Before you begin, have you read our first post in the series? If not you can catch it here 1. Choosing the right awards programme for your business
You’ve established that you really do have the best product or service for an industry award. A team of people have been working hard behind the scenes to bring it to life and now is the time to shout about it. This should be the easy part surely? Interestingly, narrowing down what to say and how best to showcase your pride and joy can be a lot harder that at first glance. If you’re ready to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) for your next award entry then read on to find out some crucial entry writing tips.
Style
If you’ve followed our tips from our previous blog post (link) you should know what format your award entry needs to take? Some awards programmes require a series of PowerPoint slides, some ask for a text only entry through an online form, or you may even be asked to present your entry in person to a panel. Knowing this information will give you an indication as to the breadth and depth of information that the judges are expecting and how many words you have to play with and whether or not you need high quality visuals to get your message across.
Structure
Depending on the format, you might not get any say in the structure of your entry. If you are filling in an online form, try taking down a note of all the questions into a word document and writing your answers in this document first before copying them into your final entry. This allows you to check for simple spelling and grammar errors as well as checking word count which can also be restrictive. If you have carte blanche to write as much as you want in whatever style you like, then follow a simple structure of a one paragraph overview, then clearly and concisely explain how your product/service meets the requirements. It is also important to make this information compelling to read. The judges may not be familiar with your company, so stress any key points by providing relevant data that shows an obvious need or demand for your product.
Substance
If you’re on a roll it can be hard to slow yourself down. Before you know if you’ve written a novel! Judge’s time for each entry is limited so make sure you get the key points across and highlight exactly why your product deserves an award. If you’re presenting your entry in person with a presentation, keep background slides about the history of the company to a minimum, one will do. If time is running short you need to be able to focus on the key messages about your product and how it meets the criteria. In contrast, some awards are also judged blind meaning that all mention of your company name or references that would make your company easily identifiable are removed. These types of awards mean that your entry really has to stand on its own two feet. If you are permitted to add additional supporting material, don’t spend too long on creating vast quantities of information. If you do want to include something, make it visual and don’t assume it will get seen.
If you’re ready to start crafting your entry why not download our tip sheet to keep handy whilst you write?
