Awards Judging
The 2026 Business to Arts Awards judging panel comprised:
- Aoife Barry, Freelance Arts and Culture Journalist
- Jerry O'Connor, Director of Communications, Community Foundation Ireland
- Diego Fasciati, Executive Director, Irish National Opera
- Bernadine Hogan, Executive Director, CBRE
- Jillian Saunders, Group Sponsorship and PR Manager, ESB
- Nadine O'Regan, Journalist, The Irish Times
- Susan Jackson, Senior Marketing Manager, Irish Life
Judging Panel. Pictured from L-R: Aoife Barry, Freelance Arts and Culture Journalist, Susan Jackson, Irish Life, Diego Fasciati, Irish National Opera, Jillian Saunders, ESB, Nadine O'Regan, Journalist, The Irish Times, Jerry O'Connor, Community Foundation Ireland, Bernadine Hogan, Executive Director, CBRE & Louise O'Reilly, Business to Arts.
All applications are scored independently by judges via the Awardforce platform.
Shortlisted entries are then discussed in depth at an in-person, chaired judging session held at the end of May.
Winners are selected by majority vote following detailed discussion.
The judging panel is appointed annually and includes representatives of corporate supporters, independent arts leaders and media representatives.
All judges are required to declare conflicts of interest and to recuse themselves where appropriate.
The Business to Arts Awards recognise outstanding partnerships between business and the arts. Applications are welcome across sponsorship, commissioning, training and events, staff programmes, CSR initiatives and community engagement. Partnerships are considered irrespective of scale or financial value.
For Partnership Categories
Judges assess applications against the following core criteria:
- Clarity of Purpose
- Are the objectives of both partners clearly defined?
- Is there a strong strategic alignment between the business and the arts organisation or artist?
- Rationale and Activation
- What was the impetus for the partnership?
- How effectively was the partnership activated and delivered?
- Quality of Collaboration
- Is there evidence of a genuine, collaborative working relationship?
- Does the partnership reflect shared ambition and mutual benefit?
- Innovation and Best Practice
- Does the partnership demonstrate creativity, originality or new approaches?
- Does it represent best practice within the sector?
- Impact
- What tangible difference has the partnership made?
- Is there clear evidence of outcomes for both partners and relevant audiences?
Applications that demonstrate strong alignment, clear thinking and compelling evidence of impact consistently perform well in judging.
For Bursary Applications
Bursary applications are assessed with a particular focus on impact and career progression.
Judges consider:
- The strength and ambition of the proposed project or professional development activity
- Why this bursary is timely at this stage of the artist’s career
- The applicant’s track record and capacity to deliver
- The level of support already secured (if applicable)
- The likely critical impact of the bursary on the artist’s practice or long-term development
- The central question for judges is: Will this bursary meaningfully advance the artist’s career or practice?
Pictured at the 2025 Judging Day at Accenture The Dock are Ger McNaughton (TileStyle), Simon O'Connor (Independent Arts), Bernice Harrison (The Irish Times), Sarah Sharkey (ESB), Louise O'Reilly (Chief Executive, Business to Arts), Mella Cahill (Community Foundation Ireland), Susan Jackson (Irish Life) and Meadhbh McClean (CBRE).
