Examining Committees
The ARA is an independent not-for-profit organisation that is supported by volunteer professionals from all sectors of the community and by organisations concerned about the quality of reporting.
Each annual report submitted into the ARA Awards is generally reviewed by at least two members of an expert panel. Each step in the judging process is handled with enthusiasm and commitment by volunteer ARA Coordinators and Adjudicators Australia-wide.
Reports entered in the General Award assessed as meeting most of the ARA criteria are subjected to further review by the Awards Committee.
The ARA gratefully acknowledges the support of the many business people who contribute their time and expertise to this process.
Coordinators
ARA General Award Coordinators are selected from among experienced adjudicators to manage a specific Industry Sector. The Coordinator is responsible for allocating reports to Adjudicators, assessment of Adjudicator’s reports and for recommending Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards to the Awards Committee for review.
The Coordinators for the Special Awards are appointed for their expertise in the area of the Award.
The Awards Committee
The Awards Committee consists of all of the General Award Coordinators. It reviews all potential high-level Awards and submits recommendations for Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards, and winners of the Report of the Year Award and the Special Awards to the ARA Board for final approval. The Awards Committee also considers potential Coordinators and Adjudicators and recommends appointments to the ARA Board for approval.
Adjudicators
ARA General Award Adjudicators are invited from industry, government or not-for-profit sector backgrounds to join ARA by the Awards Committee. Their duties include reviewing annual reports against the published ARA Criteria. Adjudicators recommend either Nil, Bronze, Silver or Gold level Awards to the Coordinator responsible for their Division.
Adjudication panels for Special Awards are selected from the area of the Award.
Become an ARA Adjudicator
If you are passionate about annual reports or want to improve your ability to prepare a high-quality annual report that connects with readers, contact the ARA for further information.
Adjudicators are the essential line operators in the ARA awards process which is designed to raise the standard of annual reporting by bench marking annual reports against the ARA best practice criteria.
They work as members of expert panels under the guidance of an experienced Coordinator to mark and benchmark a small number of annual reports from organisations that operate in a sector in which they have a particular interest, knowledge or experience.
Benefits
The benefits of becoming an ARA adjudicator include:
Contributing significantly to improving the standard of annual reporting in Australia, New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific region.
Improved understanding of the relationships between strategic planning, plan implementation and operations, and reporting performance.
Gaining expert knowledge of the essentials for preparing a high-quality annual report.
Networking with professionals who are experienced in measuring organisational performance and communicating results via the annual report and other means.
Professional development learning and experience which may be used for professional accreditation purposes.
Scope
Entrants in the Australasian Reporting Awards represent all industry sectors and include listed companies, local, state and national government bodies and not for profit organisations including charities. See Guidelines for Selecting Industries for details.