How the competition works 

HERE is a more detailed description of the competition framework.

• Public Nominations: The process starts with the opening of public nominations.

• Shortlisting & Finalists: A shortlist is created based on input from Experts, Country Partners, and the HQ. From this, regional finalists are selected and announced.

• Voting & Regional Winners: Public voting then opens, and regional winners are chosen by a regional jury. These winners are revealed at the Regional Grand Finale.

After the regional stage, all regional winners move forward to compete at the global level.

your role in the competition

You’ll take part in the selection process at the regional and/or global level, helping us choose the top candidates in specific award categories.

Our team will fully support you by providing all the information, materials, and tools you need to carry out your role. In return, we kindly ask for just 1–3 hours of your time to help us identify standout talents and celebrate the diversity and potential of this vibrant region.

What you get

As a jury member, you'll gain exclusive insight into the startups and ecosystem leaders competing in your assigned categories.

You'll also be recognized and promoted within the broader startup community, and become part of the GSAwards global network — giving you special access to our events and connections.

Below, you’ll find a detailed overview of your responsibilities as a jury member, along with what kind of benefits the different juries commitment bands trigger.

Jury member responsibilities 

• The jury member is expected to use his / her domain knowledge and expertise to evaluate each finalist that belongs to the category/categories.

• The jury member will read all the category definitions and criteria to understand the framework of the rating process.

• The jury member will evaluate the finalists individually based on the category definition and criteria provided by the relevant staff.

• The jury member will rate each finalist based on instructions.

• The jury member will perform the rating process of the finalists and provide the results to the relevant team within the dates and deadlines of the competition.

• The jury member will rate the finalists without involving personal or third-party interests in the rating process.

• If the jury member has any relation or personal interest to any finalist that he/she is expected to vote on, the jury member will not rate in the specific category and must notify GSAwards HQ immediately.

• The jury member will not share information about the rating process or the results before it is published officially by GSAwards.

• The jury member will not perform any action that might harm the regional brand and/or the GSAwards brand.

Expect a minimum of 2 hours of work, which can be divided over several times.

The work will happen on our proprietary IT system that runs the competition across all regions. See an example of how it works HERE.