Entering awards has so many advantages for a business and a team. They can provide brilliant opportunities for PR and promotion as well as giving you a chance to network with key people in the industry. Award entries also give you a chance to give back to your team by thanking them for their hard work.
These are my top tips for entering awards.
- Plan now for what awards you want to enter over the coming year. We are currently developing a list of the main awards in the UK that you will be able to get from us.
- Pick the correct category – don’t waste your time entering the wrong one for you.
- Do some research on who was shortlisted last year and who the judges are. You will be able to get an idea of what sorts of businesses did well.
- Read any guidance provided by the organisers carefully. They will often tell you what they are looking for.
- Answer the questions properly – like your teacher used to tell you at school. Make sure you answer the questions, not the question you wanted them to ask you.
- Back up your facts with figures and statistics.
- Judging awards is actually pretty tedious. Make your entry easy to read. Use subheadings. Make sure there are no typos.
- Stick to the word count.
- Get a second pair of eyes to check all your information.
If you can get yourself shortlisted, that is a wonderful achievement and you will get plenty of social media and PR opportunities on the back of that. You don’t necessarily need to win to benefit (even though it’s wonderful to win!).
At the awards event (or virtual event).
- Consider inviting key clients and suppliers to attend with you.
- Have a speech prepared in case you need it.
- Don’t get drunk before your category is announced! It sounds obvious but save the celebrations until after the ceremony and pace yourself. I have often witnessed embarrassing speeches, people falling off the stage – all sorts!
Do reach out and ask for advice – you can book a power hour to discuss which awards you may enter or engage us to write the entry for you. Good Luck!
