Judging for the AWARD Awards is postponed, despite plans to go ahead online
Judging for the 2020 Australasian Writers and Art Directors (AWARD) Awards has been postponed to enable judges to focus on their personal and business needs over the next few weeks.
The gala dinner for the AWARD Awards was cancelled last week, with the rest of the AWARD Creative Festival postponed. Virtual judging was set to go ahead with the announcement of the winners to take place online on the date of the Gala dinner, 27 March.
Judging was initially set to go ahead via online platforms
AWARD chair, Cam Blackley, said the judges were better served focusing on themselves in light of the ‘rapid deterioration’ of the COVID-19 crisis.
“We believe this is the right thing to do given the rapid deterioration in the COVID-19 crisis,” said Blackley.
“Our judges are better served if they can attend to their own personal circumstances rather than commit to the voluntary time needed to judge AWARD Awards. Now is the time to focus on more important issues like family. In short, AWARD will have to wait.”
Technology was put in place to enable the judging process to be completed online. AWARD is planning on resuming the judging process once “it feels right to do so which”. The organisation is hoping this to be at the end of May.
Blackley thanked all of the judgements for their commitment to the awards thus far.
“This work will not be wasted and we’re looking forward to them resuming their judging roles when we’re given the all-clear,” he said.
“We’ll continue to monitor the situation and at the appropriate time will make a decision about when AWARD Awards judging can be rescheduled, along with the AWARD 40th and the Creative Festival.”
AWARD School will go ahead as planned with the first lecture being posted on the AWARD School Facebook Workplace platform last night. The first online tutorial is scheduled for Thursday.
