The MMIA20 will follow the robust application process of previous years, as outlined below:

Key dates

• Applications open 25^th November 2019 (09:00)
• Applications close 9^th January 2020 (Midnight)
• Judges roundtable 14^th January 2020
• Rising Star interviews 14^th January 2020
• Finalists announced 15^th January 2020
• Finalist filming to be undertaken 22^nd /23^rd January 2020
• Industry vote opens 3rd February 2020
• Industry vote closes 10^th February 2020
• Awards ceremony – winners announced 6^th March 2020

Stage 1 – Application

• Applications will open on Monday 25^th November at 09:00
• Eligibility criteria – the MMIAs are open to any business, company, individual, non-profit organisation or charity, operating in or supporting the maritime, logistics and energy sectors across the North of England
• You will be able to review and edit your application up until the final deadline on 7^th January 2020
• Please ensure that you enter your personal details accurately, including your contact details as we will need to contact you to confirm if you are a finalist
• You can enter more than one award category (provided it meets the entry criteria)
• You can provide supporting materials including documents, videos, images and relevant website links

Stage 2 – Judging Process

• All applications received within the deadline of (9^th January 2020 at midnight) will be reviewed collectively by our judges
• The high number of entries can mean that each judge is allocated a selection of the total – split by category – to score in detail, with finalists emerging from the average scores given by each judge

Rising Star Interviews

• Every applicant will be given the opportunity to attend an interview with three of our judges
• Each applicant must be available to attend an interview on 14^th January 2020

Stage 3 – Finalist Filming

• All applicants will be notified of the status of their application on 15^th January 2020
• All finalists must be available to attend a finalist filming session, which will be held across the 22^nd and 23^rd January 2020. Please ensure that someone from your business is available to attend on one of these dates
• The finalist films should encapsulate the details of the award application and why you believe you should win (the focus is not on providing a company overview)

Stage 4 – Industry Vote

• The industry vote will open on 3rd February 2020 and will include all the finalist films by award category
• Finalists are not able to vote for their own entry and any votes received will be discounted
• Voters may only cast one vote per category
• The industry vote will close on 10^th February 2020

Stage 5 – Winners determined

• The finalists will be determined by combining their judges score with their industry voting score