Mersey Maritime Industry Awards 2020 take place at St George’s Hall on Friday, March 6, and the winners will be decided using a combination of a judging panel and a wider industry vote

Mersey Maritime will once again allow the whole maritime industry to vote in its annual awards, bringing back a voting platform that was a huge success in 2019.

The Mersey Maritime Industry Awards (MMIA20) take place at St George’s Hall on Friday, March 6. For the 2019 awards a new voting platform was introduced, using a combination of a judging panel and a wider industry vote.

This model proved to be a big hit with the wider maritime sector which cast more than 1,000 votes ahead of the ceremony. Now, beginning on Tuesday, February 4, the platform will once again open to allow people across the industry to have their say.

The final winners of each of the award categories will be determined by a combination of the phase one judges scores and phase two industry vote. The platform will close to votes at midday on Friday, February 14. The voting rules are as follows:

• Participants will be required to provide their name, company and valid company email address.
• Participants are only eligible to vote once for each award category.
• Participants are not permitted to vote for their own company, colleagues or organisation (these votes will be excluded from the final scores).

There are a further two categories; Rising Star and Maritime Ambassador of the Year, which have already been determined by the industry judging panel.

Once the industry vote closes, all entries will be reviewed and adjudicated to ensure that the rules have been adhered to.

Ruth Wood, head of commercial at Mersey Maritime, said: Mersey Maritime first launched the MMIA industry vote as part of the judging model for the 2019 awards, which was received with great acclaim. “The industry voting platform allows the wider industry to have their say on who they think deserves to win and showcases the talent, innovation and strength of our maritime industry not only in the North West but across the UK.

“The theme of this year’s MMIA is Navigating New Horizons. With the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union now a reality, Mersey Maritime is keen to emphasise the opportunities for Liverpool city region which is now home to the UK’s main western-facing port”.

Click here to cast your vote in the MMIA20