Each year, the Australian Drinks Awards shine a spotlight on the people, programs and progress driving positive change across the industry. While the big night is a celebration, it’s the judging process behind the scenes that ensures each winner is selected with integrity, consistency and rigour.
Three of the industry’s most meaningful awards – Best Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiative, Best Environmental Sustainability Initiative and Best Wellbeing Initiative – are judged by a panel of industry leaders. We share insight into how they determine which submissions stand above the rest.
What judges look for
The Drinks Association is committed to ensuring transparency and fairness in the awards process. Judges are selected for their industry experience and their understanding of the impact these awards can have, not just for the recipients, but for the industry as a whole.
Experienced judge Mia Horner, General Manager Customer Loyalty at Coles Liquor Group, has participated in the judging process for several years. She describes the approach as one that prioritises impact, evidence and the ability to influence real change across the industry.
“The submissions that stand out are the ones that have clear, tangible metrics supporting their claims,” Mia explains. “It’s not just about having a great idea – it’s about showing that it’s been implemented successfully and that it’s influencing decision-making across the business.”
Importantly, judges aren’t just looking at what’s been done – they’re assessing how well the initiative is integrated into the organisation and whether it has the potential to scale, inspire or inform others in the industry.
Mia describes the conversations that result from the judging process as robust, saying, “We challenge each other, we dive into the details but it’s always with the goal of finding the best example of leadership and impact in each category.”
Tough competition
Consistent across all of the submissions was the quality and impact of the initiatives, making the selection process even tougher for the judges.
“The quality of submissions is getting better every year,” notes Drinks Association CEO Georgia Lennon. “That makes the judges’ job harder – but it’s a great problem to have. It means our industry is lifting the bar, year on year.”
With judging now complete, the winners will be announced at the Australian Drinks Awards on Thursday, 17 July at the Hilton Sydney.
