Nomination process

Stage one, in more detail: the submission itself

The nomination form asks for three broad categories of information: who you're nominating (business or professional name, location, and a short description), what category you're entering under, and the evidence supporting that entry. There's no strict format the evidence needs to follow — some nominees write structured paragraphs addressing each of the six evaluation criteria in turn, others submit a more narrative account with supporting documents attached; both approaches work, provided the specific, concrete detail is there. What consistently doesn't work is a submission that describes the business only in general marketing language ("we pride ourselves on excellent service") without anything a jury member could actually verify or weigh.

If you're nominating on someone else's behalf — a colleague, a client, an employer — you don't need their direct involvement to submit, though many third-party nominators do check in with the nominee afterward, both as a courtesy and because the nominee often has evidence (specific client outcomes, training records) that a nominator wouldn't have direct access to. The form doesn't require the nominee's sign-off before submission.

Stage two, in more detail: internal review

Once submitted, every nomination goes through an internal review by the Golden Tree research team before it ever reaches the jury. This stage exists to verify basic eligibility (does the business or individual genuinely operate in the claimed location and category), confirm category fit (is this genuinely the best-matched category, or should it be redirected), and check that the submitted evidence is complete enough to be meaningfully evaluated. This typically takes about five business days, though it can take longer during high-volume periods of the cycle. If anything is missing or unclear, the research team will follow up directly using the contact details provided on the form — this is the main reason to make sure the contact information you submit is current and checked regularly.

Stage three, in more detail: jury evaluation

Nominations that clear internal review are shortlisted and passed to the jury — an international panel of beauty industry professionals, including senior figures from hair, beauty and wellness backgrounds. Each shortlisted nomination is scored independently by jury members against the six published criteria described on the judging & selection page. There is no live presentation or interview stage; the jury works entirely from the submitted written evidence, photography and any supporting documentation, which is exactly why the specificity of what's submitted at stage one matters so much to the outcome.

Stages four and five: selection, notification and recognition

Once jury scoring is complete, individual scores are aggregated and go through an internal audit before any winner is confirmed — a check built to catch scoring inconsistencies rather than to second-guess the jury's collective judgement. Winners receive confidential notification ahead of the public announcement, giving them time to prepare their own communications before the news is public. Public winner announcements are typically timed around the annual gala; whether or not a winner attends in person, the full recognition package — trophy, certificate, logo rights and PR exposure — is provided regardless, as described in full on the benefits of winning page.

Nominations that aren't selected as winners for a given cycle aren't discarded or penalised in any way — the criteria and process are exactly the same for a future submission, and many businesses that enter one cycle without winning go on to enter again in a later cycle once they've built further on the same evidence.