In the first of two articles, we speak to judges from the Wave Awards 2022 to discover their top tips for entering the 2023 event.

The Sun travel sales director Cheryl Lowe

What made you sign up to be a judge?
I’ve worked with the cruise industry for a long time. I am passionate about the sector and I cruise for leisure, as well as work, so I was honoured to be asked.

Can you tell us about the judging, and specifically how rigorous the process is?
I underestimated how rigorous the process was. As expected from a very enthusiastic and hugely innovative industry, there were a lot of entries in all of the categories.

What did you think of the calibre of the 2022 entrants?
I was blown away by the calibre of entries. Cruise is known as an ever-evolving industry, but when you see the vast amount of innovation going on, it’s staggering and it makes it an exciting industry to be involved with.

What’s your top tip for Wave Awards 2023 entrants?
Be concise, persuasive and focus on the specifics of the category you are entering. Also, if you don’t win, pat yourselves on the back, anyway. Judging by all the amazing entries last year, it genuinely felt like everyone deserved to be a winner.

Portsmouth International Port port director Mike Sellers

Can you tell us about the judging, and specifically how rigorous the process is?
The judging process was meticulous, detailed and very well organised. I have judged a few awards in the past but none with the amount of detail and scoring against a number of categories.

How involved were you with the selection?
I scored and ranked the entries independently, ahead of a group meeting that highlighted the average scoring from all judges.

For the applicants who were extremely close, we discussed a highly commended winner option to recognise how strong they were.

What did you think of the calibre of the 2022 entrants?
Superb. It is so positive to see the cruise industry bouncing back after the pandemic. Every shortlisted submission was strong and well presented. It made it challenging to pick a winner.

What’s your top tip for Wave Award 2023 entrants?
Have a go – don’t miss the opportunity of putting in a submission. The awards are independently judged and are truly the Oscars of the cruise industry.

For the full list of winners from the Wave Awards 2022 and more information about the 2023 event, go to the official Wave Awards website.