How the awards are judged

When entries have closed, it’s time for the Leaders Awards Steering Group to choose the finalists and winners.

Before the judging takes place, Dimensions sends the Steering Group accessible guidance and puts the entries into a template so they’re easier to judge.

First, they read all the entries and choose the ones they think are the strongest. These become our finalists. After that, the group gets ready to pick the winners.

There are two judges for each category

There is also a mediator to make sure things are fair.

Each judge has a learning disability or is autistic.

Nigel was a judge in 2024. Here he is presenting with Ken Bruce at the awards.

In pairs, the Steering Group look at each entry and thinks about why it is important for that person. They then give the entries points, from 1 point to 10 points.

If they know the person in the entry, the mediator will check their scores.

The highest scoring entries are the winners of the Learning Disability and Autism Leaders Awards.

First we used voting boxes; Nigel put six in the smiley face box and four in the ‘not sure’ box. Then, out of each box, he chose his favourite, second favourite, etc. and added comments on each. It is very hard to decide which order to put them in, they all sounded like great people.

With two judges per category, their collective scores determine the champions of the Leaders Awards, ensuring every story is celebrated and every voice heard.

Who will be our 2026 winners?…

We believe everyone has a unique story that deserves recognition, which is why all entrants receive a certificate, while winners will have their inspiring journeys shared nationwide.