Creating an Award Winning Entry
Our Guide to Creating an Award Winning Entry
There’s no denying it – everyone loves winning an award, especially when you are being recognised by your industry for the hard work you do. At Digital 24, we believe it is important to take the time to enter business awards for your organisation – awards demonstrate your leadership in the industry, increases staff morale and gives you an opportunity to celebrate a great piece of work. It can also help you evaluate previous work, clarify your objectives and even identify areas for improvement.
As a multi award-winning digital agency, we have established a number of key factors that should be considered when entering an award. Here are some of our top tips to create an award-winning entry…
Our Top tips For Award Writing
- Don’t Skip the Rules!
Start by carefully reading the entry criteria and make sure you are eligible to enter the award – this will ensure you avoid spending time on writing an entry that won’t be accepted! Have a browse around the website and take note of key information and dates such as the deadline. In most cases, late entries won’t be appreciated or accepted by the judging panel. - Pick the Right Category
It may sound simple, but ensuring you pick the right category for your work is vital. If you enter into the wrong category, you won’t have a chance of winning the award. Take the time to read over the criteria for each category; you may even find that your campaign fits into more than one category. If this is the case, submit an entry for each related category but make sure you tailor each form and don’t just copy and paste! - Understand the Judging Criteria
Once you have established your category, it’s time to start writing your award-winning entry. Spend a bit of time re-reading the judging criteria for your category and looking at the questions in the entry form – this will help you to get a greater understanding as to what the judges are looking for. - Content is Key
You may have worked on an unbelievable campaign and achieved incredible results, but if you fail to convey this in your entry form, you won’t win the award. Judges want to be wowed with an interesting story that is unique to you and your client, so start your entry with an opener and set the scene for your campaign. You should also ensure you have addressed each criterion within your answers, as this is how the judges will score your entry. - Get the Team Involved
Don’t be secretive about entering the award, get your team members involved in the entry process! They may have worked on different aspects of the project and will be able to talk about insights and results from their work on the campaign. Schedule a team meeting and work together to write down key points and results that should be included in the submission. - Make Your Entry Memorable
Remember, the judges will receive and read a large number of submissions, so make yours memorable. Make sure your entry is passionate and tells a story, including how the outcomes meet the initial objectives of the campaign. You should also attempt to include visual content in your submission such as photos, infographics and videos – this will help you maintain the judges’ attention and showcase your creativity. - Include Actual Evidence
In our opinion, this is one of the most important factors when writing an entry! Judges love to see proof of what you have achieved; this may be in the form of data insights, follower numbers or engagement levels. Don’t neglect this part of your entry, as these results will demonstrate the success and impact of your campaign. - Provide Supporting Material
Where possible, include a range of documents to provide context and background to support your entry such as word documents, images and videos. Most importantly, you should ensure it is linked back to the goals and evaluation in the entry form. - Take Your Time
Creating award-winning entries takes time and effort, so make sure to start early so as you plenty of time to understand the judges’ criteria, thoroughly answer each question and proof-read your work. Never assume that the awards deadline can be extended – more often than not, this won’t happen! - Proof-Read!
We can’t emphasise the importance of proof-reading enough! Spelling mistakes and typos can ruin an otherwise excellent entry – judges want to find about what you did, how and the results, so if you make it an easy read, you’re halfway there. Find someone in the office who has not been directly involved in the process and ask them to carefully read your work – they will be able to ensure the copy flows well and will correct any spelling or grammar errors.
