Quality Awards: FAQ

Do I need to be a member of the CQI or IRCA to apply for an award?

You do not need to be a member of the CQI or IRCA to apply for an award, apart from the Quality Professional of the Year award which requires you to be a Chartered member or Chartered Fellow. All other awards are open to everyone, providing you meet the criteria.

If your organisation is a Corporate Partner of the CQI, you do not have to pay the entry fee. Please refer to the list of Corporate Partners on our website to confirm whether you are eligible for free entry or not.

Is there a fee to enter the International Quality Awards?

The Emerging Talent, Quality Professional of the Year and CQI Volunteering Impact awards are free to enter. Corporate Partners of the CQI can also enter any category for free as a benefit of their partnership with us.

All other entries have a fee of £299 +VAT which should be paid using a debit or credit card at the point of submission. Entries which are submitted without payment will be disqualified. We are unable to issue invoices as these often result in delayed payments.

Can I apply for more than one award?

Organisations can apply for more than one award, providing you meet the criteria. Make sure your entry applies specifically to the category, you should not submit identical applications for multiple categories as the criteria will not be the same. Please be aware that the entry fee is per category.

Our individual awards - Emerging Talent and Quality Professional of the Year - have specific criteria relating to where you are within your quality career. Therefore, individuals should not apply for more than one of these categories.

How should I split the word count?

We suggest you take guidance from the number of points available for each question. In some categories, the score is equal across each question and therefore we suggest that you split your word count equally to give your application the best opportunity to score highly. In other categories, there are more points allocated to some questions than others, so use your words wisely.

Judges will not read any words over the allocated allowance - and yes, they do check!

What should I include on my supporting slides?

As with the word count, in categories where the points are split equally across the questions, we suggest you allocate one slide per question with a spare slide to use as needed. For categories where the score varies, we suggest using two slides for each question which carries a higher score.

The slides are there to help you bring your application to life. Include graphs, diagrams, images, organisation charts - anything which supports your written work and provides evidence to support it. Do not overcrowd your slides with lots of extra text - if judges cannot read it, they will not score it.

The slides work best when you signpost to them in your written entry. For example, add "See Slide 1" in your text to show judges where to look.

How does the application process for CQI Volunteering Impact work? It seems different from the other awards.

Volunteers can nominate themselves or each other. They can also be nominated by the CQI staff. There is no interview stage for this award, but there is an opportunity for the CQI and IRCA membership to vote on which activity has delivered the greatest impact.

Full details on this award and the judging process can be found on our awards portal.

Is it necessary to be fluent in English to apply?

No, it is not. We do require the written application to be in English, but it does not have to be perfect English as long as the meaning is not lost. If your application is shortlisted, you are welcome to invite a translator to join you for the interview if you would like to. The awards are international and we welcome and recognise contributions from across the world.

When will I find out if my application is successful?

Shortlisted applicants will be notified by the end of February and invited to attend a virtual interview (via Teams or Zoom) with the panel of judges. Interviews will be held You will be given an opportunity to present to the judges and they will then ask questions to further understand your application. This is not a chance to add anything new, it should be based on the application you have already submitted.

Judges normally interview 3–4 candidates per category. Interviews will take place between 9-28 March and the winners will be announced at Quality Live on Thursday 25 June 2026.

Where can I buy tickets to the International Quality Awards?

The awards will take place at Quality Live in London on Thursday 25 June 2026. Tickets to the event will be available in the New Year.

There is an expectation that at least one representative from each finalist will attend the live event. Winners will not be notified prior to the awards ceremony.

My question hasn't been answered, who can I speak to about my application?

If you have a question which has not been answered here or in the application guide, contact us at [email protected] and a member of the team will be happy to help.