FAQ
How do you get nominated and why wasn’t I on The Disability Power 100 list?
The nomination process is free and open to all. We open nominations for at least six weeks and share details of how to nominate across our social channels and networks. We would encourage anyone who believes they know a disabled person who is creating change, is influential and delivers impact to submit a nomination, or if you are that person, by self-nominating.
It is important to give as much information as possible when you make the nomination as only this information is given to the judges to consider. We remove the names of the nominees to ensure maximum impartiality.
Where a nominee receives multiple nominations the most impactful entry is shared with the judges, with the additional entries appended, enabling judges to see all entries. No weighting is given to the number of entries per person or organisation within the judging process.
Each nomination is judged by our independent panel, who all have personal experience of disability, to produce the final Disability Power 2023, and the judges’ decision is final.
When can I nominate for next year?
We’re taking a bit of time now the event has taken place to do an Impact Report for the event, we want to make sure we are delivering the best campaign for and with the disability community. After we have evaluated the best way forward we will announce when nominations will open.
Who are the judges and how do you become a judge?
This year we had a panel of 22 judges. Our judges have personal experience of disability and the majority have been recognised as Disability Power 100 finalists previously. Details of the 2023 judges can be found here.
Each year a third of our panel change, and we have a new chair each year. 2023’s panel was chaired by Andrew Miller MBE, a BAFTA trustee and highly respected disabled advocate. Dr Shani Dhanda, our 2023 No. 1, will chair the next judging panel.
What are the judges looking for?
Impact – How impactful this person or organisation has been in affecting change over the last 12-18 months.
Influence – How much positive influence this person or organisation has had on their category field/sector over the last 12-18 months.
Innovation – How innovative is this person or organisation’s approach as a disability changemaker.
There are three stages to the judging.
Stage 1 Individual scoring – Each judge scores each individual or organisation based on the nomination entry.
Stage 2 Category shortlisting – Judges collectively agree individual category finalists.
Stage 3 Category winners and Top 10 – The full panel of judges convene with the Chair to agree the top three in each category, the top ten rankings and the overall No. 1.
In addition, each of our 22 judges was able to nominate an individual for recognition. Each judge advocated for their candidate and the full panel voted and ranked these nominees for the judges’ choice category. These are in addition to the final 100.
Did the sponsors select the finalists in their categories?
Neither the sponsors nor Shaw Trust had any influence or involvement in the selection or ranking of finalists. Our judges, led by Andrew Miller MBE, are independent and completed the judging and ranking between April and June 2023.
Why are there only ten finalists in each category?
We are keen to recognise disabled people working in all sectors and fields, in 2023 we have ten finalists from each publicly nominated category open to individuals as part of our top 100. In addition we have finalists in our two categories open to organisations.
Why are there fewer finalists in the organisation and rising star categories?
We are keen to recognise disabled people working in all sectors and fields for their individual impact. However, we know that sometimes impact is delivered by a whole team, so this year we introduced two categories for organisations. However, our key focus is on our 100 individuals who make up the Disability Power 100, therefore we only recognise organisations, teams, rising stars and judges’ choice winners achieving excellence in their fields.
How can I support the Disability Power 100 work further?
We are currently planning ways we can keep the momentum going and have had several requests to make the Disability Power 100 more co-produced and regional. We are looking for regional leads to run local networking groups. We believe that collaboration is power, and that by working together we can amplify our voices. We would be delighted to work with you, and others to develop how regional groups could be introduced.
We also want to improve the diversity of voices on national and local media, therefore if you are interested in becoming part of our network of people we actively promote when contacted by news media please contact Powerlist@shaw-trust.org.uk letting us know your area of specialist interest and your region, as where you are based is one of the key factors for gaining coverage.
Will you have another face-to-face event next year?
We’re taking a bit of time now the event has taken place to evaluate feedback from finalists and those that attended the event, this will feed into our Impact Report for the event. Before any decisions are made we want to ensure we are delivering the best campaign for and with the disability community. After we have evaluated the best way forward we will announce our plans for 2024.
Will you host the event outside of London
London was selected because it is one of the world’s most accessible cities and can meet our transport and venue requirements. However, we are considering how we can deliver more of our work regionally. We are looking for regional leads to run local Disability Power 100 networking groups. We believe that collaboration is power, and that by working together we can amplify our voices. We would be delighted to work with you, and others to develop how regional groups could be introduced.
Any recommendations for accessible regional venues suggested will be investigated, so we can look at how we can feasibly host the Disability Power 100 event outside of London.