI milestones, wellbeing outcomes);

Include results over time so judges can see momentum, not just a single initiative; and

Reference employee feedback when possible.

Claims are good, but evidence is even better, especially paired with lived employee experience. Bring your culture to life through stories and statistics.

Tracy Brower, PhD
Vice President of Workplace Insights, Steelcase

Be thorough, but also concise. Share the most compelling examples that paint a picture of the value or the principle in action. Thanks!

Alex Seiler
Founder, Chief People Officer, Alex Seiler LLC

Meet us where you are, not where you think we want you to be. The most inspiring workplaces aren’t the ones with the most polished submissions—they’re the ones honest about their gaps and clear about how they’re closing them.

Cerys Cook Chief People & Transformation Officer
Chief People & Transformation Officer, Swift Medical |

Be honest about the journey. Judges value authenticity, so don’t be afraid to share the challenges you faced or the lessons learned along the way. It makes the eventual success much more compelling.

Jody Ordioni
Chief Brand Officer and President, Brandemix

Most entrants are doing genuinely great work (think Great British Bake Off energy — everyone’s really good). At the judging stage, the difference in points often comes down to fine margins — what’s actually changed because of your efforts or feedback. Evidence moves scores, so show the outcomes, not just the initiatives.

Tara Furiani
Executive Coach | Keynote Speaker | Host of Not the HR Lady | People, CoS & DEI Consultant

Prove it, don’t polish it. The strongest entries show culture in motion… real decisions, real trade-offs, real outcomes. If everything sounds perfect, it usually means nothing meaningful changed.

Take us Out of Office. Tell us what your culture looks like when no one’s watching: how leaders behave under pressure, how conflict actually gets handled, and what people do when the playbook runs out.

Impact beats intention. Values, programs, and perks only matter if they changed something measurable… retention, trust, performance, or well-being. Show us the before and after, not just the mission statements.

Awards aren’t won by slogans or what you’re going to do… they’re won by actions and receipts. Show the human stories and the results.

Josh Allan Dykstra
Keynote Speaker & Podcast Host, Hello Tomorrow

I really want to see what simple, everyday things leaders are doing in an everyday, consistent way AND how orgs are measuring their leaders on doing those things.

Greg Simpson
Managing Director, Employee Experience, Agent In Engagement LLC

Close the feedback loop.
Clearly show how people (not all workers are employees) input led to a specific action and outcome (“You said → We did → Here’s what changed”).

This approach differentiates strong entries from good ones. It demonstrates authenticity, executive accountability, and measurable impact, all of which judges look for immediately and which are often missing even in well-intentioned submissions.

Zech Dahms
President, achieve Engagement

Tell us what problem you were solving, what you tried, and what shifted. The most compelling entries show movement, not just good intentions.

Angela R Howard
Founder, Call for Culture

Showcase real employee experience stories and testimonials to highlight the practical, on‑the‑ground impact of your culture.

UK & Ireland Judges

Emma Bridger
Co-Founder, The EX Space

Show us the difference you made – not just what you did!

Jane Roques-Shaw
Founder – Celebrant & End of Life Support, Life Moments with Jane

Show how the work you’re doing links to the overall strategy and vision of the business.

Joanna Parsons
Chief Executive Officer, The Curious Route

Be clear on your objective and show us how you measured if you met it or not. Show us the before and after, not just the activities you did!

Rachel Miller
Founder and Principal Consultant, All Things IC Limited

We love discovering the impact your work has had on employees – tell us by featuring their words and feedback.

Advita Patel
Director, CommsRebel

So many entries soften their impact out of fear of sounding boastful. Let your work shine, you don’t need to mute it – be proud of what you’ve achieved.

Michelle Mason
Chief People Officer – EMEA, Colliers

Anchor your examples and evidence in the realities of what your business needed to unlock through the work you’ve done. Tell us your why and goals, as well as your actions.

Gamiel Yafai MBE
Founder & CEO, Diversity Marketplace

How are you demonstrating impact and how is it making people feel!

Scott McInnes
Founder and Director, Inspiring Change

Be thoughtful about your submission, avoid throwing in the kitchen sink and make sure you show MEASURABLE impact!

Amy Sawbridge
Consultant – Purpose, Culture, Employee Experience, Employer Brand, Sawbridge Consulting

Truly inspiring workplaces are where consistency & coherence are present. Showcase the direct line of sight from your purpose to your brand & your culture.

I want to see how your initiatives are guided by your purpose & therefore distinct to you, rather than just adopting the same “vanilla” approaches everyone else takes, irrespective of how “good” they are.

Janet Hitchen
Director | Consultant, Janco Ltd

Show don’t tell. We don’t need a theory lesson. We need proof points of your brilliance and what makes you unique.

Pippa Byrne
Director of People and Talent, Yapily

Bring your workplace story to life. Don’t just describe your culture, show me how it’s lived every day through real examples, authentic employee voices and clear outcomes. The most inspiring entries make it easy for me to see and feel what it’s like to work in your company.

Alya Lilani
Culture Consultant, Freelance

Try to explain the “why” behind your initiatives and highlight what you’re planning for the future, rather than just focusing on the “now.”

European Judges

Karin Volo
CEO Evoloshen, Author of AI Dystopia or Utopia

In this age of AI, your culture IS your competitive advantage. Technology can be copied, but trust, purpose, and human connection cannot. Focus on building the kind of inspiring workplace where people feel valued as humans, not resources. That is the foundation no AI can ever replace.

Sander de Bruijn
Partner I Employee Experience Practice Lead, KennedyFitch

Make very clear which problem you were solving and why doing nothing was not an option. Support this with data and insights.

Middle East & Africa Judges

Jerry Gule
Business & Executive Coach, Gule Executive Coaching

You will never know how good or bad your workplace culture is until you take intentional steps to assess what actually goes on around the place and pit yourself against other players in the marketplace. The IW awards are just about that.

Kristina Vaneva
Head of Employee Experience, Engagement and Internal Communication, Beyond Employee Engagement Consultancy

Pizza parties and desk yoga are a great way for people to connect and to start a conversation at work. But when was the last time you held focus groups or conducted interviews to hear your teams’ views on how to update and improve the everyday policies that shape people’s realities. Speak to your teams, and most importantly listen and implement. Build trust.

Saliha Latif
Group CHRO, Stronghold Global Capital Group | Chief People Officer, ReformHR

An inspiring workplace is easy to recognise and easy to judge when it’s genuinely human.

You don’t need complex frameworks or perfect language. Show us what empathy and connection look like in everyday moments. How do leaders show up? Does the CEO say hello, ask how people are, stay curious and visible or stay removed? Those small, consistent behaviours tell us more than any strategy document ever could.

The strongest entries make judging simple by demonstrating leadership in action: real stories, real interactions, and clear evidence that people feel seen, valued and connected at work.

Michelle Ponto
Founder & CEO, Blue Gecko Consulting

Anchor every claim in real examples. Concrete examples help us see the difference between intention and impact.

Showing is stronger than telling. Show us how your leaders’ actions (not just their words) shaped trust, engagement, or wellbeing. Go beyond listing benefits. Explain to us how mental, physical and financial wellbeing are supported day-in, day-out.

Tie everything together with measurable results. Use metrics, testimonials, or trends to show how your people strategy has benefited both employees and the organisation.

Anirudhe Ghosh
Head of Sales and Growth, Adecco

Culture is leadership in action, show us how you measure leadership effectiveness.

Ramadan Saleh Alabdi
Consultant in Business Excellence, Customer Experience | Advisum Consulting

Bring your culture to life through real examples. Go beyond statements and policies by showing how your values are lived day to day, supported by authentic stories, employee experiences, and measurable outcomes.

Ibrahim R. A. Harara
Service Management Specialist, Government Org

Present your organization culture through real examples and initiatives or stories that have measurable, meaningful impacts and results that speak louder than descriptions.

Elizabeth Okonji
Founder, Curator-in-Chief, TGL Labs

You’re most creative when you are being true to yourself. Use your authenticity with grace.

Latin American Judges

Caio Infante
Regional Vice President, Radancy

More than nice creatives, we love to see data and results. Nice stories are cool, but showcasing achievements make a difference Create impact for people is the goal, but don’t forget that impacting the business is what matters.