Category Description
This award is designed for companies working within or with the financial sector, and who are making effective use of digital- and data-driven tools and strategies, including AI, for social and environmental good.
It recognises those which have generated a positive impact for the environment or in the community and helped to improve quality of life on a local, national or international level. This positive impact could have been created either directly or indirectly (for example by helping a third sector organisation to achieve its objectives).
Judges do not expect perfection in all aspects of the activities of the organisation: they know that embedding sustainable finance across all activities is a challenging process! But the innovation cannot be an isolated example of sustainability within the business: it should also show evidence that the organisation takes appropriate account of social and environmental issues in wider aspects of its activities.
The judging panel will be looking for details on how and why the technology was created and developed, its goals and ethos. They will also be interested to hear about the challenges faced in developing the technology, how these were overcome and what support and training was provided to the end user to maximise the potential.
Time Frame: Given the fast-moving nature of this subject, entries should focus primarily on activity from the past two years. Historical context and earlier work may be included where relevant to demonstrate baselines, legacy impact, or progression.
We request a total word count of 1500 words +/-10% (excl. supporting docs). Any confidential data will be treated as such and only shared with the judging panel.
Criteria
Judges will be looking for evidence of the following points (weighting percentages in brackets):
Ethos and development (20%)
Purpose and goals of the innovation, how and why it was developed, challenges overcome, steps taken to ensure its impact is benign and positive across the board.
Effectiveness (45%)
Evidence of its effectiveness and verifiable positive impact to the community, society or environment.
Awareness and transparency (10%)
How effectively it has been communicated to its users, audience and those it will affect, including ensuring transparency throughout.
Scalability (15%)
The wider potential for scalability and replicability.
PLEASE NOTE: The criteria listed above are used by judges to evaluate entries. However, you will complete a separate application form with specific questions.
When writing your entry, follow the application form questions while ensuring you address all the criteria listed above. This allows judges to assess all entries consistently.
Accessing the questions: Register or log in to AwardStage (opens 2 February), select your category, and download the PDF of questions. Application questions vary by category and will be available four weeks before entries open. To receive them in advance, please email us.
Are we eligible to enter?
Our awards programme is open to all organisations of any kind… companies large and small, charities, not-for-profits, social enterprises, NGOs, membership and accreditation organisations and government departments including local and county councils. We are all about rewarding sustainability practice – in all its forms. So if your organisation is making a difference, directly or indirectly to people and planet, you’re eligible.
We don’t just recognise businesses that are operating responsibly, or supporting / partnering with worthwhile causes. We also actively encourage entries from organisations that have been specifically set up or adapted to offer a product or service that tackles a social or environmental problem.
Our category descriptions and criteria have been written to guide entrants on what content should be detailed in their entries. However, we do not expect square pegs to fit in round holes… Some of your business activities or dedicated programmes might not fit entirely with any one specific category. In these cases, the descriptions and criteria are open to an element of interpretation and rest assured that our judges will still take into account entries that are strongly aligned with the overall context of the category.
If you have any concerns about the suitability of your entry, or would like to discuss your activities in more detail, we are here to help. Give Karen a call on 07813 718541 or email us.