Writing Winning Award Submissions
Award wins are great for you and your business, but how can you turn an 'also ran' entry into a winner?
Awards are real profile boosters but they also underline what’s great about your business whether it’s the people, a successful sales strategy, or a strong corporate social responsibility policy.
Best of all is the fact that it’s independent referees (ie: the judges) who are saying you’re great which is far more convincing to others than somebody shouting about their own greatness!
Having just come up for air after writing a plethora of award submissions on behalf of clients (of which we’ve already had two shortlisted for the final line-up), I thought it was worthwhile giving a few tips on entering awards. It may seem a doddle, but every award entry takes time and effort to get right, even to get within grasp of the winner’s trophy.
1.Read the award criteria closely. Yes, this is an obvious one, but each award is different. Look at the criteria closely and note down just how many of the conditions you can satisfy (for every one you can’t meet your entry will be edging closer to the ‘no’ bin).
2.De-PR the copy. It might seem odd for a PR to say this but it really is important to cut out any ‘bigging up’ that can’t be backed by solid evidence.
3.Evidence, evidence, evidence – need I say more!
4.Word limits – they’re there for a reason. Anybody busting the word limit greatly will find their submissions on the way out. The best way is to begin a submission by writing down everything you’d like to put in and then if you’re way over the word limit, be harsh and look at what’s really necessary. Also pay attention to any superfluous words creeping in.
5.Look at past winners to see what floats the judges’ boats.
6.Presentation – check for spelling mistakes and presentation criteria. If it says, photos no bigger than 1mb, make sure they aren’t 16mb.
7.Deadline – meet it!
8.If you win, make the most of it – have a great photo taken (avoiding it being just a line-up of smiley faces shaking hands); issue a press release to your local media and trade press; use the logo on your email footer etc etc.
