Inspiring a nation of freelancers How did the finalists fare at the Freelancer of the Year Awards 2018 judging day?
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n a sun-kissed spring day, 16 freelancers representing the breadth and brilliance of independent working in the UK descended on The Trampery in Old Street – a trendy co-working space in central London – to stake their claim as the UK’s best freelancer. From journalists and actresses, to mime artists and waste management consultants, the cream of the UK’s smallest businesses – selected from hundreds of applicants – were on show looking to win one of the three awards: Freelancer of the Year, Young Freelancer of the Year and New to Freelancing. The judges were assessing each of the
May/June 2018
freelancers against a range of criteria such as the strength of their portfolio and distinctiveness of their offering, passion and commitment for freelancing, business acumen, engagement with stakeholders, future potential and plans for the prize money. “The day was a fantastic experience,” judge and 2017 Freelancer of the Year winner Luke Nicholson told Modern Work. “We heard from 16 inspiring freelancers who have all achieved a huge amount in vastly different fields. I think I can speak for all the judges in saying that we were really impressed by the high standard of all the candidates. “We were looking for individuals who
were innovative, creative, and passionate about freelancing. “Choosing the eventual winners was extremely difficult because, in reality, all 16 made extremely strong cases to be crowned the best freelancer in their field. The winners, and indeed all the finalists, all stand out within their industry and have very bright futures ahead of them.” The winners will be announced at IPSE’s annual National Freelancers Day (NFD) on Thursday, 28 June. For more information and tickets for the event at Kings Place, London, visit nationalfreelancersday.com.
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