Running Nominations Regularly 📆
Why Frequency Matters
Regular nominations help colleagues recognise and appreciate ongoing contributions rather than waiting for annual reviews.
Benefits of frequent nominations:
✅ Encourages continuous recognition culture
✅ Captures smaller milestones that might be forgotten
✅ Maintains team engagement throughout the year
✅ Provides regular touchpoints with your team
✅ Builds momentum for larger annual events
Recommended Frequency
Monthly nominations – Ideal for ongoing recognition of day-to-day excellence
Quarterly nominations – Perfect for recognising achievements over a longer period
Annual events – Best for celebrating major accomplishments and year-end awards
Best Practice: Combine regular nominations (monthly or quarterly) with an annual event. Don't rely solely on annual nominations, as this limits recognition opportunities throughout the year.
Empowering Teams Through Nominations 💪
Team-Level Nominations
Run nominations within specific teams and departments, not just company-wide.
Benefits:
✅ Increases participation rates
✅ Builds team culture and cohesion
✅ Makes recognition more relevant
✅ Encourages peer-to-peer appreciation
✅ Identifies team-specific excellence
Multi-Tier Nomination Strategy
Create a progression system for recognition:
Tier 1: Team Nominations Run nominations within individual teams (e.g., Sales, Marketing, Engineering).
Tier 2: Department Nominations Winners from team nominations enter a department-level nomination.
Tier 3: Company-Wide Finals Department winners compete in company-wide nominations.
Example workflow:
Monthly team nominations identify standout contributors
Quarterly department nominations feature team winners
Annual company awards showcase department winners
This approach creates multiple opportunities for recognition while building excitement toward larger events.
Ensuring Fair and Meaningful Judging ⚖️
Beyond Vote Counting
Traditional nomination systems often become popularity contests where the most votes automatically win. Mo enables more meaningful evaluation.
How Mo Supports Fair Judging
Written Explanations Colleagues explain why they're nominating someone, providing context and specific examples.
Values Alignment Nominators select which company value the nomination relates to, ensuring alignment with organisational priorities.
Quality Over Quantity Judges can evaluate both the number of nominations and the depth of submitted reasons.
Developing Judging Criteria
Create a framework to help shortlisters evaluate nominations consistently.
Sample criteria framework:
Impact (30%)
Scale of contribution
Measurable results
Lasting effect on team or organisation
Values Alignment (25%)
Demonstrates company values
Inspires others
Embodies cultural priorities
Quality of Submissions (25%)
Specificity of examples
Depth of explanations
Multiple perspectives
Consistency (20%)
Regular contributions
Sustained performance
Reliability
Best Practice: Share your judging criteria with nominators to help them write more meaningful submissions.
Shortlisting Process
Step 1: Initial Review Review all submissions and group by themes or patterns.
Step 2: Apply Criteria Score nominations against your established framework.
Step 3: Panel Discussion Discuss top candidates with fellow judges or collaborators.
Step 4: Final Selection Select winners based on balanced evaluation, not just vote counts.
Celebrating Nominees and Winners 🎉
Announcing Nominees
After the submission window closes, you can announce nominees before selecting winners.
What happens:
Nominees receive an email notification
They can view all submissions written about them
Recognition happens even before winners are selected
Why announce nominees:
✅ Everyone nominated receives recognition
✅ Colleagues see the positive feedback written about them
✅ Creates appreciation beyond just winning
✅ Builds anticipation for winner announcement
✅ Acknowledges all contributions
Best Practice: For some nominations, reading heartfelt colleague feedback is more valuable than winning. Announcing nominees ensures everyone feels appreciated.
Announcing Winners
Once winners are selected, announce them to all participants.
What happens:
All nominators receive notification of winners
Winners are publicly celebrated
Colleagues can comment and congratulate
Community celebration happens on the platform
Attaching Rewards to Winners
Before announcing winners, you can attach rewards to each winner.
Reward options:
Monetary rewards
Gift vouchers
Extra holiday days
Experience rewards
Physical prizes
Notification process:
Select winners in Mo
Attach rewards before announcement
Announce winners
Winners receive notification with reward details
Best Practice: Clearly communicate reward details when setting up nominations so participants understand what winners will receive.
Tips for Maximum Engagement
Communication Strategies
Before Launch:
Explain the purpose and criteria
Share previous winners' stories
Build anticipation
During Submission:
Share participation milestones
Highlight strong submission examples
Send personal reminders to non-participants
After Closing:
Thank all participants
Share submission statistics
Build excitement for announcement
Increasing Participation
Make it easy:
✅ Clear, simple criteria
✅ Mobile-friendly submission process
✅ Example nominations to guide colleagues
Make it meaningful:
✅ Connect to company values
✅ Share impact of previous recognition
✅ Show how feedback helps colleagues
Make it regular:
✅ Consistent schedule
✅ Predictable timing
✅ Build recognition habits
Building Recognition Culture
Start small: Begin with team-level nominations to build confidence and participation habits.
Celebrate frequently: Don't wait for perfect moments. Regular recognition is more impactful than occasional grand gestures.
Share stories: Publicise winning nominations (with permission) to inspire others and demonstrate what excellence looks like.
Involve everyone: Rotate judging responsibilities, encourage cross-team nominations, and ensure diverse representation in winners.