What are industry award judges looking for when reading through entries? How can you write comms award submissions so they are compelling and score well?
This week I finished judging four categories of the UK Public Sector Communication Awards 2015 and thought I’d share how awards work and how to write the best entries.
There’s often an air of mystery around awards, and there shouldn’t be.
I judge various ones each year and they vary in rules – for some I sign non disclosure agreements, which means it’s not communicated at all that I’m judging, others are done via committees or in pairs, while others are panels, in person or discussion/presentation based.
However, what unites them all is robustness. Every award I’ve judged has had a set of rules to ensure fairness and accuracy all round. I wouldn’t want to be involved if that wasn’t the case.
Why enter awards?
I get asked this question a lot. As someone who has been fortunate to receive awards over the years, they’re welcome additions to my CV, useful as a benchmark of my work and I welcome the unfiltered feedback from peers and experts. They’ve often been a talking point when people have hired me too.
From PR Week, to IABC, CIPR, IoIC and every other comms-related acronym under the sun, award schemes are rife.
My answer to choosing which ones to enter is to make sure you know what’s out there, what your budget is and what the benefits of taking part are.
Do your homework and make smart choices. I’ve given you a head-start – see my comms calendar of the awards that I’m aware of. If you know of some that are missing, do let me know.
I’ve created an infographic to summarise my top tips, which you can see below. Best of luck!
Want to read more advice? I’ve introduced a brand new section to my website called, err, How To! Check it out for lots of practical advice and guidance including how to write an internal communication strategy, how to conduct an IC audit and much more.
How to enter comms awards
1. Read the criteria for entry and make sure you choose the correct category
It’s extremely obvious when a piece of work has been submitted to “be seen” to be in a certain category – ensure you are entering it into the correct one for your campaign or initiative.
Sometimes it may be best to wait another year to enter, particularly if your measurement section is weak as you’re half way through the campaign.
2. Have you fully answered the question/s?
This seems such an obvious thing to write, but you’d be surprised how many times I see the questions go answered, or lots of irrelevant information included.
Score sheets are often divided into sections, with points allocated against each question.
If you leave one unanswered, you’re immediately at a disadvantage as you cannot score against a blank sheet of paper!
3. Give context
Bear in mind the judge may never have heard of your company before. Give them a brief summary, but don’t waste valuable entry space on how many markets you’re in or a full history, unless it’s relevant to your submission.
I’ve often searched an organisation’s ‘About’ page on their website if I want more info than is required. Bear in mind not everyone will do that.
So make sure you give enough context without overkill.
4. Include all the evidence
Some awards need you to include a 100 word summary for the awards brochure, or a logo, or a team picture, or accompanying material to go alongside your entry. Double check everything before sending it off, as missing elements can lead to delays or even disqualification.
Don’t go over the word count.
It exists for a reason – some even penalise you for going over and deduct points. This is important because you’ll be at a disadvantage, rather than advantage if you ignore the rules.
5. Check your dates
Most awards require work to have been conducted in a set timeframe e.g. January – December of a certain year. If the work you are submitting falls outside of this, you will lose marks or may even be disqualified from entering altogether.
Make it clear whether your project has finished or is still ongoing.
6. Include testimonials
Lots of entries include feedback from internal stakeholders. I think quotes from business partners/employees/senior leaders carry more weight than a Director of Comms endorsing the work of their team.
I look to see what impact and results the work has had across the business, not just the comms team singing their own praises.
Bear in mind who you are writing the entry for and the power of the additional context such quotes can add.
7. Double check your entry
Spelling errors should not be included.
Avoid jargon, industry-specific language and assumptions.
This is your chance to be as crystal clear as you can to maximise your chance of being shortlisted. Ambiguous language does you no favours.
Ask a colleague to read your work. Tip: I have seen a handful of examples over the years where people have had tracked changes on. However, they haven’t turned them off! So I have seen things like: “Well we haven’t really done that, but make something up here for the judges – a sentence will do.”
Needless to say, there’s no excuse for that! So triple check you have saved the final version, and if required, PDF it so it’s a clean copy that is ready to be judged.
8. Provide relevant access
If you are entering your intranet, can the judge access it remotely? Make sure you provide full login information or make yourself available for them to review it in person.
I’ve had a few times when I’ve needed to watch a video but it’s been restricted to internal views only – makes it very hard to judge when it can’t be watched!
This wastes time from the award organisers in having to come back to you for permission. It’s better to think this through upfront so there are no reasons why your hard work cannot be viewed and judged as you’d like it to be.
9. Measurement
Measurement sections are consistently weak.
This is such a critical part of your entry, do give it the time and attention it deserves.
It’s your chance to prove that what you have done has worked, or to explain what went wrong, it’s a vital part of the judging criteria.
10. Meet the deadline
Some awards penalise late entries, or don’t allow them to be considered at all. Others reward you for early submission (e.g. early bird entry fees).
Make sure you know the closing date and stick to it. If you need to post rather than email, ensure there is ample time for your entry to reach its intended destination.
I hope you find these tips useful to help you prepare future entries.
Best of luck – dust off those award cabinet shelves in preparation!
Rachel
First published on All Things IC blog 16 April 2015.
