How do I become a finalist?

The public submit their favourite equestrian brands and personalities using social media during the nominations stage in December.

How much does it cost to enter?

Like the best things in life, it's free. You just need to ask your fans and followers if they would like to nominate you.

How are the finalists picked?

Nominees will be subject to strict engagement criteria such as how quickly they respond to comments, post original content and demonstrate good online etiquette.

They must also show understanding of the terms of use for the social media platforms they use.

The top ten in each category with the most unique supporting statements will go through to the finals.

How are the winners chosen?

The final results are based 75% on scores from the Expert Panel and 25% on votes from the public. The finalist with the highest score in each category is the winner.

The panel is a hand-picked group of the best equestrian marketers, digital professionals, social media gurus and branding experts from across the globe.

If any of the categories are tied, because two or more finalists have the same score, the three experts who judged the category will be asked to pick a winner. The finalist with two or more votes wins.

How is the World Award winner decided?

The winners of the regional categories are automatically in the running for the World Award.

The FEI's Director of Corporate Communications, Richard Johnson will lead in judging the overall winner.

How do you ensure judges' impartiality?

To ensure transparency members of the Expert Panel, full-time employers and Organisations owned by Expert Panel members are not eligible for nomination in any category.

Businesses which employ members of the Expert Panel on a freelance or part-time basis may be nominated.

Before finalists are announced Expert Panel members will be asked to declare any conflicts of interest; current/previous clients or; any other relationships deemed relevant. The task of judging those, will fall on other members.

Can sponsors be in the running?

No. To ensure transparency sponsors are not eligible for nomination in any category.

As a finalist, can I canvass for votes?

You may. But we recommend that you ask your fans/followers to submit votes in other categories too.

How are the winners announced?

In the spirit of social media, finalists will submit acceptance speech videos for inclusion in an online award ceremony.

This allows everyone to attend the award ceremony via the PagePlay Equestrian Social Media Awards' YouTube channel.

What criteria are the finalists judged by?

Judges and members of the public are asked to use the following criteria:

• Innovation – are they thinking outside the box?
• Individual – is their content original?
• Inspiration – are you compelled to act, buy or share?
• Interaction – do they involve fans/followers and encourage discussions?
• Information – is it accurate, interesting and useful to their audience?

Further considerations apply to the following:

a. For the category for Best use of Social Media by a Professional Horseperson the judges should use the criteria Item ‘Individual’ to gauge if they are posting as themselves.

b. For the category for Best use of Social Media by a Celebrity, only include posts mentioning horses or equestrian issues should be considered. This category has been introduced to encourage the promotion of riding to non-equestrians and celebrate mainstream celebrities who advocate equestrianism among their fans.

c. For the category for Best Equestrian Social Networking Site or Forum judges and the public are asked to sign up for an account, become familiar with the platform and base their decision on the following:

• User-friendliness – can you find your feet quickly and get started?
• Is it fun?
• Sociability – can you easily share content with fellow users and the outside world?
• Business worthy – can you see its benefits for business?
• Would you stay and recommend that your friends join?