Who does what, and why
The credibility of these awards rests on a clear separation of roles. This page explains the machinery so every member knows who is responsible for each part of the process.
The Vetting Committee
Reviews each nomination for completeness and accuracy before judging begins: confirming that the entry is complete, that the nominee is registered and in good standing with the relevant bodies (such as the Pharmacy Council, the PSGH, and, where applicable, the FDA and the practice associations), following up for any missing information, and merging duplicate nominations. Vetting is a committee decision taken together, not one person's call: individual members record recommendations, and a designated confirmer records the committee's agreed decision. The people who vet do not score; scoring belongs to the judges.
Final review and approval
Judges score independently, in their own time. The panel and committee then meet to review the results together, resolve any defined edge cases, and approve the outcome. Each category is confirmed and locked by a single designated authority (the Chairman); locking freezes the ranking and records a snapshot. The winner in each category follows from the judges' scores; no result is changed to engineer a particular outcome. Any correction after locking requires the category to be reopened, with the reason recorded, so nothing changes quietly. A published rule flags unusually divergent scores for discussion, but a flag never changes a score by itself.
The Panel of Judges
Independent senior professionals who score every shortlisted nominee in every category against the published criteria and scoring dimensions. Judges score individually and cannot see one another's scores while scoring is open. A judge with a conflict of interest in respect of a nominee formally recuses, and the recusal is recorded. Once saved, scores are locked against change without committee authorization and a written, recorded reason.
The practice groups
Five PSGH practice groups — CPPA (community practice), GHOSPA (hospital practice), IPA (industrial practice), ASRPA (academic and scientific research practice), and PRASMA (regulatory affairs, sales and marketing practice) — each contribute a verified member vote in their own individual-practice category. The member vote counts for 20 percent of the final score, alongside 80 percent from the judges. Voters are verified against the PSGH roster and a one-time emailed code.
Administration and secretariat
The portal is administered in a purely technical capacity, and the administrator does not judge. The secretariat answers entrants' questions, assists nominators and nominees who cannot use the portal by entering materials on their behalf (every assisted entry is recorded as such), manages communications, and coordinates verification and follow-up requests.
The Standing Executive Committee (SEC)
Selects the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award (Kwabena Ohene-Manu Award), which is non-competitive, is not open to public nomination, and is not scored by the judges.
Independent assurance
An independent third party reviews the fairness of the review and scoring process, as an external assessor did in 2025. Every action in the portal is recorded in a tamper-evident audit log, so the whole process, not only its results, can be independently reviewed.
Nominators and nominees
A nominator is anyone who submits a nomination — for themselves, another person, or an organization — and is responsible for the completeness and truth of the submission. A nominee is the person or organization put forward; every nominee is notified of every nomination in their name and may decline consideration at any time.
Every action in the portal — submissions, edits, vetting recommendations and confirmations, scores, recusals, corrections, and administrative changes — is recorded in a tamper-evident audit log.