The Meridian Awards

THE Tantalis JURY PROCESS

Version 1.1

 

INTRODUCTION

The Tantalis Music Awards exists to recognise exceptional artistic work through thoughtful, human evaluation.

Tantalis was founded in response to an increasingly metrics-driven music culture in which visibility, virality, commercial reach, and algorithmic performance often overshadow artistic depth, emotional resonance, and creative originality.

The Tantalis jury process has therefore been designed around a simple principle:

music should be evaluated on artistic merit.

Every submission is assessed through structured human evaluation using category-specific criteria frameworks developed to prioritise:

• artistic integrity
• emotional communication
• originality
• craftsmanship
• cultural significance
• conceptual depth
• artistic execution

The Tantalis Music Awards does not utilise:

• public voting
• popularity metrics
• chart performance
• social media following
• streaming statistics
• industry influence
• commercial visibility

as determining factors in the judging process.

Tantalis believes exceptional art deserves thoughtful, transparent, and independent evaluation.

 

PRINCIPLES OF EVALUATION

The Tantalis jury process is built upon the following foundational principles:

 

Human-Led Assessment

All submissions are evaluated by human judges using structured category-specific scoring systems.

Tantalis does not utilise algorithmic ranking, automated evaluation systems, or popularity-based weighting within its assessment process.

 

Independent Evaluation

Judges assess submissions independently in order to minimise:

• groupthink
• consensus bias
• peer influence
• popularity influence

Scores are submitted individually and remain isolated throughout the primary assessment process.

Discussion between judges only occurs where necessary for procedural resolution, such as winner tie situations.

 

Blind Judging

Submissions are anonymised wherever reasonably possible during evaluation.

Judges are not provided with artist popularity metrics, follower counts, streaming statistics, label affiliation, or commercial performance data.

Tantalis believes artistic work should be evaluated independently from status or visibility.

 

Category-Specific Evaluation

Each category within Tantalis operates under its own dedicated criteria framework.

Submissions are evaluated against the artistic goals and philosophical intent of the category entered rather than against universal commercial standards.

Full judging criteria for all categories are publicly available.

 

Artistic Intent

Where relevant, artists may provide optional contextual statements outlining:

• artistic intent
• conceptual framing
• cultural context
• production philosophy
• creative methodology

These statements exist to provide artistic context, not to override the evaluation of the work itself.

 

Transparency

Tantalis is committed to maintaining transparent evaluation practices.

This includes:

• public access to category criteria
• public explanation of the jury methodology
• publicly disclosed jury members following each awards cycle
• entrant access to scores upon request

Tantalis believes artistic recognition should remain accountable, understandable, and trust-driven.

 

JURY STRUCTURE

The Tantalis jury consists of a deliberately selected panel of musically experienced professionals drawn from a range of artistic and technical backgrounds.

The jury may include:

• artists
• producers
• composers
• engineers
• journalists
• immersive audio specialists
• cultural specialists
• performance specialists
• industry professionals with relevant expertise

The size and composition of the jury may expand or contract between award cycles where deemed appropriate by Tantalis.

 

Jury Chair

The Tantalis Music Awards is overseen by a Jury Chair responsible for:

• maintaining procedural integrity
• overseeing scoring administration
• resolving procedural disputes
• overseeing tie resolution where necessary
• ensuring consistency across the evaluation process

The Jury Chair participates fully within the judging process as an active voting member.

 

Specialist Judges

Certain categories may include specialist judges with relevant expertise within those fields, including but not limited to:

• immersive audio
• cultural and heritage-based work
• production and sonic craft
• visual integration

Specialist judges hold equal scoring weight alongside all other jury members.

Where a tie occurs within a specialist category, the specialist judge’s assessment may act as the decisive determining vote where appropriate.

 

Jury Diversity

Tantalis seeks to maintain a jury body representing a range of:

• artistic disciplines
• musical perspectives
• cultural viewpoints
• creative backgrounds
• listening experiences

This is intended to strengthen fairness, perspective, and breadth of artistic understanding within the evaluation process.

 

Public Disclosure Of Jury Members

Jury members are disclosed publicly following the completion of each awards cycle.

Tantalis does not publicly disclose active judging panels during live assessment periods in order to preserve independence, impartiality, and the integrity of the process.

 

ELIGIBILITY SCREENING PROCESS

All submissions undergo an initial administrative screening prior to formal judging.

This screening process exists to ensure:

• category eligibility
• submission completeness
• technical compliance
• adherence to Meridian policies
• removal of clearly ineligible or significantly below-standard submissions

Screening may be conducted by any member of the jury or designated Tantalis representatives.

The screening stage is not considered part of the final judging process and does not determine category winners.

Tantalis reserves the right to:

• reject ineligible submissions
• request technical corrections
• reassign entries to more appropriate categories where beneficial to the entrant

Category reassignment may occur without prior approval where Tantalis believes another category more accurately reflects the artistic nature of the work submitted.

 

ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY

All eligible submissions are assessed using structured scoring matrices specific to each category.

Scoring Structure

Judges assign:

• whole-number scores only
• within the scoring ranges defined by each category framework

Each category contains clearly defined criteria and scoring descriptors intended to support consistency, transparency, and analytical evaluation.

 

Equal Vote Weighting

All judges hold equal scoring weight throughout the assessment process.

No judge receives preferential weighting outside procedural tie-resolution circumstances defined within this document.

 

Professional Listening Environments

Judges are expected to assess submissions using professional-quality monitoring systems and controlled listening environments wherever reasonably possible.

Immersive category submissions must be evaluated within Atmos-compatible monitoring environments appropriate to the format.

 

Independent Assessment

Judges evaluate submissions independently throughout the primary assessment process.

Tantalis prioritises isolated evaluation in order to minimise:

• external influence
• peer bias
• reputation influence
• consensus-driven scoring behaviour

Judges are encouraged to engage critically and personally with the work itself.

 

Re-Listening & Score Revision

Judges may revisit submissions and revise scores throughout the active judging window.

Scores remain editable until the official scoring deadline has passed.

Once submissions are locked, scores become final unless procedural review is required.

 

FINALIST SELECTION

Each category will recognise:

• five finalists
• one winner

Finalists are determined strictly by highest aggregate score totals within their category.

 

The Tantalis Distinction

Due to the nature of The Tantalis Distinction as Tantalis's highest artistic honour, the number of finalists may vary between awards cycles at the discretion of the jury.

Tantalis reserves the right to recognise a variable number of finalists within this category where deemed artistically appropriate by the jury.

 

Becoming a Tantalis finalist is intended to represent significant artistic recognition in its own right.

Tantalis reserves the right to withhold a category award where the jury collectively determines that no submission meaningfully meets the artistic standard required for recognition.

However, Tantalis's intention remains to recognise exceptional artistic achievement wherever it is found.

 

CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY

Judges are required to disclose any known conflicts of interest relating to submissions under assessment.

Disclosure does not automatically prevent participation within the judging process.

However, Tantalis reserves the right to review scores where significant scoring irregularities occur.

Where a judge’s score deviates by more than:

±10%

from the average score of the remaining judges within that category, Tantalis may conduct procedural review.

Where appropriate, the disputed score may be:

• reviewed
• adjusted
• or discarded

at the discretion of the Jury Chair.

This policy exists solely to protect fairness and consistency within the evaluation process.

 

TIE RESOLUTION

Tie resolution procedures apply only in situations where a tie directly affects the determination of a category winner.

Where applicable:

• specialist judges may provide the deciding assessment within specialist categories
• jury discussion may be initiated for procedural resolution
• the Jury Chair retains final authority regarding tie outcomes

Tantalis also reserves the right to award shared winners where the Jury Chair determines such an outcome artistically justified.

 

TRANSPARENCY & PUBLIC DISCLOSURE

Tantalis believes artistic evaluation should remain transparent and accountable.

As part of this commitment:

• all category criteria are publicly available
• all scoring structures are publicly explained
• judging methodology is publicly documented
• jury members are disclosed following each awards cycle
• entrants may request access to their final scores

Tantalis does not provide written feedback due to the scale and structure of the awards process.

Tantalis does not utilise:

• public voting
• audience polling
• popularity weighting
• social media engagement
• streaming performance
• chart statistics

within its evaluation process.

Recognition is determined through structured human evaluation alone.

 

CLOSING STATEMENT

The Tantalis jury exists to ensure fair, transparent, and meaningful artistic assessment across all categories and submissions.

Tantalis believes music deserves thoughtful evaluation grounded in emotional impact, artistic integrity, originality, craftsmanship, and human connection.

The purpose of the jury process is not simply to determine winners.

It is to uphold the value of artistic recognition itself.

At its core, the Tantalis Music Awards exists to honour music that demands attention through exceptional artistic expression, evaluated with seriousness, transparency, and respect.