Creating a winning award submission is an art and a science. It involves carefully crafting a compelling narrative that highlights unique aspects of your project or business. In this blog, we’ll discuss how you write submissions that win you awards.
Why enter business awards?
Entering business awards offers a range of benefits for your business. It reinforces your company’s credibility and recognition by showcasing your achievements whilst boosting your brand awareness and attracting new customers through media exposure. Awards set you apart from your competitors by highlighting your unique strengths and making you more attractive to clients.
Before you start
The process of writing an award submission can take a few weeks to complete, so it’s best to give yourself plenty of time to carry out the submission so you do it justice. Begin by identifying the awarding body, timeline, cost, and category before starting your application. You might need to register with the awarding body before entering.
Once you've determined which award you're applying for, thoroughly read the guidelines. These guidelines provide critical information on how to structure your submission, including a brief and helpful tips. Paying close attention to these requirements is crucial to ensure your submission meets all criteria and is accepted.
Next, you need to choose the work you’re submitting, whether this is internal work or a client campaign. Understand who should be involved and whether you need permission from anyone to enter.
Do your research
Now you’re up to speed with the requirements, it’s time to carry out research and gather resources. Approach this like you would any writing project, as award submissions share similarities with case studies. Focus on collecting the data and input needed for a compelling narrative.
Speak with your colleagues, whoever worked on the project with you. Spend time investigating the details of the work to create an engaging and accurate submission. The more detail you can gather, the more interesting your award submission will be.
You can also gather initial proposals for the project, meeting notes, and data collected. Any resources you can find for the project can help you when it comes to writing.
How to write your submission
When writing your award submission, you should present a clear, compelling, and well-organised narrative that highlights your achievements and the impact of your project. Here’s how to write it.
Summarise the main points
Start your submission with a summary that captures the essence of your project. This should provide an overview of your project, the results, and why this should be considered for the award. Be careful not to say too much here, this should just focus on one key highlight to hook the reader.
Detail what the project was and who was involved
Next, describe the project in more detail including what it entailed and the context in which it was developed. Make sure to mention the key people who were involved in the project such as project managers, team members, departments, or external partners. Highlight each person’s role and contribution to emphasise the collaborative nature of the project.
Here is a great opportunity to utilise the 4 ‘W’s: who, what, when, and where. Your ‘why’ will be answered in the next section.
Outline the objectives, goals, and challenges faced
Clearly outline the initial objectives and goals of the project. You should describe what you aimed to achieve and why these goals were important. This is also your chance to discuss any challenges or setbacks you experienced throughout the project. Although it can be tempting to avoid this, it’s crucial to remain honest and transparent about the process. Challenges that you face could include budget constraints, tight deadlines, limited resources, or unexpected issues. Demonstrating how you overcame these challenges can solidify your problem-solving skills.
Go into the strategy and how it was implemented
Detail the strategy developed to achieve the project’s goals and objectives. Here is where you go into detail on the planning process, the key strategies, and the tactics you used. Provide insights into the processes and approaches and highlight any steps you took to keep the project on track.
Discuss results, feedback, and the future of the project or company
Finally, present the results and outcomes of your project supported by data and feedback. Metrics like performance improvements, increased revenue, customer satisfaction, and any other relevant data should be used to reinforce your project’s success. It’s also a great idea to share feedback from clients and team members to add credibility and depth to your final result.
To wrap up the end of your awards submission, discuss further implications of the project and explain how its success will influence future initiatives.
Final steps
Once your submission is complete, don’t be too quick to send it in. Make sure you and other people in the business have read it to identify any mistakes, areas of improvement, or important details that have been missed.
Check your award entry against the guidelines once again, and check things like word count, any weak points, if the brief was nailed, and more.
Following this, gather all materials, submit them to the awarding body, and keep a note of when the shortlist is due to be published.
Expert award writing services
If you’re looking to raise your business’s profile and gain the recognition you deserve, we can help. We offer professional award submission writing services to help you achieve just that. Our team are experienced in helping businesses win awards, so get in touch with us now to see how we can help.
