Judging
The Judging Process
Victorian Judges
State judging is conducted by a panel of industry peers appointed by Tourism Victoria, with the endorsement of the Minister for Tourism. This panel comprises a cross-section of tourism industry experts, some of them former award winners. Each judge has been selected for his or her knowledge and experience, and for their willingness to volunteer and commit time to a non paid role of judging the Victorian Tourism Awards. The selection ensures that a broad range of the industry is represented and that skills are complementary. The judging panel operates independently of Tourism Victoria and is convened each year specifically for the Tourism Awards.
The criteria and category guidelines for the Awards are set at a national level and are consistently applied by all states and territories.
In Victoria, a panel of distinguished industry leaders is appointed as judges. A chairperson is also appointed. Teams of three judges independently read and score the submissions in a particular category before collaborating as a panel for the final decision. Each judge will assess approximately five categories and will not review the same category in successive years. In addition, all entrants are visited or contacted in person by a judge. The judging process is overseen by the Chair of Judges and an independent auditor.
Site Inspection
Members of the Judging Panel will endeavour to visit or personally contact all entrants during the judging period. You will be notified in advance of the visit. If you are away during the judging period contact the Tourism Victoria Awards Unit on 03 9653 9789 to make alternative arrangements. Date range of site visits is Monday 10th September - Sunday 30th September
The purpose of the site visit is two-fold; verification of claims made within the submission (for example sighting of a risk management policy) and testing of the experience. The site visit will be pre-arranged and the judges have a proforma from which they work. Mention time 1 hr
Scores from the site visit will not apply at the national level, however, the Australian Tourism Awards judging panel will have access to the written comments.
Judges Decision
The decision of the Victorian and Australian Tourism Awards Judging Panel is final. Any grievance should be forwarded to Nicole McLean, Manager Victorian Tourism Awards, Tourism Victoria, GPO Box 2219T, Melbourne VIC 3001.
Independent Assessment Assured
Professional auditors from major accounting firms oversee both the Victorian and Australian Tourism Awards judging processes. Their role is to oversee the scoring process, check submissions for adherence to rules of entry, including technical data such as dates of operation, declaration of financial authenticity and other essential requirements. Mention name of auditor
Our Assurance
All information submitted is strictly confidential. All persons, for example tourism awards managers, coordinators and judges, who may come into contact with your submission, are each required to sign a confidentiality agreement.
Our Judges
A panel of highly experienced industry professionals judge the submissions. The decision of the Victorian Tourism Awards and Australian Tourism Awards judging panel is final.
Judges look for:
- A financially sound business.
- A thorough and sound business plan and an innovative marketing plan.
- Demonstrated flair, passion and innovation.
- A business that knows its customers and has a service culture.
- A business or individual that has made a significant contribution to the Victorian tourism industry.
- A passionate and innovative submission that clearly illustrates excellence in the tourism industry.
A list of judges will be available in June.
The new Chair of the Judging Panel is:
Stuart Ord
Stuart has been a Regional Manager for Parks Victoria since 1998, initially managing the parks system in the east of the State, and more recently the more urban terrestrial and marine parks on and surrounding Port Phillip and Westernport Bays. This has exposed him to the many issues and complexities of balancing the needs of tourism related activities in both Regional and urban environments.
A forester by training, Stuart spent five years in commercial forestry in the Otway Ranges prior to joining Melbourne Water in the management of water supply catchments and metropolitan recreational parks. He has been with Parks Victoria since its inception in 1996. He was awarded a Churchill Travelling Fellowship in 1998 giving him the opportunity to study National and Regional Park management and tourism services in Canada and USA.
Stuart is a previous judge of the Victorian Tourism Awards.
