Process

Once a candidate has been nominated, an email will be forwarded with an acknowledgment that a web-based nomination and information has been received on her behalf. The awards administrators will review all nominations for completeness; nominators may be contacted should clarification be required. The nominee however, will have the final decision. Candidates will sign a general release form (allowing use of name and photo as an award nominee) and confirm information presented in their nomination application (as displayed on website). The Nominee represents and warrants that all information that has been provided in submitting a nomination for the Waterfront Awards is true, accurate, complete to the best of her knowledge based on her free will and she is under no restriction that would prevent her from submitting this nomination or supporting evidence nor that would prevent the Waterfront Awards from using the information provided in the selection process for the Waterfront Awards. Erroneous or false information provided in the application will result in immediate disqualification of the Nominee. Waterfront Awards committee otherwise retain the right to disqualify any Nominee in their sole discretion.

To maintain complete fairness and transparency, the awards committee members have been selected as trusted industry professionals and are not board members or management staff at Toronto Waterfront Magazine. The award committee members cannot themselves be nominees or have submitted nominations to the program during the time they serve on the committee. If a close associate, colleague, or relative of a sitting committee member is nominated for an award, that member will withdraw from voting or commenting on the nominations in that particular category.

Selection Criteria

The awards committee will review all nominations in each category carefully. Each nomination will be evaluated and ranked with a points-rating system. The awards committee will use a selection criteria in evaluating candidates, with the weighting of these criteria for each award.

This metrics-based evaluation grid eliminates possible subjectivity from one member having a notable impact on the final scoring, as there are six committee members who will be individually evaluating and scoring the submissions and submitting their confidential scoring sheets to an officiator. Once all committee members have submitted their individual scoring sheets, the officiator will tabulate the scores for each nomination in each category. The highest-ranking score in each category will determine the three finalists and category winner. In addition, there will be a selection of “People’s Choice” winners, based on website audience votes.

Award recipients and committee members will be asked to sign a confidentiality agreement valid until the results are made public. In addition, this agreement instructs a strict confidentiality request to not share details of the nominations, or why a particular nomination was successful or unsuccessful.

Announcement of Results

The three finalists and category winner as well as the “People’s Choice” winner will be announced at the Waterfront Awards event. We are truly grateful to all the nominators and nominees for assisting the Waterfront Awards to recognize outstanding women of the GTA, and we thank all nominees ahead of time for your sisterhood, support, gratitude and grace; regardless of outcome.