By following our top tips, you can craft an award entry that impresses the judges and wins your business the chance to shine:

1. Read the entry criteria. Then read it again.

Think back to school exams – many of us can hear the words of our teachers ringing in our ears; “READ THE QUESTION!” The same is true when crafting an awards entry. While you may have a wealth of examples or supporting evidence ready to go, pigeonholing it into an entry without carefully considering what the judges are looking for is unlikely to work.

Thinking through the criteria and exactly what’s needed will enable you to shape your entry accordingly and ensure it ticks all the right boxes. The criteria description is also likely to contain buzzwords that you’ll need to reference throughout the entry, so get your highlighter pen ready!

2. Keep it structured

Just like any great piece of content, it’s important that your entry has a clear structure and that your points follow a logical order. Pay attention to the format that your entry is required to take too; sometimes this might be a single, longer written entry, with an executive summary, or it could be a set of questions that require shorter responses.

Regardless of which form your entry will take, it always pays to have a plan. Think about which of your points should go into each section and the most impactful order for approaching them. This will ultimately make things far easier when the time comes to get drafting and make you more likely to produce a winning entry.

3. Use strong signposts throughout

Signposting (using key words from the awards criteria) throughout your entry can be an effective way of demonstrating that you’ve understood and are answering the judges’ brief. For example, if the criteria refers to “innovative and creative PR campaigns”, repeating the adjectives “innovative” and “creative” or words that mean the same thing can help you to build a strong argument and flags to the judges that they should take your entry seriously.

4. Be punchy and succinct

Awards entries often have strict word limits, so it’s important that your wording gets to the point and makes an impact. Remember that judging panels will likely have huge numbers of entries to read through, so it’s vital to make sure yours gets noticed. You can do this by choosing punchy, powerful language and cutting out any waffle.

Once you’ve produced a first draft, read through it carefully to spot any opportunities to cut out excess wording, including any cases of repetition. Techniques such as sound bites, anecdotes and real-life examples can also help to add colour to your entry and tell a convincing story of why your business deserves to win the title.

5. Pepper your entry with proof points

While a well-written entry is important, strong proof points are often what takes an awards entry to the next level. After all, virtually anyone can claim to be the best, but using facts, figures and examples as evidence is hard to argue with and helps to show the measurable impact of your actions. For example, rather talking about a “strong increase in sales”, can you say that “sales increased by 20%”?

Positive testimonials or quotes, and links to external sources (if allowed), are other forms of evidence that can help you to craft a convincing entry. Remember that information such as facts and figures can take time to gather together, so you need to allow plenty of time before the final deadline for submitting your entry.

6. Make the most of supporting evidence 

Often, award entries include the option to provide supporting evidence. However, just because it’s not compulsory doesn’t mean this section should be overlooked. Pay close attention to the types of evidence that are accepted and allow plenty of time for considering what evidence you could provide, and choosing the best bits.

Sometimes, awards entries will accept optional supporting videos which, while they can take time to create, can be a great way of standing out from the crowd by showcasing your business’ passion and creativity. It’s also worth thinking about whether you have any positive testimonials from satisfied clients or staff, depending on the category you’re entering. If not, could you request some? Ultimately, supporting evidence is another opportunity to win over the judges and set your business apart, so make the most of it!

Award wins can be an impressive badge of honour, helping your business to showcase its achievements and stand out from its competitors. However, crafting an entry that wins over the judges often requires forward planning, as well as a clear understanding of what the judges are looking for. With the right plan in place, businesses can master the art of the awards entry and get their share of the spotlight.