Entry evidence and calendar
Read this when preparing the entry plan in Step 4 and when building the calendar for the output.
Company-level or single-deployment entry
Decide this per program, because it changes which categories fit and what evidence is needed.
| Entry basis | Fits when | Evidence needed | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Company-level | The category rewards a product, a company, growth or innovation | Company metrics, product milestones, market evidence, leadership quotes | Claims are broad, so every figure needs a source and a date |
| Single customer deployment | The category rewards a project, a result or a use case | A named or anonymized customer story with results and the customer's approval | Needs customer approval, and the customer may decline |
When a program accepts either, pick the basis with the strongest verified evidence, not the one that sounds bigger.
Evidence checklist
For each entry, gather and record:
- the claims to be made, each with its source and the date it was measured;
- outcomes in the customer's own words, where the entry uses a customer;
- written customer approval for the name, logo, quotes and figures, with the approval date and any expiry;
- product facts that the product team has confirmed;
- supporting assets the program allows: screenshots, short video, references;
- the program's limits: word counts, file sizes, number of attachments;
- any conflict of interest, such as a judge or sponsor with a tie to the company.
Do not round up figures, state forward-looking plans as results, or use customer data without approval. If evidence is missing, mark the entry as blocked and say what is needed.
Owners and approvals
Name one owner per entry, plus who approves claims, who approves customer use and who approves payment. Customer approval is usually the slowest step, so set the internal deadline well before the program's own.
Calendar
One row per kept program, sorted by deadline:
| Deadline | Program | Category | Eligibility | Internal deadline | Cost | Running spend | Evidence status | Customer approval | Owner | Submit link | Date checked |
Add a row for each reminder to re-check a program whose cycle has not opened yet.
After a win or shortlisting
- Publish the result on an owned page with a link to the program's winners page, so the mention can be found and cited.
- Keep the badge, the text of the recognition and the date together in one place.
- Tell sales and customer success where the recognition is available for use.
- Note which programs delivered value, so the next cycle's shortlist improves.
Output checklist
Before returning the shortlist, confirm that every row has a link opened on the checked date, a deadline from the program's own page, a cost, an owner, a notoriety estimate and a tier with one line of reasoning. Confirm that the running spend is within the budget, that anything over it is on the over-budget list, and that every unverified item is listed.