Handy tips on the road to awards success
The basics
Entrants will have a maximum of 1000 words to tell us why they think they should win an award. This will be judged in line with the description and criteria for each award.
Plan your entries now
The entry deadline may seem a long way off, but before you know it, it will be time to submit. Start thinking about/planning the content of your entries now. Will you require customer testimonials? Will you need client approval/senior management sign off? Are the performance statistics freely available? All this can take more time than you might think. Plus of course, once you have submitted your entries, then the pressure is off and you can simply sit back and await the results! A well thought out and planned submission will regularly beat a rushed, last minute one!
Discuss your entries with key colleagues and teams
They were essential in ensuring you are performing at an elite level, so they know as well as anyone the detail behind what you have achieved and how you achieved it over the last 12 months.
Performance statistics are paramount
Try to be as specific about your achievements as you can – positive language and forceful adjectives will help, but it is the detail and performance related statistics that will separate you from the rest.
Structure your entries and drill down into the detail of your performance
It’s tempting to write down all of your successes in a few action packed, juicy paragraphs, but you may end up with an unclear entry that does not follow the entry criteria. Try and breakdown each point in the criteria individually – What were you aiming to achieve? What did you do to achieve it? How did you do it? What were your results vs your initial target/plan? Combine the narrative with supporting statistics and testimonials to offer independent/third party endorsement in support of your successes.
Be clear and concise
You know your company and what you do you do inside out – but this will not always be the case with the judges – ensure you are clear and that you avoid any technical/in-house language, jargon and acronyms. Above all, make it easy for the judges to understand your submission. Provide background and context where applicable.
Read through all the categories and the accompanying entry criteria before you enter
We have a range of new categories available this year and it’s FREE to enter – so, ensure you enter all the categories that are applicable to you, your teams and your business. The more categories you enter, the greater your chance of multiple success on the night! But the key is to enter the categories that are most relevant to you and that you have the best chance of winning.
Rules are rules
Please ensure you adhere to the stipulated word count. We know that it quickly gets used up,
Most importantly, ensure you build your submissions around the entry criteria
Use the entry criteria to ensure that your submissions include all the information required.
Ensure you provide a bespoke submission for each entered category. Do NOT include the same generic submissions across multiple categories.