Judging
The AWA judging process is simple and thorough, performed by some of the industry’s leading experts.
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The Process
Australian Web Awards entries are assessed using a combination of ‘judging disciplines’, such as content or development, and ‘judging criteria’ which is a scale from 1 to 5. Each site is reviewed and judged by multiple judges.
Judging disciplines
Each entry will be judged in up to 6 disciplines, and they are:
- Design
- Development
- User experience
- Content
- Accessibility
- SEO
Judging criteria
Each judging discipline contains criteria based on a simple 1 to 5 scale. Here’s how that works:
- 1 is the minimum level accepted – if an entry doesn’t get at least a 1 for each discipline it won’t qualify for the awards.
- 3 is the midpoint – this is where an entry would need to be to be considered as a finalist for an awards.
- 5 is considered excellence – an entry that goes above and beyond and is outstanding (ideally what look to award in each category).
Each entry will be judged on its performance against the criteria and awarded points in each discipline to accrue a combined score. As an example, if there are 6 disciplines, an entry could have a total score between 6 and 30.
Judges
Daniel Zuccon
Daniel has over 20 years of experience within the web industry and is a co-founder of SEO agency, Optimising.com.au. Having been an AWA judge for the past few years, Daniel is proud to support and celebrate the most innovative Australian websites.
Jarrad Langdon
Jarrad has always had an interest in computers and design. When he was offered an apprenticeship at a local design firm he keenly embraced the opportunity presented to him. After completing several TAFE courses Jarrad’s talents have resulted in success both locally and internationally. The pinnacle of this success was his gold medal in Website Design at the WorldSkills International Competition, Helsinki 2005.
Ash Nallwalla
Ash Nallawalla is a fractional SEO for hire and author of Accidental SEO Manager (Amazon). His background is mostly in in-house enterprise SEO roles, but has owned and managed SEO agencies and consultancies.
Pamela Meagher
Pamela, a Certified Practising Marketer, is an award-winning digital marketing strategist. She has delivered results for over 600 local and global products/services; gaining award recognition for content development, website strategy, and innovative digital solutions.
Pamela’s industry leadership includes mentoring for the Australian Marketing Institute and guest lecturing at Swinburne University. In addition, she has contributed as an SEO Meetup Organiser, Australian Marketing Institute Award Judge, and Australian Web Awards Judge.
Danny Liang
Danny is an award winning web designer and developer crafting impactful solutions for Australian enterprises, such as Western Sydney University, Optus, Mosman council, many local SMEs and tech startups. He is a passinate educator dedicated to fostering connections between academia and industry through mentoring and running graduate programs for university graduates.
Bob Croft
Bob has over 11 years of marketing experience in the APAC region and has worked with over 400 businesses across the APAC region and scale businesses of all sizes.
Bob helped all-size businesses solve their problems/pain points and grow revenue through technologies. He also has unique skill sets in BTL marketing/1:1 direct communication. He provides both strategic advice and executions.
He is also one of the judges and mentors for the Australian Marketing Institute – AMI. Besides, he is an author for Martech Zone in the US and India.
Matt Oxlade
Matt has a lengthy history with digital solutions and strategies, most notably with Brisbane City Council during their infancy with social media during times of natural disaster. As part of his role at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, Matt rolled out the first ever Commonwealth Games mobile messaging solution and was a key player in the award winning digital and social media team. Matt is dedicated to delivering systems and platforms that create efficiencies and high customer satisfaction, shown in his time at Urban Utilities where he delivered a platform that saved 1,000 hours annually for service crews and achieved a 98% satisfaction rating for residential users. Matt is now working at the LGAQ to improve the digital maturity for all Queensland councils using innovation digital solutions.
Sarah Jee Watson
I’m driven by the need to make digital experiences less frustrating and love to work with organisations who exist to help people, help the planet or challenge the status quo.
As a user advocate and interface designer, I deliver accessible, enjoyable digital experiences via inclusive design and considered user feedback, discovering the sweet spot where organisational wants and user needs collide, to ensure a positive ROI and enhanced user experience.
Ray Kwong
Ray Kwong, a seasoned Senior UX Designer with over a decade of industry expertise, has passionately explored the intersection of UX and Medical AI for the past five years. With a rich background in agencies and digital product development, Ray brings a keen eye for detail and a commitment to innovation.
Paula Glynn
For over a decade, Paula has helped businesses across Australia boost their bottom line with effective marketing campaigns and website strategies. While the web has changed dramatically over that time, the fundamentals of Paula’s approach has remained the same: matching her client’s objectives with the needs of an online audience.
Steve Jaenke
For over two decades, Steve Jaenke has been a distinguished figure in the SEO landscape, demonstrating exceptional proficiency and foresight in digital marketing. His deep insight and adeptness have consistently placed him at the vanguard of the field, where he has excelled in harnessing the potential of Google and digital strategies for SMEs. Renowned for his extensive knowledge and strategic acumen, Steve has been instrumental in elevating the online presence and success of numerous businesses, making a substantial and meaningful impact in the realm of SEO.
His expertise and commitment have earned him prestigious recognitions, including the International Award in Web Excellence and a national award in Marketing Excellence.
Jena Hackett
Coast Agency Owner & Creative Director, Jena Hackett sees a unique ability to strategically develop pathways toward growth and success – not just for our clients, but for Coast at large.
Jena brings her creative and genuine approach, mixed with diverse marketing communications and brand experience, to all aspects of agency life!
With an exciting career spanning up and down the East Coast of Australia, Jena sports an intricate eye for detail, with the unique ability to ‘think big’, always looking to go that extra mile to help Coast clients and employees grow for the better.
A connector at heart, Jena shows an authentic love for what our clients are doing and treats their brands as if they were her own.
John Rosato
For 12+ years John has been helping Australia’s most ambitious brands grow and scale through both organic and paid performance marketing. John is Soul+Wolf’s digital marketing manager and Co-Founder of Break Binge Eating. With over 10 years of digital marketing experience he’s passionate about driving measurable and radical growth for Soul+Wolf’s clients.
Michael Bollig
For over 15 years, Michael has helped organisations meet their customer and digital transformation goals. He is a Senior Manager at frog, part of Capgemini Invent, where he designs customer experiences for compelling organisations that outperform competitors. Michael applies his holistic approach to product and service design across retail, government, education, health and energy customers.
Currently obsessed with customer experience, product strategy, inclusive design and learning.
Tony Cormack
Combining passions for design, people and community Tony’s design journey has led to an international career over 27 years working on market leading projects across digital, identity, brand and publishing.
For the past 20 years Tony has embraced all things digital and brand with a wealth of experience in producing usable, exciting and engaging user centred brand experiences – including extensive experience working on e-commerce, tourism, not for profits, and loyalty projects.
“From my days initially designing computer games magazines to leading enterprise level digital experiences, my passion has always been for how the user engages, uses, plays and enjoys those designed experiences”
Doyle Buehler
Doyle Buehler is on a mission to help businesses go from Good to Great in the disruptive digital landscape. He believes that by honing our curiosity, creativity & strategic thinking, entrepreneurs can design & create certainty, clarity, and a better understanding of their business, creating remarkable value with immense impact and experiences built to last at www.strategystorming.co
James Carter
James is a multi-award-winning designer. He launched Cartercarter in 2009 with a simple goal – to put customers first. With 20 years of expertise in user interface design and customer experience, James has consistently helped businesses grow through customer-centric thinking and devilish design.
From start-ups to some of the biggest organisations in the world, James has enabled businesses to increase their brand footprint, retain their customers and re-imagine their opportunities.
He’s worked with the government and numerous companies across the private and public sectors.
Thomas Lutrov
Thomas Lutrov built this first website at the age of 10 years old, using a now retro version of Dreamweaver. His skills in the world of websites have been somewhat refined since then. He is passionate about helping website owners genuinely satisfy the intent of people using search engines, and takes a user-first approach to all things organic search.
Paras Aggarwal
With over two and half decades of experience in design, both as a practitioner and a leader, Paras has worked around the globe helping large corporations and start-ups in their design transformation journeys. In his recent roles with large enterprises in Australia, Paras has led design teams at Commonwealth Bank, ANZ Bank, Woolworths, Tabcorp, and Sonder – a medical and wellbeing start-up. Currently working with and advising early stage startups solving complex problems in ClimateTech, HealthTech, and EdTech through Generative AI.
Chris Burke
Chris Burke is a senior digital consultant with a wealth of experience finding innovative outcomes for clients across various sectors, including banking, retail, NFP, government, education, health and startups. Chris takes a holistic approach to digital product development, encompassing the areas of discovery, strategy, marketing, UX and accessibility.
Chris was a previous Australian Web Industry Association (AWIA) Board Director, and has been a judge in 7 Australian Web Awards (accessibility) and was the 2021 Web Awards Judging Chair.
James Fitzjohn
James is the director and executive consultant at Brew, a strategy consultancy that specialises in digital advisory, CX services and growth marketing for brands who are lost at sea.
James Hutton
As a highly experienced professional, I bring a unique blend of skills and expertise to my roles in business services, administration, web development, and customer service operations. With a proven track record of success, I am able to apply my extensive knowledge and experience to drive results and deliver exceptional customer experiences. Whether it is through streamlining business processes, developing innovative web solutions, or providing top-notch customer service, I am committed to achieving success and making a positive impact.
Andy Howard
Andy has designed and implemented digital innovations on a national scale and consults to private and public organisations Australia-wide. His work has helped organisations achieve outstanding commercial results and has been globally recognised for its effectiveness.
Sam Penny
Sam Penny is a Senior SEO Specialist who’s worked both agency side and in-house. He is currently the SEO Manager at Rest Super, an $85B superannuation fund.
Mark Gretton
With over 20+ years experience working in marketing & digital services, Mark is one of Australia’s leading agency figures. In his role at CHEP, he partners with some of the most recognised brands in the country to unlock new growth opportunities from their digital experiences including Samsung, Telstra, ANZ Bank, Mazda and many others. His team operates market leading Adobe, Salesforce, AWS, Google, Braze, Tealium, web development, AI, BI and MarTech practices. The agency has had significant success most notably winning awards such as Australian Effectiveness Agency of the year, Cannes Grand Prix for digital project Flipvertising and Digital Transformation Agency of the year.
Chris Clark
With over 25 years of experience, Chris currently serves as the Head of E-commerce at Milton & King, a global leader in wallpaper production spanning Australia, the United States, and Europe. His entrepreneurial spirit thrived as the owner of Thirteen Digital for 12 years, where he distinguished himself and his team by designing, developing, and producing award-winning websites, showcasing his prowess in both UI (User Interface) and UX (User Experience) design. Notable clients such as Elements of Byron, Queensland Government, Museum of Brisbane, and Fortitude Music Hall bear testament to his expertise in creating seamless and engaging digital experiences.
Chris’s impact extends beyond his entrepreneurial ventures. He was also the founder of Newlight Media from 2000 until its acquisition by Gallery Group/Clemenger DDB in 2010, further solidifying his influence in the digital design landscape.
Amy Sutton
Amy is the founder of Anthologie. A design and digital consultancy and certified B Corporation. Anthologie help purpose-led brands and businesses scale their impact. They specialise in the design of digital products and platform for people and organisations with complex needs.
David Constantine
David is a creative business builder and leader. Passionate about the power of creativity to move individuals and organisations.
Multi-award winning ECD, Former AGDA State President and AGDA National Board member. Long time educator, speaker, and mentor. Regular commentator and contributor to design media. Columnist for Habitus Magazine. Board Member, Art Gallery of Ballarat.
David Phung
David is a technology executive with 20 years of experience in product building as well as the co-founder of several software and fintech start-ups. He has worked on projects for Fidelity Investments, Australian Open, Elvis Presley Enterprises, US Golf Association, Sony Playstation and many more. David currently serves as the Chief Disruptor at GPTStrategic where he helps clients devise and execute strategies to deploy emerging technology like Generative AI.
Marjo Kaszonyi
Marjo is a Creative Director of brand experience and digital design with over 12 years of experience, leading teams and doing hands-on work for clients across industries, in projects that span from research to upstream concept design, and identity systems. Originally from Finland, Marjo’s career started in London, with projects across Europe until five years ago Sydney came calling.
Caleb Mcglew
Caleb McGlew is the Director of Concise Digital and ACME Media in Sydney, Australia. Renowned for his expertise in digital strategy, web design, and marketing, Caleb excels in driving innovation and digital transformation. His leadership has significantly advanced his firms and the digital industry, showcasing a commitment to excellence and a deep understanding of digital trends. McGlew’s work demonstrates a blend of strategic insight and practical application, making him a respected figure in the digital sector.
Philip Allen
Phil is a digital strategy expert and the co-owner of Dapth, a forward-thinking digital consultancy based in Perth, Western Australia. With over two decades of experience, he specialises in developing and implementing cutting-edge digital strategies that drive business growth. His expertise spans Digital Strategies, Content Strategies, Web Strategies, Intranet Strategies, and commercial application Strategies.
Jason Isaks
A multidisciplinary designer and technology leader for over 10 years. Founder of Murbu Design and current Head of Product at AmazingCo. I am passionate about customer centric digital products and using technology to address social and environmental issues.
Xiaotong
As a UI&UX at Dux Digital, Xiaotong designs and delivers engaging and user-friendly digital products for clients across various industries, such as W Hotel, Kings Park and Moodle. She collaborates with developers, marketers, and project managers to ensure that the design solutions meet the client’s needs and expectations, as well as the industry standards and best practices.
Christopher Harris
Christopher is the Founder and CEO of Welcome, and helps businesses achieve digital transformation and growth through brand, marketing, and AI solutions. Christopher has successfully delivered projects for clients across various industries, such as e-commerce, fintech, health, and education, leveraging data-driven insights, creative strategies, and cutting-edge tools.
He is also the Chairman of OPEN, a global digital and communications network, and a member and judge of the Webby Awards and the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences,
Scott Pelham
Scott is a seasoned UX/UI designer and researcher with 10+ years’ experience across the private and public sector. His company, Iterativ, specialises in UX design and, as part of his research PhD, Scott is collaborating with the Department of Fire and Emergency Services to develop an innovative internal tool to empower users and boost staff efficiencies.
Kerry Clarke-Potter
Kerry is a digital marketing strategist who is currently the Marketing Manager at Dux Digital. With experience guiding the SEO and content strategies of enterprise organisations, start ups and nonprofits, Kerry is particularly passionate about identifying ways that we can improve SEO visibility without compromising on user experience and accessibility.
Sophie Tobin-Webb
Sophie brings a wealth of expertise in building and leading customer-focused teams, rooted in my background in Service and Strategic Design. Her professional journey revolves around enhancing existing customer experiences, extending touchpoints through services and digital platforms, and successfully launching new initiatives.
Sophie’s passion lies in seamlessly blending service and digital products to create holistic customer experiences. She cares about building experiences that matter.
Dave Eddy
Dave is Managing Director at Redback Solutions. Founded in 1999, Redback is one of Australia’s longest-running digital agencies. They specialise in website design and development, digital marketing and content. From small-medium companies, to large institutions, universities, government, NGOs and Ecommerce brands, their team of 30 have experience producing results for a broad range of clients, receiving multiple national and international awards.
Jon Wearne
Design leader with over 15 years experience in the fintech space. Leading product design teams to build holistic experiences across Web and Native mobile. Driven my customer needs and finding product market fit for the business. Today I’m the Senior director of Product Design for BILL, having led Invoice2go as the Head of design into their acquisition.
Daniel Swanton
Daniel Swanton is the founder & director at emd:digital, a creative digital agency in Melbourne. Daniel’s multi-disciplinary skillset in digital over the past 10 years since founding emd:digital has seen him work with local & international brands in medical research and non-profit organisations including United Nations, Melbourne University, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Science Victoria, Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne Theranostic Innovation Centre, Endometriosis.org.au, The Commons, carsales.com.au and more.
Vikki Maver
Vikki Maver is the Founder and Strategic Director of Refresh Marketing (RM), Australia’s longest running copywriting agency. Based in Melbourne, RM writes marketing copy, develops brand voices and creates content strategies for a diverse client base.
A former lecturer for the Department of Marketing at Monash University, Vikki’s communication talent is not limited to the written word. As one of the country’s most sought after writing skills trainers, Vikki conducts presentations and workshops for many leading brands – including ANZ, Nine, Ralph Lauren, AMP Capital, ASIC and World Vision.
Dan Agostino
Since graduating from Curtin University’s School of Design in 1998, Daniel has worked for several of Perth’s leading advertising and design studios. He joined The Brand Agency in 2007 as a communication designer and senior art director. Over the years Daniel’s role has grown to lead The Brand Agency’s design department, actively managing the brands of some of Perth’s largest design accounts.
He is a regular guest lecturer at Curtin’s School of Design and has twice been nominated as a finalist in the PADC Diamond Skull Awards for ‘Designer of the Year’. Daniel has previously been a judge of the Australian Web Awards, the Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA) Awards, AWARD Awards, and the Good Design Awards amongst others. He has previously served on the national board of AGDA, the advisory panel for North Metropolitan TAFE’s design program, and is the current co-president of the Perth Advertising and Design Club.
Richard Smith
Richard is an accomplished design leader with over 15 years of leading cross-functional design teams. He has worked with notable brands such as Google, Commonwealth Bank, Qantas, Fairfax, American Express, NRMA and most recently Service NSW.
Richard has spent over a decade working in a mixture of design consultancies and experience agencies leading teams at M&C Saatchi, VML, CX Lavender and Folk where he has won over a dozen international awards.
He’s currently leading enterprise design at Service NSW.
Carmelo Rigoli
With over 18 years in the web industry, Carmelo isn’t just a Technical Lead. He’s a passionate creator of visually beautiful and easy-to-navigate websites. For him, it’s not just about making a site. It’s about ensuring everyone can use it, putting accessibility first.