Yes. There is no cost associated with taking part in the awards, which are organised to recognise excellence in the insurance industry in the MENA region.

Organising the Awards is expensive as we ensure a first-class event. Funding comes from table sales for the Awards Presentation Dinner, as well as sponsors who support the cause to boost standards and professionalism.

The Middle East Insurance Industry Awards go beyond figures and sales targets and have a transparent judging process that is independently audited. The panel of judges is made up of respected industry leaders.

The winners are chosen by the panel of judges by way of a confidential two-step voting process.

All judges are involved in rating and ranking the entries. We allow companies employing the judges to take part but a ‘conflicts’ rule ensures that judges do not vote in categories for which their employer has been nominated. Where judges are conflicted, they are not given access to the write-ups of other candidates within the conflicted category to ensure neutrality.

The integrity of the judges underpins the awards system. Judging is not based on consensus but on the judges’ scoring of the write-ups in the first instance, and then ranking the finalists on the final judging day, based on the strict criteria as stipulated with each category.

To allow everyone to take part without fear of embarrassment, we adopt a positive approach where we will only announce the finalists. The other nominations that don’t make it to the finals are never named. Nonetheless, the nominee is free to do his own marketing should he want to.

Self-nomination is neutral. This is to make the system as fair as possible and to allow everyone to get a chance to be recognised.

No. The process is transparent and audited. Everything depends on the Judges’ selection.

This is to add excitement and to ensure that all the finalists will attend the Awards Presentation Ceremony. And most awards that are genuine do not announce the winners until the very night of the presentation, like the Academy Awards.