FAQ
/// General
The Hustle Awards are an unrivalled badge of excellence for the tech startup industry and the quality benchmark that all businesses working across this sector should aspire to.
Our mission is to:
/// Recognise the outstanding achievements of individuals, companies, and innovation
/// Raise standards across the sector, with a particular focus in diversity, inclusion, and sustainability
/// Inspire and celebrate the creative and entrepreneurial journey
/// Deliver a rigorous and transparent judging process with a panel of business leaders
Feb 7, 2022 – entries open
April 7, 2022 – entries closed
May 5, 2022 – judging
May 23, 2022 – shortlist announced
July 21, 2022 – The Hustle Awards
There are a wealth of benefits that come from winning a Hustle Award. It is the ultimate accolade, giving your business the highest level of credibility when securing funding; offering a huge amount of brand visibility through a vast amount of PR and marketing opportunities; boosting team morale and motivation; and is the best way to attract and retain top class talent.
Whether or not you are shortlisted, The Hustle Awards will entertain – our goal is to give you a world-class experience that will leave the industry talking for weeks to come. The crème-de-la-crème of the industry will be attending, offering you fantastic networking opportunities, plus the opportunity to let your hair down, celebrate and promote your success!
/// ENTRIES
The Hustle Awards are open to all organisations working in the tech startup industry. There is a category for everyone, no matter what stage of your journey you are at. We also recognise individuals, teams, businesses, supporters, and innovation.
ABSOLUTELY!
We have put together a comprehensive list of criteria for each category. You can download it HERE.
If the judges feel you are better suited to another category, they reserve the right to move your entry.
We have outlined who should enter which category in our entry guidelines you can download HERE. Review these closely and determine which is most appropriate. You may enter more than one category (if relevant) to increase your chances of being shortlisted.
Early entry deadline is the 7th April.
The Awards entry deadline is not plucked out of thin air. It is an important element of a large and complex process. Getting your entries in on time means the judges are given the maximum amount of time to consider your entry.
In our experience, a good award entry can take 4-6 weeks to put together. This allows enough time for initial fact-finding meetings, several versions of the entry form and presumes you may need a number of people to look at it and sign it off. Really, the more time you have the better.
Yes, however be mindful that each categories has a different set of criteria so do not copy and paste.
The eligibility period for submissions should relate to work completed during the period from February 2021 to April 2022.Please make sure that your entry only contains evidence of activity that took place during this period.
Entries submitted for the Hustle Awards 2021 cannot be entered for the 2022 Awards unless you can demonstrate that substantial developments or improvements have taken place.
Yes. Your entry will not be shortlisted without quantifiable information that demonstrates your entry is based on fact. Where we ask for testimonials, you should obtain these from clients, partners, and industry figures, rather than employees of your organisation.
If there is a ‘most important’ tip, then this is it: read the criteria for the category you are entering and answer the questions – as you would do in an exam. Then make sure you provide clear, direct answers against *ALL* of the criteria.
Yes! We do, however, advise running all content past your customers for approval, and we highly recommend you avoid marketing jargon.
No. What the judges want to see should be foremost in your mind when preparing your entry, as they make the decision whether to proceed with your entry or not. Follow the instructions and recommended format – it is there for a reason. If you do not, you may find you have been ruled out for non-compliance.
Companies or individuals may submit entries on their own behalf, or on behalf of other individuals or organisations, including colleagues, industry peers, suppliers, or clients. If submitting on someone else’s behalf, please ensure you have their permission to do so.
The entry fee is £55+VAT. We charge a small fee to cover the administrative costs involved in hosting a secure entry and judging platform.
When submitting your entry, you will be given the option to pay via PayPal or credit card.
/// JUDGING PROCESS
The awards have a specially curated judging panel, featuring a cross-section of business specialists, relevant to the award category. We go to great lengths to ensure each panel has both expertise and diversity, so that every entry can be assessed accurately and from a mix of viewpoints.
Step 1 – Initial scoring: The judges for each award review and independently score every entry in their allocated category on our online judging platform, paying close attention to the criteria laid out on the entry form. The highest scoring entries from Step 1 will be put through to Judging Day.
Step 2 – Scoring review and shortlist selection: The judges come together on Judging Day – 5 May 2022 – to discuss each entry in depth, after which, they again independently score each entry. The highest scoring entries are then shortlisted.
The transparency and security of the judging process is hugely important to us. All scores are collated, verified to avoid anomalies, and then averaged to determine the winner. The Hustle Awards team supervises the judging process to avoid any risk of bias and judges are asked to sign NDA’s and recuse themselves where they have a personal or professional interest.
The information in your entry will remain confidential amongst members of the Hustle Awards team. All our judges are bound by Non-Disclosure Agreements.
/// The Shortlist
The shortlist will be announced on the 23 May via email, online and social media. Make sure you are the first to know and subscribe here.
Yes, we will give notification if you are unsuccessful.
Yes, but please allow four weeks after the shortlist has been announced.
/// Awards Show
At the event on Thursday 21 July 2022.
The cost to attend is £95+VAT – the cost goes some way in providing you an evening of great entertainment, delicious food, and welcome drinks!
There are no discounts available for tickets, except as a part of sponsorship packages.
Smart casual.
The Steel Yard, Allhallows Ln, London, EC4R 3UE
- 6.30pm: Arrival & networking drinks reception
- 7.15pm: Call for seating
- 7.30pm: Entertainment and opening speech
- 8.00pm: Canapes and bar open
- 8.45pm: Entertainment and Awards ceremony
- 9.45pm: Afterparty
- 12.00am: Carriages
