Being nominated as a finalist (let alone winning an award) not only boosts your reputation and distinguishes you as a market leader; it also gives your employees recognition for their hard work. 

You should consider entering awards that are run by reputable entities such as professional trade bodies or magazines, so any success you enjoy reflects well on you. You should consider entering categories in which you’ve performed well and have a credible chance of being nominated as a finalist.

Write answers that directly answer the questions, without veering off onto tangents. Keep your submission concise, well-structured and free of errors. Give clear examples and explain how your accomplishments set you apart from other industry professionals. Use data and facts to support your statements, and consider including testimonials. Where possible, use stories to illustrate your answers.

The three biggest mistakes business professionals make when writing award submissions are not focusing on the criteria, not providing direct answers to the questions and not substantiating their claims. Other mistakes include being vague, being verbose and using confusing arguments that judges would struggle to understand.

The most important thing is to stay within the word limit, because judges are strict on this point.

The likelihood of winning a business award is unpredictable and depends on the quality of your performance, the quality of your submission, the quality of all the other entrants, the quality of their submissions and the judges’ perspectives. However, your chance of being nominated as a finalist is much higher.

No. If you get nominated as a finalist, that can provide wonderful publicity and differentiate you from the overwhelming majority of your rivals. But even if you don’t get nominated as a finalist, the process of writing an award submission will give you a better insight into your business, including its performance and value proposition. Entering also gives you a benchmark against which to measure your achievements and set future goals.

Make sure you know the rules and deadlines. Before you start writing, take time to learn about past winners to understand what the awards body values most; assess how the previous winners successfully met the criteria. This will guide you on what aspects of your submission to highlight.

Keeping client information private is very important in award submissions. Don’t share specific details without their permission. Respecting trust and privacy is crucial. If you are unsure about any sensitive information in your submission, clarify it with your clients.

If you have the skill to write a high-quality award submission, there’s no reason why you can’t write it yourself. However, if you doubt your ability to recognise what information is important and to then present that information in a persuasive way, it may be a good idea to hire a copywriting agency that has experience writing award submissions. They can also offer fresh perspectives and save you time.