Here’s the timeline and detailed information for our awards process and how you can be in with a chance of willing one of the coveted ‘B’ statues. We have refined the process to what can undoubtedly be described as fully transparent, fair and, above all, representative of our industry.
The categories and descriptions for 2020 have been announced and can be viewed in full here:
- Online voting opens in the first week of February and closes towards the end of April (exact dates will, as always, be announced via Bridging & Commercial). We list the categories and users fill in the blank field below each with who they think should make the list. Employees may vote for themselves or their own firm. Obvious spam and fake entries will be filtered.
- The judging panels will be announced mid-February via Bridging & Commercial. There are two groups: one consisting of brokers and one of lenders, to judge the respective categories fairly.
- Once online voting has closed, we create a longlist of up to 15 in firms in each category, based on the number of online votes submitted. Our judging panel selects up to 8 in each category and the collation of these results makes up the official shortlist, announced at the end of April. Some categories have four nominees and some have more, depending on popularity and the how closely contested the voting is.
- Shortlisted nominees will have 2-3 weeks to compile the supporting documentation required to take their nomination forward. This usually consists of two references, but each nominee will be contacted with specific guidance. There are never any costs involved for you to pursue the award or, indeed, if you go on to win.
- Supporting documentation has a strict word limit and needs to be completed in template form, to level the playing field for firms of all sizes and structures.
- In May, our judging panels and chairpeople—who are chosen by the judges—will meet to decide on the winners. This takes the whole day with both panels deliberating for up to four hours each. B&C/Medianett has no voting power but we are present during the judging process.
- We then get on with engraving the winners’ names onto our famous golden Bs and finalising plans for the event itself.
What makes a winning entry?
Our judges have been selected to represent a good cross section of the specialist finance market, and we rely on their knowledge and experience during the process to reach an outcome that is fair and correct.
References supplied should go into sufficient detail as to why your firm should win that specific accolade, paying close attention to the descriptions we have published and ticking those ‘boxes’. Client/partner/borrower experience counts, and we want to hear why you are different from your peers and the other nominees in the category. Consider showcasing your best deals, how you’ve gone above and beyond expectations, the calibre of your team, how you’ve grown and evolved over the past 12 months and how you contribute to the wider industry’s success. In such a competitive space, knowing how to convincingly present your USP is of the utmost importance.
Once again, we have a uniform length of submission which is required, and no additional supporting material may be submitted, in order to create as level a playing field as possible.
If you have any further questions, please contact Caron Schreuder on [email protected] or 0203 818 0162.
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