Rules & Criteria

Rules and Judging Criteria

Everything you need to know before submitting a nomination for the Power of Potential Awards 2026, who can be nominated, how entries are judged and what happens next.

Who can be nominated

The awards celebrate young people aged 21 and under across the UK.

Nominees must be aged 21 or under at the time of the gala on Sunday 29 November 2026.
Nominees must live, study, work or volunteer in the United Kingdom.
Anyone may submit a nomination: teachers, youth workers, family members, friends, employers or the young person themselves.
Nominations are free to submit. There is no cost to enter and no cost to attend for shortlisted nominees and one guest.
A young person may be nominated in more than one category, but will be shortlisted in only one.
Written permission from the nominee (or a parent or guardian where the nominee is under 16) is required before a nomination is submitted.
Trustees, staff and immediate family of the Steve Browne Foundation are not eligible for the youth award categories.

The process

How nominations are judged

Step 1

Stage 1, Eligibility check

Every nomination is checked against the eligibility rules and matched to the most appropriate category. If a nomination fits another category better, we may move it and will let the nominator know.

Step 2

Stage 2, Panel scoring

An independent judging panel scores each eligible nomination against the four published criteria for its category, on a scale of 1 to 5 per criterion.

Step 3

Stage 3, Shortlisting

The highest scoring nominations in each category form the shortlist. Shortlisted nominees and their nominators are contacted directly and invited to the gala.

Step 4

Stage 4, Winners

Panel scores decide the winner in each category. The Power of Potential Award also includes a public vote, which is combined with the panel score. Winners are announced live on the night.

Scoring

What the panel looks for

Every eligible nomination is scored against these four measures, alongside the specific criteria published for each category.

30%

Evidence

How clearly the nomination shows what the young person has actually done or overcome.

30%

Impact

The difference their actions have made to themselves, their peers or their community.

25%

Distance travelled

The starting point, the obstacles faced, and how far the young person has come.

15%

Inspiration

How far their story is likely to encourage other young people to act.

By category

Category criteria

Each award has its own published criteria. Read the full detail on any category page before you write the nomination.

Timeline

Key dates

Nominations openSubmit online through the nominations form.
Nominations closeLate entries cannot be accepted once the deadline passes.
Shortlist announcedShortlisted nominees and nominators are contacted by email.
Public voteOpens for the Power of Potential category only, one vote per person.
Sunday 29 November 2026Winners announced live at the Grand De Vere Connaught Rooms, London.

Terms

Conduct, consent and fairness

Information given in a nomination must be truthful and verifiable. Nominations found to contain false information will be withdrawn.
Nominations must not include content that is defamatory, discriminatory or breaches another person's privacy.
Safeguarding comes first. Nominations that raise a safeguarding concern are handled under the Steve Browne Foundation's safeguarding policy and may be paused or withdrawn.
By submitting, the nominator confirms consent for the nominee's story, name and photograph to be used in event materials, press and social media. Consent can be withdrawn at any time by emailing the team.
Public voting is one vote per person per category. Automated, bulk or duplicate voting is discounted.
The judging panel's decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into regarding individual scores.
The Steve Browne Foundation may amend these rules where necessary and will publish any change on this page.

Submit a nomination Back to the award categories

Questions about these rules? Email the team at powerofpotentialgala2026@stevebrownefoundation.co.uk. The Power of Potential Gala is run by the Steve Browne Foundation, registered charity in England and Wales no. 1178821.