NOVA Awards

1. Purpose and Scope
1.1. This Policy consolidates and elaborates the provisions of the Regulation of the NOVA Awards (hereinafter — the "Regulation") governing the composition of the Jury, namely Section 7 (Jury Composition and Selection), Section 3.3 (Advisory Board), Sections 6.3–6.5 (Jury Evaluation, Shortlist, Final Deliberation), and Section 10 (Confidentiality and Transparency).
1.2. The Policy establishes the criteria, sources, verification steps, and appointment procedure applicable to all candidates for Jury membership, as well as the standards of independence and conduct applicable to appointed Jury members.
1.3. This Policy does not amend the Regulation. In the event of any inconsistency, the Regulation prevails.

2. Role of the Jury
2.1. The Jury is the central professional body responsible for evaluating nominations and determining the recipients of the Awards (Regulation, Section 7.1).
2.2. Jury members independently evaluate submissions assigned to them on a standardized 1–10 scale against the core evaluation criteria established in Section 8 of the Regulation, participate in the formation of the Shortlist, and take part in the Final Jury Deliberation (Regulation, Sections 6.3–6.5, 8.4).

3. Principles of Jury Formation
3.1. The Jury is formed according to the following principles (Regulation, Section 7.2):

• professional competence;
• industry diversity;
• independence;
• absence of conflicts of interest;
• international representation.

3.2. The Advisory Board may advise the Organizer on the industry expertise required for the composition of the Jury (Regulation, Section 3.3).

4. Eligibility Criteria for Jury Membership
4.1. Jury membership is by appointment only. Candidates are not admitted through open enrollment, and appointment is reserved for professionals who satisfy each of the criteria set out in this Section.
4.2. In accordance with Section 7.3 of the Regulation, a candidate for the Jury must demonstrate all of the following:

• significant professional experience;
• recognized achievements or leadership positions;
• expertise relevant to the award categories the candidate would be assigned to evaluate;
• strong professional reputation;
• commitment to ethical and impartial evaluation.

4.3. Professional standing under this Section is assessed on the substance of the candidate’s record. No single formal indicator (such as a specific number of years of experience) is applied mechanically; the Organizer evaluates the candidate’s achievements, roles, and recognition in their totality against the criteria of Clause 4.2.

5. Identification of Candidates
5.1. In accordance with Section 7.4.1 of the Regulation, candidates for the Jury may be:

• invited by the Organizer;
• recommended by industry organizations;
• nominated by existing Jury members.

5.2. An invitation to serve on the Jury does not constitute appointment. Appointment occurs only upon completion of the verification procedure set out in Section 6 of this Policy.

6. Verification and Appointment Procedure
6.1. In accordance with Section 7.4.2 of the Regulation, each candidate undergoes verification prior to appointment, including:

1. Confirmation of professional credentials.
2. Assessment of relevant expertise against the criteria of Section 4 of this Policy.
3. Review of potential conflicts of interest.
4. Formal approval of the appointment by the Organizer.

6.2. The Organizer records the completion of the verification and appointment steps in the institutional records of the Awards.

7. Voluntary Service; No Compensation or Fees
7.1. Participation as a judge is voluntary. Judges are not compensated and are not required to pay any fees associated with the judging process (Regulation, Section 7.3).

8. Ethical Requirements, Conflicts of Interest, and Abstention
8.1. All Jury members must evaluate submissions objectively and independently, avoid conflicts of interest, maintain strict confidentiality, and refrain from disclosing evaluation information prior to official publication (Regulation, Section 7.5).
8.2. Where a conflict of interest is identified with respect to a specific submission, the Jury member abstains from its evaluation, and the abstention is recorded by the Organizer.

9. Confidentiality
9.1. Jury members must maintain strict confidentiality with respect to application materials, scoring data, deliberations, and outcomes prior to official publication (Regulation, Sections 7.5 and 10).

10. Transparency
10.1. In accordance with Section 10 of the Regulation, the Organizer publishes the composition of the Jury and the professional profiles of its members.

11. Records
11.1. The Organizer maintains, as part of the institutional records of the Awards: the register of Jury members and their professional profiles; records of the verification and appointment steps under Section 6; and records of abstentions.

12. Adoption and Effect
12.1. This Policy consolidates provisions already in force under the Regulation and formalizes the corresponding appointment practice of the Awards.
12.2. This Policy is adopted by the Organizing Committee and enters into force on the date of its approval.