Award rules

1. The organiser and the award

IAHPM is a Swiss association, UID CHE-278.279.361, with its registered address at Rue du Marché 32, 1204 Genève, Switzerland. Programme correspondence is handled through the awards contact form.

A Global Health Product Award recognises the named product and version following an assessment against the published criteria. Entries are reviewed using product information, supporting reports, research, design material and online demonstrations. IAHPM does not collect samples or conduct laboratory or clinical testing as part of the awards.

An award is not regulatory approval, market authorisation or certification of a product's safety, clinical effectiveness or compliance. It does not cover every product made by the recipient or every item sold under a brand. The public award record identifies the scope of the decision.

2. Who may enter

Manufacturers, brand owners and other organisations responsible for a product may enter. An agent must have written authority from the responsible organisation. The entry must identify that organisation, the manufacturer and an authorised contact.

IAHPM membership is not required. Membership, sponsorship, company size and purchases of physical award items do not affect eligibility or assessment. Entries are accepted throughout the year; there is no annual closing date.

3. Eligible products

A product must be available for lawful supply in at least one market identified in the entry. Applicants must describe its intended use, users, model or formulation, relevant software version and the market requirements that apply. There is no single international approval document that substitutes for this information.

The eight categories are nutrition and supplements; wearables and consumer health technology; home health and monitoring devices; diagnostics and testing; digital health and software; rehabilitation and assistive products; oral and personal health products; and health-product ingredients and components. Read the category guidance before entering.

This edition does not accept prescription medicines, implanted or life-support systems, concepts without an available product, general company or individual nominations, contract-manufacturing services alone, or marketing content presented as a product. IAHPM may decline an entry where it cannot arrange an appropriately qualified assessment. The reason will be explained during the eligibility check.

One entry covers one clearly defined product or version in one principal category. Related models may be included only where the same evidence applies and the coverage is expressly agreed. A change of colour or packaging alone does not justify a separate award. IAHPM may propose a more suitable category and will tell the applicant before assessment proceeds.

4. Information required

Applicants must provide accurate product and organisation information, evidence for principal claims, current instructions or labelling, relevant quality and risk information, and the category-specific material. Identify the exact product tested, report date, methods, relevant pages and limitations. Explain any reliance on ingredient studies, earlier versions or comparable products.

Disclose relevant recalls, restrictions, material safety concerns, enforcement matters and corrections to previously supplied information. A disclosure is considered in context; it does not automatically exclude a product. An unresolved issue that prevents a reliable assessment may make an entry ineligible or prevent an award.

English is the working language. Reports in another language may be supplied with the original and an accurate English summary; the passages necessary to assess a principal claim must be available in English. IAHPM may request clarification or a fuller translation.

Do not submit identifiable patient records or production-system credentials. Demonstrations must use simulated or appropriately de-identified data and limited review access. Applicants must have authority to supply all files and proposed public material.

5. Submission and acceptance

Submitting an entry creates a receipt and submission reference. It does not establish eligibility or an award. IAHPM normally checks completeness and eligibility within five working days. Working days are Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays observed in Geneva; deadlines in the account state the applicable date and time zone.

An entry is accepted for review once it is complete, eligible and suitable reviewers can be arranged. The account records the acceptance date and the applicable version of the rules. If capacity affects acceptance, IAHPM will give an expected next step rather than leaving an entry without an explanation.

Applicants may save drafts and withdraw an entry before the decision. A withdrawn entry is closed without an award. Relevant processing and audit records remain subject to the privacy notice.

6. Review period and further information

Reviews normally take about 90 calendar days from acceptance of a complete, eligible entry. This is a service target, not a guarantee of a decision on a fixed day.

A request for information identifies the missing item, reason and response deadline. Applicants normally have 14 calendar days to respond and may request one further period of up to 14 days with a reason. Any pause while awaiting an applicant's response is shown in the account, together with the revised target date. An organiser's delay is not recorded as applicant waiting time.

Where an entry is expected to exceed its target date, IAHPM will explain the current stage and give a revised estimate. An entry may be closed if necessary information is not supplied. Closure for incomplete information is distinct from a decision not to award after a completed assessment.

7. Assessment and conflicts of interest

Two reviewers assess each accepted entry independently. Their combined expertise must cover the product's field, relevant evidence methods and use. Reviewers disclose potentially relevant interests before accessing the entry materials. IAHPM resolves the disclosure and replaces a reviewer where impartial assessment cannot be maintained.

Initial reviewers do not see one another's scores before submitting their assessments. A review chair checks the application of the criteria, evidence and decision reasons. A third assessment is required where initial totals differ by more than 15 points, reviewers disagree on a required threshold, either total is between 75 and 84 inclusive, or a material technical question remains.

The final assessment records the resolution of disagreements. It is not automatically the highest score or a simple average. Any change to a submitted assessment must have a recorded reason. Applicants communicate through the awards team, not through private approaches to reviewers.

8. Criteria and requirements for an award

Each criterion is rated from 0 to 5, with half-points permitted. The weighted score is the rating divided by five and multiplied by the criterion weight.

An award requires a total of at least 80 out of 100; at least 4 out of 5 for performance and supporting evidence; at least 3 for quality, risk and product information; and at least 2 in every other criterion. There must be no unresolved material concern about authenticity, eligibility or product risk. Meeting the numerical total alone is insufficient.

There is one award designation. Categories are not award levels. No number or percentage of entries is guaranteed an award, and the programme does not name an annual overall winner. The assessment rubric explains the rating anchors and category examples.

9. Decisions and publication

Applicants receive a written decision with reasons and criterion-level feedback. An unsuccessful entry is not published. Applicants whose entries are closed as incomplete or found ineligible receive an explanation of that outcome.

Before publishing an award, IAHPM asks the recipient to check the product identity and proposed public information, normally within ten working days. This check does not permit the recipient to rewrite the assessment or extend the award to other products. Delayed confirmation may delay publication; it does not create a fee or alter the signed decision.

A recipient may announce the award and use its mark after the official record has been published. The record includes the product and version, manufacturer, category, decision date, assessment scope, reasons and current status. The year identifies when the decision was made, not a comparison with every product sold that year.

10. Fees and free award materials

There is no entry or review fee. Decisions, standard digital certificates, public award records, standard award-mark use, corrections and appeals are free. No purchase or membership is required to obtain or retain these benefits.

Trophies, printed certificates and official labels are optional physical items ordered under separate terms. Production, delivery and applicable taxes are disclosed before an order is placed. There is no paid route to faster review, a higher score, a different award level or preferred directory placement.

11. Award-mark permission

After publication, the recipient may use the issued award mark without a licence fee for the product and version covered by its record, in accordance with the award mark guidelines. Permitted uses include the product's website, packaging and related communications. A retailer may use the supplied artwork for that product under the recipient's responsibility.

The artwork, award year and product attribution must remain accurate. Recipients may print compliant artwork themselves or purchase official physical labels. Neither form is a certificate that an individual retail item is genuine or has been tested by IAHPM. The IAHPM organisation logo is not a substitute for the product award mark.

An award claim must not suggest regulatory approval, certification, a guarantee of health outcomes or an award for unassessed products. IAHPM may require correction of a misleading use and, where necessary, suspend or withdraw permission.

12. Product changes and record maintenance

Recipients must report changes that may affect the awarded product, including formulation, intended use, relevant performance, principal design, software function or the organisation responsible for it. Minor record errors can be corrected; substantive changes may require reassessment or a new entry. Permission does not transfer automatically to a new version.

IAHPM requests a free annual confirmation of key product information. Failure to respond is shown as information not recently confirmed; it does not by itself erase the historical award. Discontinuation is recorded separately from suspension or revocation.

The award is a dated decision, without an annual renewal fee. Continued use must accurately refer to the assessed version and comply with its current status. Historical references to a suspended or revoked award must also state that status. See product changes and award status.

13. Concerns, suspension and revocation

Anyone may report a suspected error, material product concern or misuse of an award. IAHPM checks the information, seeks a response where appropriate and records the reasons for action. Urgent concerns may justify an interim suspension before a full response is obtained.

A record may be placed under review, suspended or revoked where justified by material evidence, misrepresentation, loss of eligibility or persistent misuse. The recipient is notified of the reasons and available review route. Public information is limited to what is necessary to explain the record's status; confidential allegations and reporter details are not published by default.

14. Appeals and new entries

An applicant or recipient may appeal a decision within 30 calendar days of notification on grounds of a material factual error, overlooked evidence, incorrect application of the rules or a procedural conflict. Appeals are free and considered by people who were not responsible for the challenged decision and have no relevant conflict.

IAHPM normally confirms the scope within ten working days and aims to decide the appeal within 30 calendar days of receiving a complete appeal. An extension will be explained. A reasoned outcome may uphold, correct or set aside the decision, or require a fresh assessment.

A substantial new product or new evidence may be considered through a new entry. Repeated submission of the same entry materials to seek different reviewers is not permitted. Read the appeals procedure before submitting.

15. Confidentiality and rights in material

Applicants retain their rights in submitted material. They give IAHPM the permissions needed to administer the entry, arrange review, retain the decision record and publish the agreed award information. Confidential reports are not published as award marketing material.

Access is limited to authorised people with a programme role. The privacy notice describes personal information, recipients, retention and requests. Reviewers must not use applicant material for their own commercial purposes or disclose it through unauthorised services.

16. Rule changes and contact

The version recorded at acceptance governs the assessment. Material future changes are published with their scope and effective date; they are not introduced to alter the outcome of an individual entry. Necessary action on a material risk, misconduct or legal requirement may still be taken and must be explained.

These rules do not remove rights that cannot lawfully be excluded. Questions about an entry should include its reference. Questions about a public award should include the Award ID.

Check eligibility · Contact the awards team