As the Nottingham Baby & Toddler (NBT) Awards continue to grow, we’re committed to ensuring the process remains fair, transparent, and inclusive — celebrating the incredible individuals and businesses that make a real difference to families across our community. Please take a moment to read through the updated nomination and voting guidelines below.

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1. Eligibility

Nominations are open to individuals, class leaders, and businesses that publicly offer activities, products, or services for babies and toddlers aged 0–5 years, or for new parents, Parents, guardians, and families as defined by the relevant award categories.

2. Self-Nomination & Multiple Entries

You are welcome to nominate yourself, your business, or a franchise that you represent.
Businesses or individuals may enter more than one award category(see exempt duplicate categories), provided each entry meets the specific criteria for that category. When completing the nomination online form, Only write in one nomination per category. If multiple nominations are included in the same text box, the whole nomination will be considered invalid.

3. Category Restrictions

To maintain fairness, nominees cannot be shortlisted for more than one of the below categories:

• Nottingham’s Most Loved Activity for Babies (Pre-Walkers) or

• Nottingham’s Most Loved Activity for Toddlers & Preschoolers or

• Nottingham’s Most Loved Parent Activity Leader

Providers can be nominated in other relevant categories, such as services or community star awards.

4. Location Requirement

Nominees must be based in Nottingham or Nottinghamshire and primarily operate within an NG postcode.

5. Category Criteria

Before submitting a nomination, please review the individual award category descriptions to ensure your chosen nominee qualifies and aligns with the category’s purpose.

6. Fairness & Conduct

We are committed to maintaining the integrity of the NBT Awards.
Any form of foul play, duplicate voting, or proxy voting will result in disqualification.
NBT reserves the right to remove any nomination or revoke participation if misconduct is identified.

7. Fair Voting Process

To ensure a fair and transparent vote, email and IP addresses will be collected for validation and spot checks.
By voting, you agree that we may contact you via email to verify your entry or provide event updates.
Votes found to be fraudulent or duplicated will not be counted.

8. Judging & Shortlisting

Once nominations close, entries will be reviewed and tallied.
In the event of a tie, the NBT judging panel will make the final decision.
The top nominees will then be shortlisted and proceed to the public voting round.

9. Notification & Participation

Shortlisted nominees will be notified by email after judging and voting close.
You’ll be invited to attend the NBT Awards Presentation Evening in March 2026.
If you choose not to participate or fail to respond within the timeframe, your shortlist position may be revoked.

10. Shortlist Questionnaire

All shortlisted nominees will be required to complete a short questionnaire, which some of the information will be featured on the NBT website or socials during the awards process.
Completion must be submitted within 10 days of receiving your shortlist notification.

11. Final Voting & Judging

Final results will be based on a combination of public votes and judges’ scoring, using a transparent points system to ensure fairness and balance.

12. Winners Announcement

Winners and runners-up will be announced live at the awards evening.
All decisions are final. No correspondence or detailed scoring breakdowns will be shared.

13. Attendance & Ticketing

There is no cost to enter or be nominated, but all attendees — including shortlisted nominees — must purchase tickets to attend the awards event.

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 Growth & Development Updates for 2026

We’ve made several positive developments this year to strengthen the awards process and experience:

• Enhanced fairness measures, including stronger verification and judging transparency.

• Expanded award categories to better recognise creativity, growth, and community impact.

• New working group collaboration to shape category development and reflect community voices.

• Improved visibility and promotion for all shortlisted nominees through our website, email marketing, and social media coverage.

• Commitment to ethical recognition, celebrating those who uplift the community with integrity and genuine care.

• Focus on individual impact in selected categories, ensuring that awards recognise personal dedication and achievements, not just franchises or groups.

NBT AWARDS FAQ 

Q. Who Can Be Nominated for the Nottingham Baby & Toddler Awards 2026?

 Are you a business, service, or individual providing products or services for babies and toddlers in Nottingham or the surrounding areas? This is your chance to be celebrated!

Anyone can nominate – including yourself! Encourage your happy customers, family, and friends to nominate you too.

Check the categories to see where you fit best – there are multiple awards up for grabs, so you could be recognised in more than one!

Nominations close 31st December 2025, so don’t wait!

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Q. Can someone nominate a provider in both the Baby and Toddler categories?

For example: if a parent has a newborn who enjoys baby massage and a toddler who loves a toddler class, can they nominate the same provider in both categories?

Yes . Nominations vs Shortlisting: People can nominate you in multiple categories. If someone nominates you in both “Most Loved Activity for Babies” and “Most Loved Activity for Toddlers & Preschoolers,” their nominations will count toward both categories.

Shortlisting: When it comes to deciding who progresses to the next stage, the rules prevent the same provider from being shortlisted in more than one of the three restricted categories (Baby, Toddler, Parent Activity Leader). So the organisers will select the category where the provider has the strongest nomination or vote count for shortlisting.

Other categories: Nominations in unrelated categories (e.g., services/community) are unaffected and can still progress.

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Q. What is the awards timeline?​

Voting opens: Sunday 16th November 2025 at 9:00am
Voting closes: Wednesday 31st December 2025 at 11:59pm

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Shortlist emails: Sunday 11th January 2026 
Shortlist announced & public voting opens: Sunday 1st February 2026 

Meet the Judges (Microsoft Teams): week commencing 26th January 2026

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Presale tickets go on sale: 1st December 2025 
Full tickets on sale: 1st February 2026 

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Final voting closes: Sunday 15th February 2026 at 11:59pm
Awards Night: Saturday 7th March 2026, 5:30pm till late

​Q - How Are Winners Chosen for the Nottingham Baby & Toddler Awards 2026?

Here’s everything you need to know about the process:

Stage 1: Nominations

The providers with the highest number of nominations go through to the official shortlist. This ensures the finalists reflect genuine community support.

Stage 2: Finalists Announced

Finalists are revealed on 1st February.

Public voting then opens, and shortlisted nominees are invited to join a digital “Meet the Judges” session. This relaxed chat allows judges to get to know finalist, ask about their work & services, and understand the heart behind their business or service.

Stage 3: Final Scoring

Winners are chosen through a 50/50 split:

50% Public votes

50% Judges’ scores

This balanced approach means:

Public votes matter — community involvement is a huge part of the awards.

Judges also look deeper at impact, quality of service, community contribution, innovation, and alignment with NBT values.

Someone might have the highest public votes but receive a lower judge score (or vice versa), so both elements are equally important for fairness.

Why this system? It ensures the awards are not just a popularity contest but recognise genuine impact, quality, and contribution within the early years community.

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Q: Does the voting system give an advantage to franchises?

We completely understand why this question is being asked — and it’s an important one.

Here’s how we’ve addressed it for the 2026 awards:

This year, we’ve made significant updates to our categories to make the awards fairer, more balanced, and more reflective of individual contribution, not franchise size.

For example, the Most Loved Activity Baby Leader category now celebrates an individual class leader or single-session providers, rather than a whole franchise brand.

That means every nominee is recognised for their own delivery, impact, and connection with families, not the wider network they may be part of.

In addition, the final winners are decided using a 50/50 split:

– 50% public vote

– 50% judges’ score (based on impact, quality, community contribution, and alignment with NBT values)

This ensures that while community support matters, the final outcome isn’t solely based on the size of someone’s following — helping to create a fair, balanced, and inclusive process for independents and franchisees alike.

We’re committed to keeping the awards rooted in fairness, community spirit, and celebrating the incredible work happening across Nottingham. 

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Q. I have classes in Loughborough and Nottingham. Can I still enter?

Yes – as long as the majority of your classes or services are based in Nottinghamshire (NG postcode), you are eligible to enter.

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Q. Can I vote more than once?

No. You can only vote once per person, so make your vote count! Duplicate or fraudulent votes will be removed to ensure fairness.

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Q. Can I be nominated for more than one award category?

Activity leaders cannot be shortlisted for more than one of the following categories:

• Most Loved Activity Leader for Babies

• Most Loved Activity Leader for Toddlers

• Most Loved Parent Activity Leader

When it comes to deciding who progresses to the next stage, the rules prevent the same provider from being shortlisted in more than one of the three restricted categories. So the organisers will select the category where the provider has the strongest nomination or vote count for shortlisting. So if you want another provider to be recognised, make sure to nominate them too!

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Q. Is there a fee to enter the awards?

No – there are no entry or nomination fees.
You’ll only need to purchase tickets if you’d like to attend the Awards Night celebration.

Q. Can I share the voting link on my social media pages?

Absolutely! We encourage you to share your nomination with your customers, followers, and community. You can encourage which category for them to vote for you in too
Just make sure voting remains fair and follows the rules.

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Q. I’m not sure which categories I can enter.

Take a look at the award category criteria for guidance.
If you’re still unsure, contact us at nottinghambabytoddlerevent@hotmail.com — we’ll be happy to help.

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Q. Can I become a sponsor and still be nominated?

Yes – sponsors are still eligible for nominations.
If you’re interested in becoming a sponsor, please get in touch

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Q. Can I bring my family and friends?

Yes! Each shortlisted nominee will be able to purchase one ticket initially.
Additional tickets for additional guests and friends will be released after 1st February 2026, subject to availability.

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Q. What is the official hashtag for the awards?

Use #NBTAwards on all social platforms to celebrate your nomination and join the conversation!

Q. How will I know if I’ve been shortlisted, and what happens next?

If you’re shortlisted, you’ll receive an email on 11th January 2026 with details.
You’ll then be invited to a Digital “Meet the Judges” session, where judges can ask questions as part of the evaluation process.
You’ll also receive marketing materials to promote your nomination during the public voting period that does not open until 1st Feb 2026. 

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Q. Do I have to attend the awards ceremony to win?

Attendance is strongly encouraged – it’s a night of celebration, connection, and community!
If you can’t attend due to exceptional circumstances, you may nominate someone to attend on your behalf, provided it’s confirmed before the final guest list.

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Q. How are the winners chosen?

Winners are determined by a combination of public votes and judges’ scores.
Judges assess impact, quality, community contribution, and alignment with the NBT values.
All judging decisions are final.

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Q. Will there be photos or videos from the event?

Yes! The event will be professionally photographed and filmed.
By attending, you consent to NBT using event images and footage for future promotion and celebration of the community.

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Q. I have another question that isn’t listed here.

No problem! Email us at nottinghambabytoddlerevent@hotmail.com and we’ll be happy to help.