As with previous years, our awards focus on the overall impact the innovation will have on the sector, audience or consumer.

The very best entries will show how the innovation achieved or exceeded its objectives and goals, and also how it added value for themselves and their customers. An indication of the very best innovations may also be the speed at which they are adopted or copied by the rest of the market!

We define innovation as Momentum (taking an existing product or service and improving it) and/or Disruption (a step change in a product or service or developing an entirely new category or approach). This year we have separated the product development category into two distinct awards: Best Innovation to an Existing Product or Service and Most Innovative New Product or Service .

This will enable innovations to existing products to compete on level grounding with similar activities, and innovative new products to be judged amongst equivalent data and evidence. We do however continue to welcome a combination of both Momentum and Disruption in all other categories listed.

It is worth noting that the judges recognise that the life cycle of disruptive innovations can be rather different from more conventional marketing and product initiatives. It can take longer to achieve cumulative profitability, because of the level of investment required and the time it may take to fully engage a critical mass of customers with the new concepts.

It can also be perfectly clear from a much earlier stage that the idea (rather than, in some cases, its execution) is a winner.

Also, it sometimes happens that it is the second- or third-mover that delivers the lasting success with a major innovation, but in those circumstances we still believe it is right to recognise the vision and commercial courage of the originator.

Because of these factors, we are prepared to accept entries at a much earlier stage of development, provided that cogent answers can be given to all the judging questions.