Nominations and Proactive Research
GSQA-PRG-007
Candidate registration
Record the nomination or research source, provider, product and exact model, named target market, original links, available reports and comparisons and relevant interests. Worldwide candidates follow the same conditions; research navigation is not a country restriction. Registration records a lead, not brand authority, verified evidence or an award.
Progression to formal verification
Link the candidate to a formal application only once complete reports, authority to apply, necessary English-language and authentication documents, publication rights and the standard procedural material are available. If necessary evidence or rights cannot be obtained, it remains research material and no certificate is issued.
Sources and statistics
Research databases and external awards cannot be automatically converted into Gold Standard Quality Awards records. Statistics distinguish candidates, formal applications and award events. Proactive research must not inflate the number of awards.
External expert nominations
Provide professional background, product identity, target market, test sources, reasons for the nomination and interests. A nomination first creates a candidate record, not an award.
Research-led sourcing
Research uses lawfully available public product, regulatory and testing sources, retaining provenance, date and potentially comparable work. Access does not authorise copying, translation or publication of everything. Formal review requires the necessary material, authority and disclosure rights. Incomplete leads remain internal research, without certificates or award counts.
Direct brand applications
Brand rights holders, manufacturers, importers or duly authorised organisations submit the actual product, complete reports and supporting evidence according to the checklist. Verification begins following formal submission.
One procedure for all three routes
An award requires complete evidence, authority to apply, publication rights, a core margin and an independent decision. Other awards, nominations or inclusion in research create no automatic entitlement to an award.
Nomination requirements
Provide the nominator’s identity and professional background, genuine product and model, target market, original test source and comparable evidence of superior performance. Disclose interests relating to the brand or product.
After nomination
A receipt records the nomination, followed by checks of background, sources, product scope and comparisons. Necessary contact with rights holders, applicants or bodies does not permit assumed consent on a brand’s behalf. Nomination and formal application remain distinct; formal submissions use the same review, decision and maintenance procedures. Nomination guarantees neither acceptance nor an award.
Rights and personal information
Nominators need authority to provide material and distinguish facts, judgement and unverified leads. Background and interests are limited to relevant information; nomination does not authorise unrestricted disclosure of another person’s data or private reports. Accuracy declarations and privacy notices remain distinct. Marketing or publication permission is not inferred from nomination.
Handover and subsequent records
When a lead becomes a formal application, link its sources, original evidence, authority and disclosure permissions to the case. Insufficient, unclear or unverifiable leads retain reasons rather than being portrayed as rejected brands or nonconforming products. Research, applications and genuine awards are counted separately under GSQA-REG-001.