The Awards procedure
The Judging panel
The Judges panel is primarily made up of past Sexual Freedom Awards Finalists. The make-up of the panel is reviewed annually with a view to expertise, diversity and impartiality and Judges are invited to join based on their having detailed insight into one or more of the areas described by our Awards categories (see the Nominations page).
Annually, the Judges panel:
Review the aims and achievements of the Awards
Review the categories, based on their relevance to developments in the field, keeping to as few as possible
Invite members of the public and past Finalists to make nominations
Research and consider all of the nominees
Meet several times to discuss the nominees and select the Finalists in each category
Select the Winners in each category
How we select Finalists and Winners
A single nomination is sufficient for a nominee to be long-listed. See the Nominations page for nomination criteria.
Finalists in each category are selected by the Judges panel based on merit rather than on the number of nominations received. This means the Sexual Freedom Awards are not a popularity contest. Awards that rely on public voting are open to abuse and vote rigging. We aim for impartiality and fairness.
Once nominations have closed, nominees who meet the nominations criteria will be contacted and asked if they accept the nomination and, if they do, asked to submit information about their work for the Judges to consider. Those who say they will only accept their nomination if they are guaranteed to win are discounted.
Once the Judges have chosen the Finalists (usually 3) in each category, those who were not short-listed are informed via email. Those who have been selected as Finalists are invited to attend the Awards Ceremony for free. We also offer one half-price ticket for a friend or colleague. As this is a charity fund-raising event, we are unable to offer any guest list or plus ones.
The Judging process is independent of any Awards sponsorship Finalists may be connected to. If a Judge has a personal and/or business relationship with a Finalist, they must declare this and may recuse themself from voting in that category.
The Winner in each category is not announced until the night of the Ceremony. Only in very exceptional circumstances are Winners told in advance if they have won (for example, if they live in another country and would need to pay for an expensive flight to attend). The Winners of the Performer and Stripper categories are not known in advance of the Awards Ceremony, as Winners are selected based partly on their performance on the night, as described on the Nominations page.
To make a nomination, click here.