Our judging panels meet periodically across the judging season, and with input from relief judges, a continuous interim list of nominations and commendations is maintained. This list is based on the majority support of the judges who attended the show.

Each category in every show is scored by the attending judges.  Where a category achieves a score of between 85-100 points, this equates to being on the interim nomination list.  Similarly, a score of between 75-84 equates to being on the interim commendation list.

At the end of the year, the top eight scores in each category become the nominations, with the highest being classified as the recipient of the respective award.

Any remaining nominees from the interim list move to commendations list and the same process occurs, with the highest eight scores being commended.

In the case of the Open panel, despite seeing up to 60 shows per year, only sixteen can be formally recognised.  The privilege of seeing such an amazing array of quality shows brings with it enormous challenges for the judges to score each section, with often only a very tiny margin separating the final scores.

As our membership base continues to grow and as the standard of productions continues to rise, Commendations are our way of providing official praise to those deserving acknowledgement but did not receive an official nomination.

Throughout the judging year, judges are encouraged to make suggestions on musical numbers from shows that they feel particularly highlight a notable creative or production element, a performer, the cast or the show itself.

After agreement in the judging panel, the item is added to a shortlist of possible performances for the Bruce Awards.

Shortlisting allows for the Bruce Awards creative team to choose from a wide pool of numbers in order to create a balanced awards night program containing a variety of performances (i.e. solo, ensemble, ballads etc) and also try to feature as many performers and shows that have nominations and commendations.

In this way, shortlisting also gives an equal opportunity to shows whether performed in November (at the commencement of the new judging season) or in October (at the end) as there is technically no limit on the number of performances that can be shortlisted.

The panel tries to send the invitations to join the performance shortlist as contemporaneously as possible and once a company confirms they are happy to accept the invitation, information about the process is shared.

As soon as possible after the conclusion of the awards season, the production team makes their final selections and companies are notified accordingly. This year, companies will be notified by the nomination announcement date.

From there, companies making the final list of performance are provided with detailed information regarding the awards night including awards day rehearsal requirements