About the award

Grand Award, Excellence Award and Outstanding Award will be presented to organizations that have achieved outstanding standards of quality and made a lasting commitment to the process of quality management. Additionally, Citation Awards may be offered to recognize organizations that have incorporated the values and principles in relation to "Business with Purpose" and sustainability as a core strategy and have effectively driven positive impact to the organization itself and society at large.

The Award is open to organizations from all fields of industries and businesses, whose principal activities are in Hong Kong. Listed companies in Hong Kong, which have a principal business office in Hong Kong and have sufficient management presence in Hong Kong* are also eligible to apply for the Award.

* This will normally mean that at least two of the company's executive directors are ordinarily resident in Hong Kong

SUBUNIT OF BUSINESS ENTITIES
Subunits of larger (parent) organizations may apply for the Award if they are sufficient in their own right to be examined in all seven Criteria Categories. An applicant should have substantial authority to make major administrative and operational decisions, but it may receive policy direction and oversight from the parent organization. It should be a discrete business entity that is readily distinguishable from other parts of the parent organization. Normally, aspects such as the distinctiveness of business nature/offerings and uniqueness of business strategies in comparison with other parts of the parent organization will be considered. An organization cannot send more than one subunit to enter the Award in the same year.

CONDITIONS OF SITE VISIT
Although an applicant may have facilities outside Hong Kong, it is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that the appropriate people and materials are available for examination in Hong Kong to document the operational practices associated with all key business functions of the applicant. The Hong Kong Management Association reserves the right to deny visits to sites that are outside the Hong Kong region. However, in the event of a Site Visit, the applicant must provide at its own expense the transportation, accommodation (if applicable) and logistical arrangements necessary for the visit.

EXPERIENCE SHARING
Winners of the Award must be able to attend all functions conducted by the Award Secretariat in relation to the experience sharing of its quality journey, and are required to share information on the seven Criteria Categories in the form of publication. The information shared is determined by the Award winner.

REPEATED APPLICANTS
Grand Award winners are not allowed to enter the Award in the year immediately subsequent to their winning of the Award to ensure fair competition.

The Hong Kong Management Association reserves the right to make final and binding decisions on the eligibility of applicants.

The assessment will be in three stages:


Stage 1.	INITIAL SCREENING
	All applicants have to submit an Initial Submission on their quality programme. Applicants will be invited to the Presentation Workshop to give a 20-minute presentation on their submission plus a 30-minute question-and-answer session before the Board of Examiners. A shortlist of applicants will be drawn based on the Initial Submission.
Stage 2.	ASSESSMENT OF FINAL SUBMISSION
	Shortlisted applicants will be required to submit a Final Submission, in 50 pages or less, for detailed assessment.
Stage 3.	SITE VISIT
	Based on the Final Submission, a shortlist of applicants will be drawn to participate in the site visit. The Board of Examiners will conduct an on-site verification of the submission to the shortlisted applicants. During these Site Visits, the examiners will interview employees and review pertinent records and data. The objective is to verify the information provided in the Final Submission and to answer questions raised during the board's review. The choice of dates will be decided by the Board of Examiners. All shortlisted applicants have to prepare themselves to be available on the specified dates. In the event of a Site Visit, the applicant must provide the necessary transportation, accommodation (if applicable) and other logistical arrangements to enable the smooth conduct of the Site Visit. Although an applicant may have facilities outside Hong Kong, it is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that the appropriate people and materials are available for examination in Hong Kong to document the operational practices associated with all key business functions of the applicant. The Hong Kong Management Association reserves the right to deny visits to sites that are outside the Hong Kong region.
Stage 4.	FINAL JUDGING
	Selected finalists will attend a question and answer session conducted by the Panel of Judges.

The formal announcement and award presentation ceremony will take place at the Quality Award Presentation Ceremony.

To ensure that Award applicants will gain maximum benefit from experience sharing for continuous improvement on their TQM journey through participation in the Quality Award Dinner, a nominal Application Fee of HK$11,000 will be charged upon the submission of the Initial Submission Form. The fee covers five complimentary seats at the Quality Award Seminar and a 90-minute complimentary workshop on TQM.

Click here to download the Application Form and here to download the Award Flyer.