A panel of expert judges is handpicked by The Grocer to decide the winners. Great care is taken to avoid conflicts of interest, and all judges must sign a non-disclosure agreement form before being allowed to receive the entries.

The judges draw up a shortlist from the entries for each category. The judges can disqualify an entry if it fails to meet the criteria. They can also reassign an entry to a different (or extra) category if they consider it appropriate.

Each category is judged against the criteria as outlined in the entry form or on the category criteria page. The period under consideration is from 1 January 2023 to 29 February 2024. Judges may choose to consider information that follows this time period where appropriate.

What will the judges look for?

The criteria for each award is set out on the Enter Here page. However, it’s worth making the following general points:

• This is a results business. We want numeric evidence of success wherever possible. Not just woolly statements
• The period under consideration is from 1 January 2023 to 29 February 2024. Judges will be encouraged to focus primarily on achievements that have been made during this period, rather than the long-standing excellence of an individual, team, brand or company
• Adherence to word counts is strongly advised. One additional attachment will be considered as supplementary evidence but the judges will base their decisions primarily on the main entry form.

When will the entries be judged?

Judging will take place in April. A shortlist of the nominees in each category will be published on thegrocer.co.uk as soon as they’re ready. The winners will be revealed at the awards ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Tuesday 2 July 2024 .