The EYQA Independence Charter
The structural commitments that ensure EYQA certification means what it says: recognition follows evidence, not relationships.
"Certification follows evidence. It does not precede it."
In a market where certification is often purchased, awards are often arranged, and recognition is often traded for sponsorship, EYQA operates under a different principle. This Charter codifies the structural commitments that make independent validation possible.
Principle 1 — Contractual Firewall
There is no commercial pathway to certification outcome. Payment for validation services, gallery placement, or deployment access does not influence tier designation. No financial arrangement — direct or indirect — can alter an assessment result. This is enforced by separation of assessment personnel from commercial relationship management.
Principle 2 — Methodology Precedes Recognition
The EYQA assessment methodology is published before any certification is issued. Criteria for Bronze, Silver, and Gold tiers are defined in advance and applied uniformly. No methodology change is made retroactively to accommodate a submission. Recognition follows the published standard — not the reverse.
Principle 3 — Evidence-Only Determination
Certification tier is determined exclusively by the volume, quality, and replicability of evidence submitted. Factors explicitly excluded from consideration: company size, relationship duration, payment amount, founder reputation, investor profile, prior engagements, and future potential. The evidence record alone determines the outcome.
Principle 4 — Transparent Assessment Criteria
All assessment criteria are published and accessible. Every narrative is evaluated against the same six dimensions (Evidence, Logic, Perspective, Risk, Context, Actionability) and the same four business validation dimensions (Experience, Yield, Quality, Agility). No proprietary or undisclosed criteria are used in any assessment.
Principle 5 — Independent Oversight
Assessment outcomes are subject to periodic independent review to ensure consistency and methodological integrity. Review findings are documented and, where material, published. The independence of the assessment function is structurally protected from commercial pressure.
Principle 6 — No Retroactive Certification
Certification cannot be applied retroactively to narratives that did not undergo assessment at the time of their original dissemination. The sequence (Validation → Certification → Deployment) is fixed. There is no alternative path to certified status.
Principle 7 — Public Accountability
EYQA publishes aggregate defensibility data (anonymised) and maintains a public register of certified narratives. Anyone may verify a certification designation. Certification cannot be hidden, revoked without cause, or selectively disclosed.
"EYQA exists to validate narratives, not to certify customers. The distinction is structural, not rhetorical. This Charter makes it enforceable."
