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Nomination Admin Guide: Selecting and Announcing Winners

This guide covers the complete process for evaluating submissions, selecting winners, attaching rewards, and announcing results.

Tahera Barok McArthur avatar
Written by Tahera Barok McArthur
Updated this week

You need either Nominations Manager or Nominations Admin permissions to select and announce winners.

Before You Begin

Recommended Process Order

  1. Close nominations (submissions period ends)

  2. Review all submissions

  3. Announce nominees (optional but recommended)

  4. Shortlist potential winners (this guide)

  5. Select final winners (this guide)

  6. Attach rewards if applicable (this guide)

  7. Announce winners (this guide)

Why announce nominees first:

  • ✅ Provides recognition to everyone nominated

  • ✅ Allows time for thorough judging

  • ✅ Creates anticipation for winner announcement

  • ✅ Separates recognition from competition

For guidance on announcing nominees, see: Announcing Nominations


Understanding the Winner Selection Process

Three Stages of Selection

Stage 1: Shortlisting (Optional) Narrow down nominees to top candidates for detailed evaluation.

Stage 2: Winner Selection Choose final winners from shortlist or full nominee pool.

Stage 3: Winner Announcement Notify all participants and celebrate winners publicly.

When to Use Shortlisting

Use shortlisting when:

  • ✅ You have many nominees (20+)

  • ✅ Multiple people are involved in judging

  • ✅ Selection will happen across multiple sessions

  • ✅ You want to mark candidates for detailed review

  • ✅ You need a preliminary filtering stage

Skip shortlisting when:

  • Small nominee pool (under 10)

  • Single decision-maker

  • Clear winners based on initial review

  • Simple judging criteria


Stage 1: Shortlisting Candidates

Accessing the Results Page

  1. Click Nominations in the sidebar

  2. Click Manage in the top right

  3. Find your closed nomination

  4. Click View results

You'll see the complete list of nominees with their submission counts.

How to Shortlist Nominees

For each candidate you want to shortlist:

  1. Locate the nominee in the list

  2. Review their submissions (click the down arrow to expand)

  3. Click the Shortlist button below their name

  4. The nominee is now marked as shortlisted

Repeat for all candidates you want to consider for winner selection.

Viewing Shortlisted Nominees

To see only shortlisted candidates:

  1. Locate the filter options on the results page

  2. Select Filter by: Shortlisted

  3. Only shortlisted nominees appear

This focused view helps during final deliberations.

Collaborative Shortlisting

When working with multiple judges:

Best practices:

  • ✅ Agree on shortlisting criteria beforehand

  • ✅ Have each judge independently shortlist

  • ✅ Meet to discuss shortlisted candidates

  • ✅ Use shortlist as starting point for winner selection

Process example:

  1. Each judge shortlists their top 10 candidates

  2. Nominees shortlisted by multiple judges automatically advance

  3. Discuss borderline cases as a group

  4. Create final shortlist for winner selection

Removing from Shortlist

If you need to remove someone from the shortlist:

  1. Find the shortlisted nominee

  2. Click the Shortlist button again to toggle off

  3. They're removed from the shortlist

Shortlisting Tips

For large nominee pools (50+):

  • Use filters to review by department or team first

  • Shortlist top 3-5 from each group

  • Review shortlist collectively

  • Narrow to final winners

For collaborative judging:

  • Set shortlist quota per judge (e.g., maximum 10)

  • Document shortlisting criteria

  • Share reasoning for selections

  • Build consensus on final list

For multi-category events:

  • Shortlist separately for each category

  • Maintain consistent standards across categories

  • Consider cross-category winners

  • Balance recognition across departments

Stage 2: Selecting Winners

When to Select Winners

Select winners after:

  • ✅ All submissions thoroughly reviewed

  • ✅ Judging criteria applied

  • ✅ Collaborative discussions completed (if applicable)

  • ✅ Shortlist finalised (if using shortlisting)

  • ✅ Reward budget confirmed (if applicable)

How to Select Winners

For each winner:

  1. Locate the nominee on the results page (use shortlist filter if applicable)

  2. Review their submissions one final time

  3. Click Select as winner below their name

  4. The nominee is now marked as a winner

Repeat for all winners in this nomination.

Viewing Selected Winners

To see all selected winners:

  1. Click the Winners tab at the top of the results page

  2. All selected winners appear in this view

  3. Review the complete winner list before announcing

What you'll see on the Winners tab:

  • Winner names

  • Number of nominations received

  • Option to attach rewards

  • Option to remove from winners (if needed)

Selecting Multiple Winners

You can select multiple winners for a single nomination:

When to select multiple winners:

  • ✅ Team categories with joint winners

  • ✅ Tied candidates with equal merit

  • ✅ Multiple category awards within one nomination

  • ✅ Recognition across different teams

Best practice: Communicate clearly in your announcement if there are multiple winners and why.

Removing a Winner Selection

If you need to deselect someone as a winner:

  1. Go to the Winners tab

  2. Find the winner you want to remove

  3. Click the remove/deselect option

  4. They return to the nominee pool

Important: Do this before announcing winners. You cannot easily reverse winner announcements.

Winner Selection Criteria

Apply consistent judging criteria across all nominees:

Quantitative factors:

  • Number of nominations received

  • Consistency of positive feedback

  • Breadth of nominators (across teams)

Qualitative factors:

  • Depth and specificity of submissions

  • Alignment with company values

  • Impact described in nominations

  • Meaningful examples provided

Balanced evaluation: Consider both the quantity (number of nominations) and quality (content of submissions) when selecting winners.

Stage 3: Attaching Rewards to Winners

Understanding Reward Attachment

Rewards are attached before announcing winners and automatically issued when winners are announced.

Who Can Attach Rewards

You can attach rewards if you are:

  • A Nominations Manager or Admin AND

  • A Reward Giver assigned to a spending pot in Mo

If you cannot see reward options, verify your Reward Giver permissions.

How to Attach Rewards

For each winner on the Winners tab:

  1. Locate the winner in the list

  2. Click Attach a Reward below their name

  3. Complete the New Reward form:

    • Reward type (monetary, voucher, experience, etc.)

    • Reward amount

    • Reward message

    • Spending pot to use

  4. Click Save

  5. Return to the Winners tab

The reward now appears attached to that winner.

Reward Form Details

Reward type: Choose from available reward types in your Mo configuration:

  • Monetary rewards

  • Gift vouchers

  • Experiences

  • Physical rewards

  • Time off

Reward amount: Enter the value within your spending pot limits.

Reward message: Add a personalised message explaining the reward (appears in winner notification):

Example: "Congratulations on winning Employee of the Quarter! This reward recognises your outstanding customer service and dedication to our team values."

Spending pot: Select which budget to allocate this reward from (you'll see only pots you have access to).

Attaching Different Rewards to Different Winners

For nominations with multiple winners, you can attach different rewards:

Example scenario:

  • 1st place winner: £200 voucher

  • 2nd place winner: £100 voucher

  • 3rd place winner: £50 voucher

Attach rewards individually to each winner before announcing.

When Rewards Are Issued

Critical timing:

  • Rewards are NOT issued when attached

  • Rewards are automatically issued when you announce winners

  • Winners receive reward notification when winners are announced

Best practice: Attach all rewards to all winners before clicking "Announce winners" to ensure everyone receives their rewards simultaneously.

Editing or Removing Rewards

Before announcing winners, you can modify attached rewards:

  1. Go to the Winners tab

  2. Locate the winner with the reward

  3. Click to edit or remove the reward

  4. Make changes as needed

  5. Save

After announcing winners: Contact Mo support if you need to modify issued rewards.

Reward Budget Considerations

Before attaching rewards:

Check your budget:

  • ✅ Verify spending pot balance

  • ✅ Confirm you have sufficient budget for all winners

  • ✅ Consider future nominations this period

  • ✅ Align with company reward policies

Plan reward allocation:

  • Decide on reward amounts before selecting winners

  • Ensure consistency with previous nominations

  • Document reward rationale for transparency

  • Get approval for large rewards if required

Nominations Without Rewards

Not all nominations require rewards. You can:

  • Select and announce winners without attaching rewards

  • Provide recognition without monetary awards

  • Use nominations for non-tangible acknowledgement

Skip the reward attachment step if not applicable to your nomination.

Stage 4: Announcing Winners

Pre-Announcement Checklist

Before announcing, verify:

  • ✅ All winners selected and reviewed

  • ✅ Rewards attached to all winners (if applicable)

  • ✅ Announcement message prepared

  • ✅ Timing appropriate (avoid Fridays/holidays)

  • ✅ Stakeholders informed (HR, leadership)

How to Announce Winners

  1. Go to the Winners tab

  2. Review all winners and attached rewards one final time

  3. Click Announce winners in the top right

  4. A message box appears

  5. Add your announcement message (optional)

  6. Click Send

Winners and all participants are now notified.

Crafting Your Announcement Message

The announcement message appears in notifications to all participants.

Message components

Congratulations: Celebrate the winners directly.

Context: Explain what this award represents.

Recognition details: Mention reward if applicable (but keep details in separate notification).

Call to action: Invite colleagues to view and celebrate.

Example announcement message:

"Congratulations to our Q4 Star Performers! These colleagues have demonstrated exceptional dedication, innovation, and teamwork. Visit the Nominations page to see the winners and join us in celebrating their achievements. Thank you to everyone who participated and nominated their brilliant colleagues!"

Message best practices:

  • Keep to 3-4 sentences

  • Positive and celebratory tone

  • Thank all participants

  • Include clear next step

  • Professional but warm


What Happens When Winners Are Announced

Winner notifications:

  • Winners receive email notification

  • Notification includes reward details (if applicable)

  • Winners can view their nominations and celebration

Participant notifications:

  • All nominators receive email notification

  • They learn who won

  • They can visit Mo to see results and celebrate

Reward issuance:

  • All attached rewards automatically issued

  • Winners receive reward notification

  • Rewards appear in winners' Mo accounts

Public celebration:

  • Winner announcement appears on Announcements page

  • Colleagues can comment and congratulate

  • Recognition is visible across the organisation

Viewing the Announcement

After announcing:

  1. Go to the Announcements page in Mo

  2. View your winner announcement

  3. See colleague reactions and comments

  4. Monitor engagement

Direct link: Navigate to Nominations > Announcements in the sidebar

After Announcing Winners

Immediate Next Steps

Within 24 hours:

  • Monitor for winner and participant questions

  • Respond to comments on announcement

  • Verify all rewards issued correctly

  • Thank participants personally if appropriate

Within 1 week:

  • Gather feedback on nomination process

  • Document lessons learned

  • Review metrics and engagement

  • Plan next nomination cycle

Enabling Celebration

Encourage colleagues to:

  • ✅ Comment on winner announcement

  • ✅ Congratulate winners in-person

  • ✅ Share what made nominations meaningful

  • ✅ Participate in future nominations

Create celebration moments:

  • Announce winners in team meetings

  • Feature winners in company communications

  • Share winner stories on internal channels

  • Organise winner recognition event


Winner Follow-Up

For winners:

  • Send personal congratulations from leadership

  • Ensure reward redemption instructions are clear

  • Invite feedback on their experience

  • Consider featuring their story

For nominees (non-winners):

  • Acknowledge their nomination publicly (if not already done)

  • Encourage them to read their submissions

  • Thank them for their contributions

  • Remind them recognition isn't just about winning

Managing Expectations

If results surprise participants:

  • Be prepared to explain judging process

  • Emphasise both quantity and quality of submissions

  • Highlight winner selection criteria

  • Maintain transparency while respecting privacy

Handling questions:

  • Respond professionally to all feedback

  • Explain process without being defensive

  • Note suggestions for future improvements

  • Maintain confidentiality of judging discussions


Next Steps After This Nomination

Planning Future Nominations

Review performance:

  • What worked well?

  • What could be improved?

  • How was participation?

  • Were judging criteria effective?

Make adjustments:

  • Refine criteria based on learnings

  • Adjust timeline if needed

  • Modify categories if appropriate

  • Enhance communication approach

Schedule next cycle:

  • Maintain regular cadence

  • Plan ahead for resources

  • Coordinate with company calendar

  • Build anticipation


Building Recognition Culture

Sustain momentum:

  • Regular nomination schedule

  • Consistent communication

  • Ongoing celebration of winners

  • Continuous improvement

Expand programme:

  • Add new categories

  • Involve more teams

  • Increase participation

  • Enhance rewards


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