A guide to writing an award entry

 

From the BAFTAs to Michelin stars, every industry has its most presitgious, most glamorous awards. However, it’s unlikely a small cafe is going to receive a Michelin star. But there are a plethora of business awards out there that are in reach of all small businesses.

In the last blog: Are Awards Worth It? we looked at the time and investment commitment needed to apply for awards. Writing awards takes time, effort and a bit of know-how. This guide shares tips on writing your award entry.

Tip 1 – Do your research

 

Really think about which award will actually be of benefit to your business. Which category best describes your business.

Look at the previous winners for your selected category, who are they, what do they offer? This will give you an idea of what the judges are looking for.

Winners will usually do press releases which have quotes in there from the Awards to say why they chose them as the winners.

 

Tip 2 – Plan ahead

 

Don’t leave your entry writing to the last minute. Plan your answers on a separate document. Your answers should be ready to copy and paste on to the form at least a week before the deadline. This gives you time to do a redraft before submitting.

 

Tip 3 – Make sure you know what they are asking for

 

Fully read the critera and ask yourself what are they actually asking for? All awards will have a question along the lines of “why should you win this award?” What they are actually asking is:

What makes you unique, how do you stand out?

What have you achieved, what momentum can you show?

Can you back up what you are saying, what’s your evidence?

How do you meet the criteria, are you what we’re looking for?

They want to know your story, but they also want to know how it meets the criteria.

 

Tip 4 – Cut the jargon and don’t waffle

 

Bullet points are your friend. Keep everything as short as you can. Remember the judges will be reviewing tens, and possibly hundreds of entries. If you are waffling on, going off on tangents or talking in jargon, you’re likely to lose their interest early on. If you need to use acronyms, explain what you are talking about. 

Keep it short, keep it simple, keep it relevant.

 

Tip 5 – Be Authenic

 

You are the most powerful tool your brand has. Your story should be told in your own way. The temptation will be there to use AI, but your authecnity is what will help you stand out. You can use AI to help prompt you, but make sure your answers come from you.

 

Imagine you are a Judge

 

Below are three entry examples. Imagine you are the judge. The category is “Best Customer Service”. We want to see clear examples of great customer service and how they have exceeded customer expectations. The question they have been asked is “Tell us why you think you should you win this award.”

 

Entry 1

A small IT firm provding IT support. The entry starts with their start-up story of being life-long friends. They explain that they started with provding IT support to friends businesses but have moved on to supporting other clients. They say that they have built a strong client base. They explain the services they offer using technical language. They end with “all of our clients would recommned us due to our customer servcie”. 

 

Entry 2

A small hairdressing salon.  The entry states that they have built a brand through repeat custom and word of mouth. They refer to their high number of followers on social media, and that they recently won a poll on the town’s local Facebook group as “best hairdressers”. They explain the salon is run by two sisters.  They add that they have been in business for 8 years, and are looking for a bigger premises due to increased customer numbers, and they want to take on an apprentice, and also employ another full time stylist. 

 

Entry 3

A small bakery providing eat-in cakes and coffee, and celebration cakes to order. They begin by sharing their mission statement “Our cakes make memories”. They then give a brief history of their start-up story from being a home baker to opening their bakery. They then bullet point:

– They have grown the business by 35% in two years of trading

– The growth has come from word of mouth and customer recommendations and referrals 

– Won the TripAdvisor Traveller’s Choice award last year

– Collborate with other small busineses for the coffees and teas they offer to enhance the customer experience. 

– Offer a loyalty card scheme for repeat customers

They then provide a case study of a couple they helped, whose cake maker had let them down. They made and successfully provided the wedding cake. They provide the couple’s review of their “outstanding and caring service”. 

 

As the judge, consider the questions we mentioned earlier:

What makes the business unique, how do they stand out?

What has the business achieved, what momentum have they shown?

Can they back up what they are saying, what’s their evidence?

How do they meet the criteria, are they what we’re looking for?

 

Now decide who is your winner and who is your Finalist? And why? By answering those two questions, you have the basic layout of what your award entry would look like. 

 

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