Paper

Call for Papers & Material Submission

What Is ACE

Prove Your Team Is the Best of the Best in Asia Pacific

IQPMA and APQO warmly invite quality experts and professionals from around the globe to gather in Bali, the “Island of Gods” to discuss quality, share best practices, explore the latest developments, and collaborate on optimal solutions in the fields of quality, branding, and innovation. We look forward to your participation and to sharing insights on quality excellence and innovation with you.

ACE is a highly participative, interactive team excellence competition — designed to recognise teams that share common values and goals, combining talent and skill to reach a new level of performance. APQO welcomes teams from every member country, from public sector to private, non-profit to any industry, whether just starting out or already running mature systems.

The Objective: provide a platform for competition to recognise the best of the best teams from APQO member countries. This process creates a "best-practice" sharing environment and fosters a healthy spirit of competition — one that encourages and rewards excellence.

Why Participate

Three Reasons Teams Show Up

Learn & Share

Study other teams, benchmark your own effort, and showcase your organization's commitment to productivity, innovation, and continuous improvement.

Benchmark and Leap

See how your team measures up against the best in the world — then embrace what you learn to leap toward excellence.

Recognise & Celebrate

Motivate your people, strengthen workforce engagement, and demonstrate commitment to your organization's vision and its stakeholders.

Eligibility

Are You Eligible?

✓

National Win, Last 2 Years

Your team must have won a national-level award (national team excellence, IQC, or QCC competition) within the last two years.

Example: won nationally in 2024 or 2025 → eligible for the 2026 ACE Team Awards.
Timeline

The Clock Is Real — Here's Where It Stops

15 May
Registration opens
15 Jul
Registration deadline
31 Jul
Abstract & payment deadline
20 Aug
Final paper & video (online)
27–28 Oct
Competition day, Bali
Heads up: registration, abstract, and payment deadlines land within the same window in July. Handle all three together — don't let one slip while you're busy with another.
The Process

Three Steps. That's It.

01

Register

Submit the Registration Form (Annex C) to the APQO Secretariat. Team names must be exact — this is what gets engraved on the trophy. No changes after 15 July.

02

Submit

Send your Abstract (300-word limit) and PowerPoint presentation materials, following your fee payment.

03

Present Live

Present your project in Bali to a panel of at least 2 assessors and a live audience. Max 15 minutes — the bell rings once at minute 8 as your warning.

Prepare Your Submission

What You Need to Download

📋

ACE Team Registration Form

The official form to register your team(s). Double-check spelling — it's engraved on the trophy and can't change after 15 July.

Download Annex C (.docx) →
📝

Abstract Format

Team & company profile (250 words), project title, group photo, and abstract (300 words, English).

Download Annex E (.docx) →
📊

Full Criteria & Annexes

The complete 8-category scoring rubric (Annex A) plus the assessor score sheet and presentation guide — read this before you build a single slide.

Download Criteria (.pdf) →
📄

Program Announcement

Fees, venue, payment instructions, and the full submission timeline in one official notice.

Download Announcement (.pdf) →
📖

Program Introduction

What ACE is, why it matters, eligibility rules, and how scoring affects your final award — the full background.

Download Introduction (.pdf) →
What You're Competing For

Every Team Wins Something. Five Teams Win More.

—
0–29
Certificate
★
30–49
1-Star
★★
50–69
2-Star
★★★
70–89
3-Star
★★★★
90–100
4-Star

Plus five special awards — given only when a team truly earns it:

🏆

Overall Best

📈

Best Impact on Productivity

💡

Best Impact on Innovation

⚙️

Best for Leveraging Technology

Since 2017
🔄

Best for Impact on Transformation

Since 2018
No participation-trophy inflation — special awards go unclaimed in any year no team earns them.
Before You Register

Know the Rules

Awards Terms & Conditions
  • Applications submitted after the announced deadline will not be accepted — no exceptions.
  • APQO Member Organizations may support as many categories as they wish.
  • Only entries that meet the stipulated criteria on the eligibility/application form will be accepted for assessment.
  • Entry is open only to organizations supported or sponsored by an APQO Core Council member, from a country that Core Council member represents.
  • All entries become and remain the property of the APQO Award Governing Council and APQO Secretariat, and will not be returned unless arranged prior to submission.
  • Entrants should not disclose confidential or price-sensitive information — confidentiality cannot be guaranteed.
  • The decision of the APQO Award Governing Council and ACE Team Judging Panel is final. No correspondence will be entered into after winners are selected, and judges are not obliged to disclose scores or judging information.
  • Winning teams must send their most senior representative, or a suitable senior delegate, to the awards ceremony.
  • APQO Secretariat reserves the right to withdraw an award in the case of non-attendance.
  • The cost of attending the Award Ceremony — including any accompanying party — is borne by the winner. An entry fee per person applies, as advised by the host.

Proven Track Record Since 2016

Eight editions strong — from Rotorua to Manila, Abu Dhabi to Bali, Sri Lanka to Mexico.

View Past ACE Winners →