Judging process

Local Government Chronicle prides itself on a rigorous two-stage judging process for its Awards. This ensures every trophy is hard-fought and goes to only the most deserving of winners on the night.

This page details that two-step process;

Stage one - online judging

Once entries close, we instruct our panel of over 100 expert judges from across the sector to begin stage one of the judging process. Every single entry is read by category-specific panels, who score the 1,000 words according to the category critiera. These scores are aggregated and an average created. This determines our shortlist and allows us to be sure that all successful entries accurately meet the criteria.

The entries deemed strong enough to progress form part of the official shortlist. Those entries which miss the mark are informed that unfortunately they have been unsuccessful. LGC works with its judging panels to ensure a couple of lines of anonymised feedback are provided to unsuccessful entrants to help them improve next time.

The shortlist is then announced to the world!

Stage two - presentations to judges

The written entry may be enough to get a project, team, or organisation shortlisted; but our judges need more than that to award a trophy. The second stage of judging involves all shortlisted entrants presenting to judges.

In-Person

The vast majority of these presentations will take place in our London offices, address below. Slots with the judges are 25 mins in total, made up of presentation and Q&A. Full detailed guidance will be sent to all entrants when the shortlist is announced.

Via Microsoft Teams

Three categories will be judged via face-to-face presentations held via Microsoft Teams. Digital Impact, Environmental Services, and Net Zero categories will all be judged in this way, in-keeping with the theme of these categories. Slots are still 25 minutes, and judges will be present on the call, moderated by a member of the LGC team.

Where does judging take place?

For categories judged in-person, this takes place in our London offices, at the address below. When you arrive you'll check in at reception and wait to be called by the judging panel. Don't worry - the team will make you feel at ease! We know judging can be a nerve-wracking experience. Grab a cup of water, go over those notes one more time, and the judges will be with you before you know it.

emap Publishing
4th Floor
Harmsworth House
13-15 Bouverie Street
London
EC4Y 8DP

What date am I required for judging presentations?

Category judging dates and formats are below:

Council of the Year judging

For entrants successfully shortlisted for Council of the Year, the second stage of judging is slightly different. Let's split this into substages;

A - Site Visits

We dispatch a judging panel to you! Entrants are expected to organise a judging visit in which judges are shown around specific high-performing aspects of a council (based on the written entry). Entrants should prioritise unusual, impressive, or high-performance aspects of the council. Why is the council entering the award? Judges want to see the stuff that makes you outstanding, and hear from those involved directly including leadership, employees, and service users (if applicable). More detailed guidance will be sent to those who are successfully shortlisted.

B - LGC Live presentations to judges

Once the visits are done, the shortlisted councils are asked to perform one final presentation. The Chief Executive of the council and a member of their council leadership (usually the leader of the council, x2 reps in total) will present to judges at LGC LIVE, an open-judging event held at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House Hotel on the day of the Awards in London, on Wednesday 11 June 2025.

The judging event is open to an audience who can sit and watch presentations by councils as a sharing of best practice.

Judges decide on the day who will win the prestigious Council of the Year award based on a combination of witten entry, site visit, and presentation to judges. The winner is announced as the final award at the glittering ceremony that evening.

I have a question about judging; who can I ask?

Please reach out to Audrey who will be happy to help:

Audrey Hazoume
Event Executive
Audrey.Hazoume@emap.com