Congratulations!
If you’ve been nominated for a business award or have decided to nominate yourself, congratulations! Entering a business award is an exciting opportunity for you and your team and business to win public recognition of the achievements from the past 12 months.
Now, all you have to do is write a winning business award entry.
Easier said than done, especially if you’re busy running your business or handling clients, customers, employees, the accountant, bookkeeper, sales and marketing. If you’re not a natural-born award writer, here’s what you need to know about award entry writing.
What you need to know about award writing
Be sure you know exactly what you need to do
When entering a business award, become familiar with the entry criteria. Ignoring the small print can have big consequences. Think like a professional award entry writer. Start by thoroughly reading through the award entry kit or online information to ensure you know exactly what is required for your entry.
Some awards have restrictions on who can enter depending on how long they’ve been in business, their number of employees or revenue. Awards for achievements may be limited to specific timeframes or involve membership of an industry or skills-based organisation to qualify.
Others will want you to include a short video, financial data or testimonials. Be sure you know exactly what’s needed with your award entry well before the deadline.
It will take longer to write your award entry than you think it will
Writing a business award entry that will see you become a finalist and then a winner takes time. Even business awards entries that have only 4-5 questions to answer can take considerable time to write. Indeed, writing your business award entry will take more time than you anticipate. You can reduce the time you’ll need by thinking about what you’d like to say in response to each question before you start writing. Jot down a few key points in the order that you want to make them. This will guide you when you come to write the actual entry.
Identify helpful hints in the questions
Award entry questions can be multi-layered. Award writers know this and how to respond to the different types of questions. However, bear in mind that all questions require an initial response backed by evidence. There may be hints in questions that suggest that you provide additional information, such as questions that contain the phrase ‘examples may include…’.
Stick to the word count limits
The questions in your award entry will almost certainly (but not always) have strict word count limits.
Yes, it’s frustrating to have to limit your descriptions to a few hundred words. But it will focus your award entry on your most important points.
Always stick to the word limit given. Content beyond the word limits will be disregarded by the judges.
Be honest
Don’t over-embellish or exaggerate your achievements. The judges will be reading many award entries and with their experience, they’ll be able to pick award entries that just don’t sound realistic.
Writing successful award entries means sticking to the truth. You’ll have had hurdles on your business journey; these are what make your business interesting. The judges want to know your story. So be honest about the ups and downs you’ve experienced. But don’t over-exaggerate.
Be kind to yourself
It’s unlikely that when you started your business you thought you’d be entering business awards. Most businesses happen upon business awards by chance, often seeing something online or a promotion from their industry body.
Hence, writing award entries is probably not your profession. If your time poor or feel daunted by the process, make it easier on yourself by getting help from a professional award writer. The award writers at Proof Communications will give your entry the edge. They’ll start by interviewing you by phone to get all your background details. You get to talk freely about your path to date and why it’s such a fantastic achievement. Then, your award writer will draft an award entry that nails all the criteria and impresses the judges.
Get help from professional business award writers
Winning business awards is about making sure you are running a strong business. Proving this is all to do with writing business award entries that make a massive impact. If you are looking for extra help in crafting an outstanding business awards submission, our award writers are here to help. Contact us or ring us on 02 8036 5532 or 0448 566 377.