Awards · free template

Shortlist Review & Feedback Form

Agree the shortlist and write the feedback unsuccessful entrants actually receive.

A ready-to-use awards, contests & voting form for small teams who need a reliable intake process: 13 questions, 3 pages, 3 conditional rules.

Questions
13
Pages
3
Layouts
classic
Conditional rules
3
Typical time
7 min
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Live preview and test console

This is the real form. Answer it to test the 3 conditional rules — nothing is sent or stored.

Page 1 of 3Entry

Shortlist review

Every question on this page is currently visible.

What happens after submit: nothing is stored in this preview. On your own copy, every response triggers an instant email notification and lands in your response dashboard, ready to export or forward.

Happy with it? Take a copy into your workspace — every question, rule and setting comes with it.

Who this template is for

Shortlist Review & Feedback Form is built for small teams who need a reliable intake process who need to collect the same complete information from everyone.

  • Small teams who need a reliable intake process working in awards, contests & voting.
  • Teams who need to collect the same complete information from everyone without writing code or paying for a custom build.
  • Anyone replacing chasing missing details over email with one structured record per enquiry.
  • Respondents are the people you send it to — the form asks them 13 questions across 3 screens.

Why this form is useful

It removes the cost of chasing missing details over email and turns each submission into a record your team can act on immediately.

  • 10 questions are required, so submissions arrive complete instead of needing a follow-up email.
  • It pins the request to a specific date.
  • It captures a numeric value you can filter and sort on.
  • Conditional logic hides 3 questions until they are relevant — shorter forms convert better than long ones.
  • Splitting the form across 3 pages keeps each screen short and shows respondents how much is left.
  • Every response is stored, searchable and exportable, so nothing depends on one person's inbox.

How to use this template

From copy to live form is a few minutes of work, and every step is reversible.

  1. 1Press “Use this template” — a fresh copy of Shortlist Review & Feedback Form lands in your workspace, ready to edit.
  2. 2Rename or delete any question, and change what is required. Nothing here is fixed.
  3. 3Open Notifications and add the email addresses that should be alerted on each submission; add an auto-reply to the respondent if the form collects an email address.
  4. 4Publish it, then either share the link directly or paste the embed snippet into your site — the embedded form resizes to fit and loads no marketing or advertising trackers.
  5. 5Watch responses land in Submissions, where you can filter, label and export them to CSV or PDF.

Logic and conditions blueprint

Exactly how this form behaves as it is answered — 3 conditional rules ship with it.

  • Features advanced show logic: if “Does this decision override the score ranking?” is Yes, the form dynamically exposes “Justification for overriding the ranking”. Otherwise that question never appears.
  • Features advanced show logic: if “Was a conflict of interest raised for this entry?” is Yes, the form dynamically exposes “How was the conflict handled?”. Otherwise that question never appears.
  • Features advanced show logic: if “Will this entrant receive written feedback?” is Yes, the form dynamically exposes “One thing that would have scored higher”. Otherwise that question never appears.
  • All 3 rules are editable in the Logic tab, and the built-in checker warns about rules that contradict each other.

About this template

The shortlist meeting is where an awards scheme earns or loses its reputation, and the difference is whether anything was written down. This form turns the meeting into a record. For each entry the chair notes the reference, the averaged score, the decision — shortlisted, reserve or not progressing — and which judges were present when it was taken. A decision that overrides the ranking opens a justification box, because 'the panel exercised judgement' is only defensible if the judgement was recorded at the time. The feedback section is the part entrants see: two things the entry did well and one specific thing that would have scored higher, written while the entry is fresh rather than reconstructed six weeks later from a spreadsheet. Entries flagged as close calls can be marked for a reserve list, and any entry where a conflict was noticed late is flagged for the chair to review before the announcement goes out.

What this form asks

Every question is editable — rename it, make it optional, or delete it entirely.

Page 1 — Entry

  • Award categoryrequired
  • Entry referencerequired
  • Averaged scorerequired
  • Judges present for this decisionrequired

Page 2 — Decision

  • Panel decisionrequired
  • Does this decision override the score ranking?required
  • Justification for overriding the ranking
  • Was a conflict of interest raised for this entry?required
  • How was the conflict handled?

Page 3 — Feedback

  • Will this entrant receive written feedback?required
  • Two things the entry did wellrequired
  • One thing that would have scored higher
  • Date the decision was takenrequired

13 questions in total.

How the form changes as it's filled in

This template ships with 3 conditional rules, grouped into 3 behaviours driven by 3 questions. Everything below is already set up — edit or delete any rule once the template is in your workspace.

Driven by “Does this decision override the score ranking?

  • Reveals questions

    If “Does this decision override the score ranking?” is Yes, the form reveals “Justification for overriding the ranking”.

Driven by “Was a conflict of interest raised for this entry?

  • Reveals questions

    If “Was a conflict of interest raised for this entry?” is Yes, the form reveals “How was the conflict handled?”.

Driven by “Will this entrant receive written feedback?

  • Reveals questions

    If “Will this entrant receive written feedback?” is Yes, the form reveals “One thing that would have scored higher”.

Set it up step by step

  1. 1

    Bring the averages

    Have the averaged scorecard export open — this form records the decision, not the arithmetic.

  2. 2

    Complete one per entry

    One submission per entry keeps the decision record sortable by category.

  3. 3

    Write feedback in the room

    Feedback drafted during the meeting is specific; feedback written later is generic.

  4. 4

    Record who was present

    The judges-present field is what makes a decision defensible months afterwards.

  5. 5

    Send and archive

    Send the feedback with the shortlist announcement and keep the export as the scheme's audit trail.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Deciding the shortlist in a meeting and writing nothing down, so no entrant can be given a reason.
  • Promising feedback to everyone and then sending none, which is the fastest way to lose next year's entries.
  • Recording a decision without noting which judges were in the room.

What it pairs with

Most teams don't run this form on its own. These are the forms and systems it sits next to.

What to do with the responses

Send the drafted feedback to unsuccessful entrants the same week the shortlist is published, and keep the decision record for the scheme's audit file.

Works in this layout

These pages cover the same subject ground as the shortlist review & feedback form, matched on the words people actually search for.

Frequently asked questions

Should every entrant get feedback?

Offer it and mark who has taken it up. Two strengths and one specific improvement is enough, and it is the main reason entrants come back.

Can the panel overrule the scores?

Yes, and this form makes them say why in writing, which is what separates a judgement call from an unexplained result.

How long should the record be kept?

Until the following year's scheme has closed at minimum — long enough to answer any query about how a decision was reached.

Can I use it for a reserve list?

Yes — the decision field includes reserve, so promoting a reserve later is a filter rather than a memory test.

Is the Shortlist Review & Feedback Form template free to use?

Yes. You can preview and test Shortlist Review & Feedback Form on this page without an account, and take a copy into your own HelloForms workspace on the free plan. There is nothing to install and no card required to publish it.

What does the Shortlist Review & Feedback Form template ask for?

It asks 13 questions across 3 pages, 10 of which are required. Every question is listed in full further down this page, and each one can be renamed, reordered, made optional or deleted after you copy the template.

Can I edit the Shortlist Review & Feedback Form form after copying it?

Yes — the copy is entirely yours. Change wording, add or remove questions, switch between the classic layout, restyle it to match your brand, and set who gets notified on each submission.

How does the conditional logic in this awards, contests & voting form work?

3 conditional rules ship with the template: Features advanced show logic: if “Does this decision override the score ranking?” is Yes, the form dynamically exposes “Justification for overriding the ranking”. Otherwise that question never appears. Features advanced show logic: if “Was a conflict of interest raised for this entry?” is Yes, the form dynamically exposes “How was the conflict handled?”. Otherwise that question never appears. Features advanced show logic: if “Will this entrant receive written feedback?” is Yes, the form dynamically exposes “One thing that would have scored higher”. Otherwise that question never appears. All rules are editable in the Logic tab.

Where do responses to the Shortlist Review & Feedback Form form go?

Submissions land in your workspace under Submissions, where you can search, filter, label and export them to CSV or PDF. You can also email a notification to your team on every submission and send the respondent an auto-reply.

Can I embed the Shortlist Review & Feedback Form form on my own website?

Yes. Publish the form and paste the embed snippet into any page or share the direct link. The embedded form resizes to fit its container and loads no advertising or marketing trackers inside the iframe.

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