2026 CRAZIES AWARDS NOMINATING PANEL
Panel Selection, Requirements, and Guidelines
Panel Selection
• Potential panelists are reviewed and selected annually by CRHA sta8, and panelist participation is solely on a volunteer basis.
• The Nominating Panel shall include a range of professionals with di8erent backgrounds and broadly representing all parts of Connecticut.
• Panelists may include food writers, restaurant/food reviewers, culinary professionals, media personalities, social media influencers, hospitality media publishers/editors, or other industry professionals.
• Panelists must formally accept an invitation to serve on the nominating panel each year by providing digital acceptance of panelist rules and requirements.
• Panelists (including their family members) may NOT be nominated. In addition, a panelist cannot participate in the discussion of a nominee, nor may they vote in the specific category, if they are employed by or have a close relationship with a potential finalist.
• The nominating panel may not include any CRHA Board or CHEF Board Members.
• The CRHA is committed to maintaining the integrity of the Awards and reserves the right to add or remove panelists at any time.
Panelist Requirements
• Must attend at least two scheduled panelist calls / virtual meetings.
• Must attend in-person nominating luncheon, or they must notify of their conflict in advance.
• Must submit nominations form and final votes by deadline.
• Must make a dedicated e8ort throughout the year to visit, experience, follow and dine at new or existing restaurants (or food service businesses) with the purpose of bringing feedback to the nominating panel.
• Panelists are encouraged to promote the CRAZIES Awards via various communications channels such as social media, including by collaborating with or tagging CRAZIES Awards accounts. Opportunities to share or promote include the opening of public nominations, CRAZIES Kicko8 event, announcement of Finalists and Honorees, Final Voting timeframe, promotion of finalists, CRAZIES Awards and After Party, and winners.
• Panelists must be familiar with the Award Selection Process and must refer people to the document if asked about the nominations, panel, or award selection process.
• Panelists are encouraged to attend the CRAZIES Kicko8 and CRAZIES Awards.
• CRHA reserves the right to o8er complimentary tickets for panelists to attend CRAZIES Awards. Complimentary tickets do not have monetary value and cannot be applied toward purchased tables or tickets. CRHA cannot guarantee seating requests.
Panelist Integrity, Confidentiality, and Disclosures
• Panelists must always maintain a high level of integrity regarding the CRAZIES Awards, nominations process, Nominating Panel, and the CRHA team and Board of Directors
• Panelists may not discuss the nominee selection process with the public (other than what is defined in the Award Selection Process document).
• Panelists must not engage in conversation disparaging any nominating panelists, nominees or CRHA sta8.
• Panelists must disclose any personal or professional connection to or relationship with any nominees or finalists discussed throughout the nominations process. This includes, but not limited to, current or past clients, employers, partners and family members.
• Panelists must keep panel conversations confidential. Panelists may not share or discuss any conversations, opinions, viewpoints, or nominations by individual panelists with anyone outside the nominating panel or CRHA.
• Panelists may not disclose their participation on the Nominating Panel until the year after the current award season. This includes verbally, in print or online, on social media (including social profiles), or any other format. (example: IG profile can say "CRAZIES Nom Panel '24 '25", but cannot list '26 until January 1, 2027)
• Panelists may not leverage their participation on CRAZIES nominating panel to solicit or influence compensation, new business, new clients, or any type of special industry access, including any implication of nominating or voting influence.
• The CRHA reserves the right to remove any person or persons from the panel should CRHA suspect any behaviors not in alignment with these guidelines, or for any other reason that might compromise the integrity of the CRHA, the Awards or the Nominations Process.
Nominating Panel Timeline
Early Spring
• CRHA begins reviewing potential panelists including new prospects
August
• CRHA hosts panelist feedback call
• CRHA sends o8icial invitation to serve on Nomination Panel
• Panelists accept or decline invitation
• Panelists to submit digital acceptance of panelist rules and requirements by deadline
• CRHA to schedule and host panel feedback calls for panelists to share experiences of CT restaurants, food, venues, chefs, bartenders, servers, new restaurants as well as news, trends, movers and shakers, and other industry related experiences
August – September
• Panelist Nominations forms due
• Nominations luncheon (attendance required or advance notice of inability to attend)
• CRAZIES Kicko8 event / Announcement of Finalists and Honorees
• Public Voting Opens
October – November
• Continued promotion of finalists and public voting
• Final voting forms due early/mid-November
December
• CRAZIES Awards
• Promotion of CRAZIES Winners