Business awards and how to write an award-winning entry

With several of our customers recently being shortlisted for different award schemes, we thought it might be useful to give a roundup of business awards throughout the UK.

Winning or even being nominated for a business award can boost awareness of your brand and help you gain new customers. There are many different types of awards, each with their own specific categories, entry criteria and incentives for entering.

How to make a good submission

• Choose carefully. Don’t just apply to any award you think you are eligible for. Submitting entries for awards takes time and thought, so consider which awards are likely to be the most beneficial for you and which category would be most appropriate. This may depend on the prominence of the award scheme or the benefits offered to the award winners.
• Fulfil the criteria. Each entry will be marked using set criteria, so you make sure you read through this thoroughly and answer the questions as fully as possible. If they ask for submissions in a particular format, then comply. If you’re asked to provide evidence of your success, then provide it. Facts and figures can help improve your entry if they support your submission, but don’t just add a mass of data that has no relevance. If they specify a minimum or maximum word count, then make sure your entry meets this.
• Don’t copy and paste. Writing entries can be time consuming and it can be tempting to copy and paste content from one award submission to another, but don’t. It’s generally easy to spot when someone does this, as your submission won’t fully answer the questions being asked, wasting both your time and that of the judges.
• Write in plain English. Don’t use the jargon for your industry; explain things in layman’s terms and tell a story in your application. Chances are, some or all of the judges won’t understand specific industry lingo, so including it will make your entry much harder to read and score.  Spell out the benefits of your achievement; don’t just assume judges will be able to join up the dots.
  If you need help writing your submission, ask a colleague to help you or to review it afterwards. Try to be reasonably concise – the judges will probably have to read through numerous entries, so reading an entire essay won’t work in your favour. Proofread your submission, checking carefully for typos and inaccuracies.
• Give yourself time. If you are rushing to complete your entry at the last minute, chances are you’ll miss something or possibly miss the deadline and then your hard work will have gone to waste.
• Stand out from the crowd. Think about how you can get the judges’ attention and make your entry stand out from the others. Make your entry easy to read and clear as to why you fit their criteria. Think carefully about the project or achievement you use to showcase your business. It’s not always the latest or largest project that will make a winning entry. If you can include photographs or additional supporting evidence, such as videos, make sure they look professional and are easy to access.
• Look at previous winners. Think about why they won, what qualities or achievements they had that made them stand out for the category you are applying for.