Entries are now open for this year’s Media Isle of Man Awards for Excellence so it’s time to think about getting your submission in.

This year’s awards ceremony takes place in the Royal Hall in the Villa Marina, Douglas on Thursday, November 21.

And, just to give you a steer, we have been talking to Deb Byron, a member of the Awards’ judging panel, and asking her what she and the other judges will be looking for.

Like all the judges chosen to decide the Awards winners, Deb is a highly respected member of the business community on the island.

Her impressive CV encompasses a 35 year career in digital and cyber security in the financial services sector. She is passionate about encouraging children and young adults to pursue careers in STEM-related subjects and was a co-founder of the Isle of Man charity, Love Tech.

Now retired, Deb sits as a non-executive director on a number of boards, including the Isle of Man Government Digital Agency and the Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce.

She is also the longest standing Awards for Excellence judge: this will be her 17th year on the panel and she says: ‘I think I’ve probably judged every category over the years.’

So what will Deb be looking for in this year’s submissions?

She says: ‘We’re looking really for evidence of excellence, particularly in recent years, so something they have done in the last 18 months – two years.

‘One of the key things is that there are criteria for each category and we are looking for those criteria to be answered. And ideally some facts with supporting evidence, how turnover has grown, or head count, or examples of CSR, are always useful – that’s certainly what I’m looking for.’

She goes on: ‘Judges also love it if a company has overcome a bit of adversity, if they have had staff shortages for example. If there’s a story to tell, it’s worth telling because it adds a bit more to the entry rather than just plain facts.’

Deb says she especially likes it when a submission feels authentic, especially when it’s from one of the smaller companies: ‘They’ve often got a really good story to tell.’

She adds: ‘And people should understand that judges will go and do a bit of research of their own: they’ll look on the company’s website and they’ll look at customer reviews if they’re available.’

Many businesses find that filling out the online submission is a very positive exercise: a good opportunity to take stock of what they have done.

Deb says: ‘It is quite a reflective process, when you’re answering the criteria and you think: “How do I demonstrate to a stranger that I’m excellent and I can meet the criteria?” so it will often make people reflect and maybe make some tweaks and changes.’

During her long experience of the Awards Deb has seen the award categories evolve and adapt to suit changing circumstances and culture.

After Covid, she explains, many of the big companies didn’t want to enter the Awards: they did not feel it was appropriate to be celebrating business success after such a long period of loss and isolation.

Organisers took this on board and changed the categories to suit a more reflective, community-focussed mood. More recently, there has been recognition of environmental and other ESG achievements alongside business success.

Last year an online entry system was introduced which made it much easier for the judges who had previously had to take home and read through several large boxes of hard copy entries.

It also prevented entries from being overlong or repetitive.

Deb says: ‘Now that it’s online the number of words is limited and I think people are a bit more precise because they can’t go on for pages anymore.’

And she has final tip for anyone entering: ‘Make sure you grab the judges’ attention early on – wow them with excellence so they want to read on.’

*The Media Isle of Man Awards for Excellence offers a range of categories which cover businesses of all sizes, public sector teams, community and charity organisations and individuals. It is free to enter and you may enter more than one category.

The closing date for all entries is Thursday September 12.

For more information and to enter go to www.afe.im.