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Conflict of Interest
AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM EUREKA PRIZES
CONFLICT OF INTEREST IN PRIZE JUDGING
The integrity of the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes requires that all effort is made to avoid conflicts of interest in the prize judging process – the more so because the judging process is a confidential one, and the decision of judges is final.
Judging panels consist of individuals with a profile, experience and knowledge relevant to the nature of the individual prize – including, in many cases, representatives of the sponsoring body. Given this, it is unrealistic to expect that an individual judge may not at some time know, or know of, an entrant in the prize they are judging, or have some relationship with them or their work.
The goal of the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes Conflict of Interest policy is to identify conflicts of interest that would make it difficult for judges to reach an unbiased decision or would result in a perception of bias in the judging process.
A conflict of interest is defined to be a situation in which a person has a private or personal interest sufficient to influence the objective exercise of his or her duties. This includes any relationship with an entrant (individual or organisation) that would prevent a judge from offering an unbiased evaluation or reaching an unbiased decision on the merits of the entry.
Each judge has an obligation to disclose to the judging panel at the commencement of the judging process any conflict of interest or relationship that may lead to a perception of a conflict of interest. Disclosure is designed to alert the judging panel to a conflict or potential conflict of interest, and to allow it to discuss and evaluate the potential conflict and decide whether or not it is of a nature to interfere with the judging process. Panels are required to keep records of such disclosures.
Where a judge discloses and the panel agrees that a conflict of interest does exist, the judge concerned will be required to withdraw from discussion of the relevant entry(s).
Where no disclosure has been made by a judge, but another judge raise a question or concern regarding a judge’s possible conflict of interest, the judge with the possible conflict of interest will withdraw from discussion of the entry(s) unless the question or concern raised is resolved to the satisfaction of the judging panel.
A judge for whom a conflict is deemed to exist for a particular entry(s) may participate in the discussion of other entries so long as the discussion is not focussed on the merits of an entry relative to the entry with respect to which the conflict exists. Should the entry causing a judge to withdraw from discussion emerge as a potential prize finalist, that judge will not participate in the discussion leading to a consensus decision.
Judging in the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes is an iterative and consensual process. Any member of the judging panel may, however, request a vote of the panel rather than a consensus decision. A judge for whom a conflict of interest is deemed to exist would not be participate in the relevant voting process. Ballots in any vote will be recorded and retained by the Australian Museum. Neither the ballots of individual judges nor the ballot totals will be made public.