Help
Nominations, voting,
winners and how it works
Find answers to common questions about My Local Awards, including how voting works, how winners are chosen, vote verification and more.
You've been nominated
Review and accept
your nomination
Receiving a nomination email means that your business has been put forward for recognition in the My Local Awards. However, your nomination is not automatically confirmed.
Use the button or link in your nomination email to open your nomination page. You will be able to review the details, check the award category and confirm whether you would like to take part.
Once you accept your nomination, your business will be entered into the upcoming public vote and you will be given your own unique voting page.
Voting may not be open immediately. Your voting page will show a countdown to the official opening date, giving you time to save the link and prepare your promotional materials.
- Does clicking the link in my email confirm my nomination?
No. Clicking the button or link only takes you to your nomination page.
You must review the nomination details and select the option to accept your nomination before your place in the awards is confirmed.
- Do I have to accept the nomination?
No. Taking part is completely optional.
The nomination will only become active if you choose to accept it. If you do not wish to take part, you can decline the nomination from the nomination page.
- What happens after I accept?
Once you accept, your business will be entered into the relevant award category and you will be shown your unique voting page.
We will also send you a confirmation email containing your voting link and further information about the next stages of the awards.
- Why is there a countdown on my voting page?
You may receive and accept your nomination before public voting officially opens.
The countdown shows exactly when voting will begin. You can save or bookmark your voting page in advance, but votes cannot be submitted until the countdown reaches zero.
- Will my voting link change?
Your unique voting link should remain the same throughout the voting period.
We recommend bookmarking the page and keeping the confirmation email somewhere safe so you can easily find and share the link once voting opens.
- How do I promote my nomination?
After accepting, you will receive access to our Promotion Studio.
The Promotion Studio allows you to generate personalised promotional materials featuring your business and award category. These may include:
- Social media posts
- Story-sized graphics
- Digital promotional images
- Printable posters for your premises
You can download and share these materials online, display them in your shop or premises, or send them directly to customers and supporters.
- Can I share my voting link before voting opens?
Yes. You can share your voting page before voting opens, but nobody will be able to submit a vote until the official opening date.
The page will display a countdown so visitors can see when voting begins. You may prefer to use this time to prepare your posts and promotional materials, ready for launch day.
- I accepted my nomination but have not received the confirmation email
Please allow a few minutes for the email to arrive and check your spam, junk or promotions folders.
Make sure you are checking the same email address that received the original nomination. If the email still has not arrived, you can contact the My Local Awards team for assistance.
Voting is open
Share your voting page
with your supporters
Voting normally opens at 12:01 a.m. on the advertised opening date. The exact opening and closing dates will be included in your emails and displayed on your voting page.
Once voting is live, customers, clients, patrons and other supporters can cast their vote using the unique voting page you received after accepting your nomination.
We use mobile verification to help keep the awards fair and reduce duplicate or invalid voting. A verified mobile number can be used to vote for different nominated businesses, but it cannot be used to vote more than once for the same business.
Every vote is checked before the final results are calculated. Invalid, incomplete or duplicate votes may be removed during this process.
- Where does voting take place?
All voting takes place through your unique My Local Awards voting page.
You should have received this link after accepting your nomination. We recommend saving or bookmarking it so that you can easily share it throughout the voting period.
Votes sent by email, social media message, telephone or any other method will not be counted.
- What time does voting open?
Voting normally opens at 12:01 a.m. on the advertised opening date.
The confirmed opening date will be included in your nomination and confirmation emails. It will also be shown on your voting page.
Before voting opens, the page will display a countdown showing when submissions will become available.
- How does somebody vote for my business?
A supporter should open your unique voting link and complete the voting form.
They will be asked to enter their name, email address and mobile phone number. We will then send a one-time passcode to the mobile number they provided.
The voter must enter this code on the website to verify their number and complete the submission. A vote is not fully submitted until the verification process has been completed.
- Why do voters need to provide a phone number?
We use mobile phone verification to help prevent duplicate and fraudulent voting.
Sending a one-time passcode allows us to confirm that the mobile number exists and that the person submitting the vote has access to it.
This helps us protect the integrity of the voting process and ensures that each verified number can only vote once for the same business.
- What is a one-time passcode?
A one-time passcode, or OTP, is a temporary verification code sent to the voter by text message.
The voter must enter this code on the voting page to verify their mobile number and complete their vote.
The code is only used for the verification process and will expire if it is not entered within the required period.
- Can someone vote for more than one business?
Yes. A voter can support multiple nominated businesses using the same verified mobile number.
For example, they could vote for a local restaurant, hair salon and independent retailer. However, they cannot use the same mobile number to vote twice for the same business.
- Can somebody vote for my business more than once?
No. Each verified mobile phone number can only submit one vote for the same nominated business.
Attempts to submit duplicate votes using the same number will not result in additional valid votes.
- When does voting close?
The closing date and time will be communicated in your emails and displayed on your voting page.
A countdown will remain visible throughout the voting period, showing how much time is left before submissions close.
Votes cannot be submitted once the countdown has ended and the voting period has officially closed.
Voting has closed
Results, notifications
and registration
Once voting closes, all submitted votes are checked and verified before the final results are confirmed.
This process allows us to remove duplicate, incomplete, unverified or otherwise invalid submissions and ensures that only valid votes are included in the final count.
When the results have been finalised, winning businesses will be contacted directly by email. The email will confirm the award they have won and provide a link to complete the official Winner Registration Form.
Winning is not dependent on purchasing anything. Winners may be offered optional promotional packages after completing their registration, but no payment is ever required to receive or retain an award.
- Are the results calculated immediately when voting closes?
No. When voting closes, all submitted votes must first be reviewed and verified.
We check the voting data for duplicate, incomplete, invalid or suspicious submissions before calculating the final results. This means the business showing the most activity during voting is not automatically confirmed as the winner when the countdown ends.
The final results are based only on votes that pass our verification checks.
- How are votes checked?
We review submissions to confirm that they comply with the voting rules and have completed the required verification process.
This may include checking for:
- Duplicate votes for the same business
- Unverified mobile numbers
- Incomplete voting submissions
- Invalid contact details
- Unusual or suspicious voting activity
- Attempts to manipulate or misuse the voting system
Votes that do not meet the required standards may be removed before the results are finalised.
- When will I find out whether I have won?
Winning businesses will be contacted by email once voting has closed and the submitted votes have been checked and verified.
The exact timing may vary depending on the number of votes received and the time required to complete the verification process.
Please continue to monitor the email address used for your nomination and check your spam, junk and promotions folders.
- How will winners be contacted?
Winners are notified directly by email.
The email will confirm the award category and include a link to complete the official Winner Registration Form.
We recommend checking that any message you receive comes from an official My Local Awards email address before submitting information.
- What is the Winner Registration Form?
The Winner Registration Form collects the details we need to officially register and publish your win.
You may be asked to provide or confirm information such as:
- Your business name
- Your award category
- Your contact details
- Your website and social media pages
- Your business address
- A logo or business image
- Information about your business
The information provided may be used to complete your profile on our winners page and add your business to the official winners list.
- Do I need to complete the Winner Registration Form?
Yes. Winners should complete the form so that we can confirm their information and include them correctly within the official results.
Failing to complete the form may delay your business being added to the winners page or included in future winner announcements.
- Will businesses that did not win be contacted?
Yes. Businesses that have not won will also receive an email confirming the outcome.
These emails are normally sent a few days after voting closes and after the winning businesses have been contacted.
- Can I ask how many votes my business received?
We do not publish or disclose individual vote totals. This applies to both winning and non-winning businesses.
The purpose of the awards is to recognise and celebrate local businesses, their customers and the communities they serve.
Publishing individual totals can create unnecessary comparisons, disputes or tension between businesses, particularly when nominees operate within the same local area or industry.
Keeping the totals private allows the focus to remain on the achievement and the positive recognition received by the winner.
- Do I have to pay to win an award?
No. You will never be asked to make a payment to win, secure or retain your award.
The result is determined before any optional packages or promotional opportunities are presented.
Purchasing a package does not influence the voting process or the final result.
- Are winner packages compulsory?
No. All winner packages are completely optional.
You can be officially recognised as a winner and included within the results without purchasing a package.
- Will declining a package affect my award?
No. Declining an optional package will not change or remove your result.
Your business will remain a winner regardless of whether you choose to purchase any additional products, advertising or promotional services.
- Is the official winners listing free?
Winning businesses can be included within the official results and winners list without being required to purchase an optional package.
Any additional paid opportunities will be clearly identified as optional.
About the awards
How it is run,
and how it is funded
The questions people ask when they are deciding whether to trust the whole thing. They are answered here in full rather than tucked away, because they are the ones that matter most.
- Can businesses pay to win?
No. Businesses cannot pay to influence award outcomes.
- Do I have to buy a winners package?
No. Winners packages are optional.
- How are winners chosen?
Winners are selected using verified public voting data gathered during the voting period.
- Are votes verified?
Votes are verified by SMS and then recorded. This verification check ensures multiple users cannot vote multiple times for the same business. Additional verification checks are also in place to prevent spam or unusual activity.
- Why don’t you publish vote counts?
We do not publicly disclose individual vote totals or margins to avoid unnecessary comparisons between businesses, although votes are still verified internally, and winners are selected from verified voting data.
- Is there a judging panel?
No. My Local Awards is not a judge-scored programme. It is based on public voting with verification checks.
- Is My Local Awards legitimate?
Yes, My Local Awards is a public-vote-based awards programme where winners are selected using verified public voting data. Businesses cannot pay to win, and participation is free.
- Is My Local Awards a scam?
No, My Local Awards operates as a public voting awards programme with optional post-result packages. Payment does not determine winners, and businesses are not required to purchase anything to be recognised.
- Is My Local Awards a vanity awards programme?
The term “vanity awards” is commonly associated with programmes where recognition appears linked to payment. My Local Awards differs because entry is free, winners are determined by verified public voting, and optional packages are separate from the result.
Still stuck