Are you looking to bolster your organisation’s reputation with industry recognition? For any company, there’s a lot of value in writing a business award submission.
From startups to seasoned industry stalwarts, business awards give you credibility. They’re a stamp of approval that show you’re reliable, provide value for money, and don’t come with any nasty surprises.
For companies, these endorsements can provide a real competitive edge. Think about it – when you’re booking a hotel or choosing a new restaurant, what do you look for? Glowing reviews, critical acclaim, Michelin Stars, awards. These are all accolades that promote a business to customers, giving them confidence that an establishment is a good choice.
In business, the same applies. Awards let potential clients, employees and partners know they’re in safe hands. So, how can you win them?
Unfortunately, doing great work alone isn’t enough to be shortlisted. In addition, firms need to put the required time and effort into writing a winning award submission that ticks all the right boxes.
You may have worked on some amazing projects, delivered some incredible results for clients, and be a genuine innovator in your industry. But without communicating that in the right way, you’ll fail to impress the judges enough to capture those all-important accolades.
As experienced B2B copywriters, we know the difference between an award-winning submission and an entry that will cast aside. Having written numerous award entries across different categories for companies of all shapes and sizes, including healthcare firms, technology companies and sustainability specialists, we’ve learned several dos and don’ts.
In this guide, we share seven essential tips when it comes to writing a winning award submission that can be applied across a variety of business awards and categories.
1. Choose the right category
To ensure that your entry isn’t destined to fail before it’s even been drafted, it’s critical to identify the most relevant category to enter. It might sound obvious, but to avoid falling at the first hurdle, it’s worth triple checking. While one category might seem like it makes the most sense, there can be can often be overlap between different submission guidelines, so make sure you read the description for each category carefully.
This doesn’t mean you’re limited to entering one category. If your work is applicable to multiple awards, then you can put it forward across a few. Just make sure each entry is tailored to the specific criteria. In the same way that employers can spot job application covering letters that have been copy and pasted time and time again, judges will be able to quickly see when applications are duplicated. Remember: A targeted, tailored entry will always beat a generic one.
2. Pay attention to the award criteria
Category descriptions and criteria won’t just tell you which award your work is most applicable for. They will also outline exactly what judges are looking for in an award-winning submission. So, it’s important to read the question, and read it again.
When you know a project inside out, it’s easy to overlook what the judges are actually asking for, or to include details they haven’t asked for at all.
To avoid this and ensure you submit information that the judges want to see, it’s vital to plan out exactly what information to include for each question before you start writing. This will keep your answers relevant to each question and the overall entry criteria, giving you the best chance of success.
It’s also important to take a note of the format that your entry needs to be in. When does it need to be submitted by? What is the word or character count for each section? Judges are unlikely to take kindly to entries that are submitted late or exceed the specified length.
3. Look at last year’s winners
During the planning phase, it’s also worth looking at last year’s winners. While you’re unlikely to find the winning entry writeup itself, you can really examine what the judges said about those companies and projects that were shortlisted.
Think about why they won, and the qualities or achievements that the judges have really shone a spotlight on. What did they like about their projects? If there’s a clear emphasis on sustainability credentials, pay a little more mention to these. If the judges cite some of the most crucial impactful statistics, make sure you put facts front and centre.
You can tell a lot from looking at previous winners. It can give a good indication of the specific details that the judges are generally looking for, which you can then highlight in your own work.
4. Tell a story
By now, you should have all the right information to plan out a successful, award-winning entry – the category that’s most relevant for you, what the judges want to see in your entry, and insights into exactly the type of qualities that previous winners have been recognised for. Next, it’s time to start writing.
Again, winning an award doesn’t just come down to what you’ve achieved. It’s also comes down to how well you can communicate those achievements.
It’s important to really put yourself in the judges’ shoes. They’ll be reading a large number of entries, so how can you ensure yours is a memorable, engaging read? Don’t just list out the details in bulky paragraphs and long sentences. Look to tell a story: what was the challenge that was faced, how did you solve it, and what impact has that solution had?
With the right structure, flow, tone and narrative, you’ll have a much better chance of standing out.
5. Keep it simple
Telling a story doesn’t mean waffling on. Far from it.
Always think about the quality of your words, not the quantity. Most award submissions come with strict word or character limits for each question, so being concise is key. You don’t have to use the full word count — in fact, if you can clearly communicate your value in fewer words, that’s often more effective.
To do that, it’s important to write simply and concisely. Again, when judges have to sift through many entries, the last thing they want to read is something laborious and unnecessarily wordy or complicated.
6. Get to the facts
A good way of quickly conveying the impact of your project in a concise way is to focus on the facts.
Really think about building your entry around those key statistics and outcomes that you’re most proud of or have left the greatest mark. It’s an easy way to show the true value that you’ve provided.
Be specific and provide evidence. Figures, testimonials, case study data, performance metrics, and media coverage are all great ways of bringing credibility to your submission.
With that said, if you are submitting client-sensitive information, it’s important to check that they are happy for you to do so. It wouldn’t be fun to spend days writing an entry, only to then withdraw it!
7. Focus on outcomes
Finally, to really go the extra mile, it can also pay dividends to think outside the box. When showcasing a solution provided for a single client, it can be easy to highlight the impact it has had for that company or individual. But what about the broader benefits?
Does your solution or project also benefit surrounding communities, or your own team’s learnings? Will it improve your own offering moving forward? And why is that important in a wider context? Does this solution help from a sustainability perspective? Or provide development opportunities for your employees to thrive?
Thinking about these ripple effects can really convey the criticality of your project to judges, and may just provide the cherry on top on an award submission that’s needed to secure a win.
Are you ready to put your company forward for an award, but lack the time, or don’t know where to start? At WD Editorial, we’re experienced in writing successful award-winning submissions that will clearly communicate the impact and value of your work in way that resonates with judges.
Whether you need help with planning an entry, writing a submission from scratch, or fine-tuning copy so that it meets specific entry criteria, we’re here to help. Contact us today to give your award submission the best chance of success.
