# How award approvals work

> A standard award can need no approval, one or two. You choose who approves each level on the award, and approvers say yes or no from My Approval on the employee site.

- Product: Recognition › Awards and quotas

- Plan: Recognition
- Where: Admin dashboard, Vantage Circle web app
- Last checked: 15 Oct 2026
- Web page: https://www.vantagecircle.com/en/help/recognition/awards-and-quotas/how-award-approvals-work/

Approvals apply to standard awards. Panel awards use their panel and winner selector instead, and CSV awards are approved as a points upload in Rewards Hub.

## Setting it up

On the award's **Eligibility and approvals** step, choose an **Approval process**:

- **No approval needed** is the default. The award is given the moment it's nominated.
- **One approval** adds a **First Level Approval**.
- **Two approvals** adds a **Second Level Approval** after it.

For each level, choose who approves under **Choose who approves**. The list comes from your company's setup, so the names can differ. It usually includes:

- the reporting manager of the nominator or of the receiver, shown as **Reporting Manager (Nominator)** and **Reporting Manager (Receiver)**;
- **Department Approvers**, at the first level only;
- **Specific Approver**, where you name one person under **Choose a specific approver**.

## What happens to a nomination

1. An employee nominates someone. The first approver gets an email.
2. The approver opens **To-Do List → My Approval** on the employee site and approves or declines. Approvers can also act in bulk.
3. With two approvals, an approved nomination moves to the second approver. The nominator gets an email saying it has "gone for second level approval".
4. At the last approval, the people nominated get their points and a notification. The nominator gets an email saying the nomination was approved.

If your company uses budgets, the points come out of a budget at the last approval. If there isn't enough, the approver sees "Insufficient budget for ->>" followed by names. If an award quota is used at approval and the approver has run out, they see "Sorry, you do not have sufficient award quota!"

## Declining

Approvers write a reason when they decline, usually at least 25 characters. A shorter one gets "Decline reason must be at least 25 characters long." The nominator gets an email with the reason.

An approved award can't be declined. To take points back after an award is given, see [Points and transactions](/en/help/rewards-hub/points-and-transactions/).

## Things to know

- **Nominations don't expire.** A nomination waits until someone approves or declines it, unless Vantage Circle has set up automatic declines for your company. See [A nomination is stuck waiting for approval](/en/help/recognition/awards-and-quotas/a-nomination-is-stuck-waiting-for-approval/).
- **Approvers can hand over.** An approver who'll be away can let someone approve on their behalf.
- **Managers' side of this** is covered in [Lead your team](/en/help/recognition/lead-your-team/).