BIFA Awards
BIFA Awards: what the judges are looking for In this article, Sharon Hammond , events executive, outlines how best to get your entry noticed and secure that coveted BIFA Freight Service Awards trophy
T he most anticipated section of the BIFA Freight Service Awards ceremony is undoubtedly the announcement of the winner of each of the categories. As the finalists are listed and the sponsor representative steps forward, with gold envelope in hand, a buzz of excitement fills the historic Porter Tun room at The Brewery. The winning company is announced and a cheer goes up from somewhere in the room as the realisation sets in and the winner makes their way to the stage to collect the trophy. But how did they reach this point? What was it that caught the judges’ eyes? Below we detail the entry and judging processes for the nine categories open to member businesses. The categories are: • Air Freight Forwarder of the Year – sponsored by IAG Cargo • Customs Compliance Services – sponsored by CNS– s • European Logistics Forwarder of the Year – sponsored by TT Club • Extra Mile – sponsored by Descartes • Project Forwarding – sponsored by BT • Sea Freight Forwarder of the Year – sponsored by Port Express • Staff Development – sponsored by Albacore Systems • Sustainable Logistics & the Environment – sponsored by American Airlines Cargo • Value-Added Logistics Services – sponsored by Menzies LLP
Category descriptions can be seen in the August issue of BIFAlink The entry process Step 1 – visit https://awards.bifa.org/ to check out the category descriptions, check the entry guidelines and download the entry forms. Step 2 – draft your entry, following the wordcount and making sure that your submission aligns to the category description. Ensure that you have your customer’s permission if you are naming them or including sensitive information. Step 3 – get others to review the submission to ensure that you have covered the pertinent points and conveyed what you achieved, what benefits you gained for your customer and the innovations that have carried over into other areas of your business. Step 4 – submit your entry to bifaevents@bifa.org by the deadline – 11 am Wednesday 8 October. The judging process After the closing date, the entries will be reviewed by subject-matter specialists who, using a judging matrix, will score the submission on a range of issues including the complexity of the case study, the issues encountered and description of the solution, innovation and resulting service enhancements, benefits to the company and benefits to the customer. Based on the scores achieved at this stage, the four finalists in each category will be announced. Now the finalists will have the opportunity to submit supporting information that will also be considered when the sponsor judges meet in person. This supporting information may
consist of additional notes, photos, data, service metrics and customer testimonials, and must not exceed ten single-sided A4 pages. During November the sponsor judges will meet in person to discuss the entries in each category. The representative of the sponsor of the award, having had prior sight of the entries in that category, will summarise the content of each submission and recommend a winner. A discussion will follow and if the others on the panel are in agreement, the winner is declared without further ado. One comment made regularly by the judges, is that entries sometimes fail to clearly demonstrate innovation, service enhancement and benefits (in service and/or cost-saving). If you are claiming a 10% improvement in on-time delivery, you need to back this up with some statistics. Remember, the judges are not mind-readers, they can only assess the facts in front of them. If it’s important to your submission, make sure that you have covered it. Use the wordcount to your advantage, don’t waffle, don’t
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24 | September 2025
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