NB. These are the ‘How to Enter’ details for the 2018 Awards, which are now closed for entry. They will be updated for the 2019 Awards in December 2018.
First …
1/ Read and fully understand the Rules and the FAQs.
2/ Consider the Categories you wish to enter, and check that the products you would like to enter meet our Criteria.
3/ If you are on our mailing list, you should already have received two entry forms. If not, please email Alex to request them.
4/ Purchase the appropriate number of entries at our Online Shop, which opens on 1st February 2018. Fees are £150 + VAT per product, or £95 + VAT per product for companies with fewer than three people working in your business in total, including owner(s). There is a discount of 10% if you enter by February 25th 2018. Final entry deadline is 18th March 2018. Once you have paid, you will be sent an order confirmation and invoice number.
5/ Complete the Company Entrant Form, including the invoice number from 4/ on the Form.
6/ Complete Product Entry Form(s) for the products you are entering. Complete one form for each product in each category.
7/ Submit all Forms as Word documents in one email to awards@skinsmatter.com within 48 hours of having made payment.
8/ Then, wait for us to respond. Do not send samples yet. If you don’t hear from us within a week, contact us.
What next?
1/ When we accept your entries we will give you instructions for sending us samples — six full-size samples of each product entered in each category will be required, which must be received within a week from our request.
2/ We will send you an Entrant Logo which you will be free to use on social media to highlight your participation in the Awards.
3/ We will ‘welcome’ you on social media channels. (Our hashtag is #FFSA18.)
4/ Once received, your product samples will be sent out to experienced testers to begin the judging process in earnest. To learn more about judging, click here.
Then what?
1/ Once all products from all entrants have been tested by four testers for one month, all their feedback and scores will be collated and a Shortlist compiled.
2/ Shortlisted products are presented to independent round-table panels of judges consisting of cosmetic formulators, beauty writers, skincare experts, allergy bloggers, ‘free from’ experts and other cosmetics consumers for further assessment, in early June, during which all winners and runners-up are decided.
3/ The Shortlist will be announced in early June, and shared widely on social media. We will write to all successful and unsuccessful entrants, and send a Shortlisted Logo to all shortlisted brands. Entrants who do not hear from us by mid-June, must contact us directly.
4/ Winners are announced at a special event at the Pillar Room, Olympia, on 5th July 2018, to which all entrants will receive one invite, with the opportunity to buy extra tickets for guests or additional staff members. Winners will receive certificates and the Overall Winner will receive the trophy for best Free From Skincare Product 2018. Winners are not notified of their win ahead of the event.
And after the Awards?
1/ We will send out Winners Logos to all winning brands.
2/ We will issue press releases about the Awards / the winners, and encourage all winners to participate in publicity regarding their win. (For previous press coverage, see here.)
3/ We will share news and winners on all our social media channels.
4/ Testers’ / judges’ feedback on products will be available on request in the weeks after the award.