40 Questions Award Judges could ask you in your Finalist Presentation

Do you need to prepare for an awards final? Are you wondering what the judges might ask you?

I’ve been judging awards for over a decade, and I can’t count the questions I’ve actually asked, but I’m also asked all the time ‘what will the judges will ask me?’. So here are 40 questions you could hear in your awards presentation to get you started.

Remember – everything the judges ask will be relative to what you have told them, relative to what you have already made them think and feel, and relative to how well you have already answered the criteria. They will often ask very specific questions related to your specific entry and pitch – eg ‘you said X, tell me Y’. And different questions have different purposes, like they need you to fill in gaps, or they want to understand your decision-making, or they want to see where the business is going next.

Good judging is positive, enjoyable, and supportive – with the judges using questions to help you to bring out your best. So don’t fear it, embrace it, relax, answer the question in an honest and transparent way, and be your true self….that’s what will get you through to the winning podium.

Your Story (Founders)

1. What inspired you to start your business?

2. What problem did you originally set out to solve?

3. What did you achieve that you didn’t originally expect?

4. How have your values shaped the business?

5. What makes your business different from your competitors?

6. If you had to do it all again, what would you do differently?

Your Impact on Customers

7. What do you think your customers really need from you?

8. What specific problem have you solved for them?

9. How has their experience changed as a result of working with you?

10. What evidence can you share to prove your customer impact?

11. What do your customers say about your brand?

12. How do you know your customers are better off because of what you’ve done?

Your Innovation

13. Why did you introduce this as a solution?

14. What did you do differently to what was already available, and why?

15. What makes your approach unique?

16. What were your biggest challenges?

17. What measurable results can you share to show the impact of this innovation?

18. Has your innovation influenced your industry or competitors?

Your Growth

19. How has your business grown over the last three years?

20. Which results are you most proud of?

21. What has been the biggest driver of your growth?

22. What has prevented you from growing faster?

23. What are your priorities for the next 12 months?

24. Where do you want the business to be in three to five years, and how will you get there?

Your People and Culture

25. How would your team describe your leadership?

26. What do you do to attract, develop and retain great people?

27. How do you measure employee engagement?

28. What have you changed as a direct result of employee feedback?

29. How do you recognise and reward your people’s achievements?

30. What evidence shows you that your people are happy?

Your Community and Wider Impact

31. How does your business make a positive difference in the community?

32. How do you choose who to support?

33. How do you measure your wider social impact?

34. Have you influenced a positive change in your industry?

35. Who else benefits from your success, and how?

Your Personal Experience

36. What have you enjoyed most about building your business/delivering this project?

37. What has been your biggest challenge, and how did you overcome it?

38. If you could start again, what would you do differently?

39. What have you learnt about yourself as a leader/team through this experience?

40. Looking back at everything you’ve achieved, what are you most proud of, and why?

What to do now. Don’t think you have to prepare an answer to everything. No two judges are the same, no two situations are the same, and you might not even be able to answer every question in a way you would want to, but you should be able to explain your thoughts, hopes and expectations at least.

And please don’t be afraid to talk about the things that didn’t go to plan. Judges know that running a business, a team, or a project isn’t easy. Sometimes the most impressive part of your story is how you’ve responded when things have gone wrong.

Remember, you’re not being judged on how good you are at presenting. You’re being judged on what you’ve achieved and how well you can prove it in comparison to the other finalists in your category. And you don’t have to do this alone (unless you do of course!) if you can take in a colleague (or team) then do – they all bring a richer perspective to the judges and take the pressure off you. It can be a brilliant team development experience too.

Save these 40 questions for your next awards presentation, and share them with anyone who’s preparing to face the judges.

If you’re a judge, what do you find yourself asking again and again?

And if you’ve presented to an awards judging panel before, how did you find the questions, did any stand out?