Business Awards: How to Write a Winning Entry

With the #Oscars officially kicking off this year's awards season, there is no time like the present to discuss the importance of awards to your company - why you should enter, and just how to craft that compelling, and winning entry.

There is a good reason why award submissions are challenging. Nominations should be factual and objective, but they also need to convey enthusiasm and advocacy. Finding the right balance can certainly be tricky, but despite this, you should never let it discourage you. Being nominated for an award is already a huge accomplishment with the benefits of even being shortlisted, far-reaching.

The Importance of Recognition

Before I take you to my hints and tips for writing an award-winning award entry, let’s take a moment to understand just why receiving recognition holds so much value for you and your company:

• Increased credibility

In the business world, winning or even being nominated for an award, can be a strong form of third-party validation. These kinds of endorsements can help to solidify your reputation as a trustworthy provider. It's one thing to say you're the best, but when someone else says the same thing it gives your company, your product, your service, and your claims, more weight: increasing trust and getting people talking about your brand. This puts you on the radar of your potential customers, partners, and suppliers. Successful businesses gravitate towards other successful businesses, strengthening your supply chain and partner network. Customers are more likely to do business with a company that has a good reputation. And the competition will recognise you as a credible contender.

• Enhanced customer acquisition, retention, and loyalty

By competing in, and winning industry awards, your company will clearly demonstrate that it is at the forefront of its field, giving customers more confidence in their decision making to come to you, and to stay with you. Customers tend to have more faith in a company that has been recognised for excellence through awards, either as a winner or a nominee. Even if consumers aren't consciously aware of this perception, award-winning companies are consistently perceived as having a higher level of credibility and honesty, with award participation and success linked to increased revenue and more repeat customers for businesses. Brand loyalty is strengthened as customers prefer to continue doing business with companies that they believe are brilliant, successful, honest, and are here to stay. Your company will be recognised as a reliable brand, and if you've won more awards than any other in your industry, who might you think customers will gravitate towards?

• Employee motivation

Motivating your employees to do their best work is easier when you give them awards for their efforts. Or maybe that’s just me! The motivation to keep up good work and working practices is amplified when employees realise they have played a part in success. Winning an award is a great way to boost morale and motivate your team because it acknowledges their hard work and achievements. An awards ceremony ought to be open to all members of your widest team, and all should be given the chance to attend. Because the accomplishments of the company are the focus of everyone's attention, every individual can feel an increased sense of pride in their work and understand that it is being both acknowledged and recognised.

• Attracting Staff

Put simply, high-quality businesses find it easier to hire high-quality employees. By establishing your company as an industry frontrunner, you increase your chances of attracting talent, with experienced employees drawn to the increased opportunities and safety they may find with a market leader. Accolades for accomplishment are the best way to demonstrate your professionalism and standing in your field, demonstrating reliability, expertise, and dedication to prospective employees.

• Benchmarking

Want to take a step towards levelling the playing field? What I relish about business awards is that they provide a platform from which to take on industry heavyweights and the most innovative start-ups alike sharing the spotlight with some of the biggest and most agile in the industry. In many categories you can effectively compete against far more established and well-known brands and whilst having your company's logo displayed next to those can be a boon in itself, that pales when you play them at their own game, and win.

• Exposure

A natural buzz will be generated around your company if it wins an award, with long term benefits far outweighing that short-term euphoria. If you want to get your company's name in front of influential people in your industry, region, or field, attending an awards ceremony is a great place to start. The act of associating an award with your company will not only garner recognition, but it will also help you solidify your standing as a leading figure in your industry. And, once the thunderous applause dies down and you're holding the trophy in your hands, the good times keep rolling. Your public relations can be greatly improved by winning an award, and the act of accepting the award should only be the first step in a larger campaign to promote the news of your success. If the prize is especially noteworthy, local, and possibly even national media may report on it. Just make sure to update your website, socials, bios, blogs, literature, emails, adverts, sales materials, business cards and so on, with the award logo to gain the most public recognition for your achievement. You earned this; now put it to good use!

How to Write an Award-Winning Submission

So, let’s get down to it. While it can take weeks to put together full and qualified submissions that are tailored to every entry (which will take you away from your ‘day job’), the benefits are well worth the effort. In the following, I will discuss some things that you might want to take into consideration, as well as the characteristics of an outstanding entry.

1. ?The first step in submitting to an award is to verify the credibility of the organisation you've chosen from the abundance of awarding organisations out there. Consider such factors as relevance to your industry, who is eligible to enter, how the winners are selected, who will be funding or sponsoring the competition, and who has won in the past. When major businesses and public figures show their support by sponsoring an event, you can rest assured that it is well worth your time and participation.
2. Start early. The time it takes to submit an entry for an award is often much longer than people expect. There is a school of thought that winning awards is a numbers game. I personally do not attend that school, nor do I have the capacity to approach such efforts with this mindset. There will be significant demands on your time and considerable effort required to create a winning entry because they are simply not cookie-cutter submissions. Rather, they are created specifically for the award being sought. Be prepared for weeks of work per entry.
3. Overcome any self-doubt. Self-doubt is common when writing a submission for an award, as it can be difficult to objectively evaluate your own, or your company’s achievements and success, and just as tricky to convey what you need to succinctly. It is important to remember that the judges are looking for excellence and innovation, and to focus only on strengths and accomplishments. This is not a one-person job and takes the work of many people to achieve a balanced and relevant submission.
4. Gather those relevant people from your business who have a stake in the outcome and decide where your focus lies. Applying for an award requires extensive company-wide research. Understand what is going to mean the most to your business. For instance, are you attempting to recruit new members to your team? If this is the case, you ought to think about applying for awards like the ‘The Best Place to Work’. Create a list of everything you've accomplished, and then choose the project that's the best in terms of the angle, innovation, and impact. And be aware that this may not end up being the first one that springs to mind!
5. Nominations do require specific criteria to be met, such as achievements, contributions, or impact in a particular field. You will need to gather all the necessary information and evidence to demonstrate that you meet these criteria. And it's not enough to simply list those achievements or contributions; it's important to explain why they are significant, and how they have made a meaningful impact to your company, to your customers, to your partners, and in your field or industry.
6. Business awards are usually judged based on evidence, so it is also crucial to provide concrete examples and data to support your claims. Include both quantitative and qualitative evidence to back up your claim. Exposing positive shifts and CAGRs from one year to the next can be very instructive. Use case studies, customer/employee quotes, videos, and rich media to support your entry always bearing in mind that such recommendations carry considerable weight.
7. Don’t forget the competition - in most cases, there will be many other nominees competing for the same award, and your nomination needs to stand out among the others. Crafting a compelling narrative is key and your submission needs to tell a story that is differentiating and engaging. You need to explain what sets your business apart, how you have overcome challenges, and what impact you have had on your industry or community.
8. Try not to labour a point. It can be challenging to put together a submission that does justice to your accomplishments, successes, and innovations while still being clear and concise. For your message to resonate with your audience, you need to use precise and simple language and try to keep things straightforward when you write. Avoid alienating the judges by presuming that they are familiar with every facet of your industry or product; they may not be specialists in your field, they may not understand the jargon, and they will most likely have many submissions to evaluate. Use bullets to address the word count limitations and be original. Stand out! Always remember that the judges are faced with many entries to read.

In summary

Competition for business awards can be fierce. When it comes to entering, this prospect, in addition to the time and effort required to create an application, can frequently be enough to unsettle, or even deter, potential candidates from entering. No matter how big or small your company is, you can, and should enter any relevant business awards.

If the right awards are selected, the right work is completed, and the right attitude is maintained throughout the process, I have found that award entries can provide businesses with valuable insight. You might be required to take a fresh look at your company and evaluate how you stack up against competitors and other businesses in your industry. Thinking about how you differ from others will help you uncover how to perform tasks more effectively and, in my experience, has helped identify internal systems and processes (and, yes, even marketing campaigns!) where improvements can be made. This ‘forced SWOT analysis’ means that it is in fact possible that simply putting submissions together has just a high a value than the prize itself. So set aside the time, put in the effort, and just throw your hat into the ring!

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