How to write a winning award submission
Entering industry awards is a fantastic way to boost your business’s credibility and stand out from your competitors. Whether you’re a mortgage broker, real estate agency director or financial adviser, being named a finalist – let alone winning – can open doors to new opportunities. However, writing an award submission that captures attention requires strategy and precision.
Sydney finance and property copywriting agency Hunter & Scribe has written numerous award submissions and our CEO Nick Bendel has been an awards judge. So, we know exactly how to write submissions that will maximise your chances of success. Here are our top five tips:
1. Be specific and measurable
When answering questions, be specific. Don’t say “I had an amazing year.” Be more precise. Say “I increased sales by 32.6% year-on-year.” Judges want answers that clearly show the impact of your efforts. Whenever possible, quantify your achievements to make your submission stand out from the others.
3. Directly answer the question
Award submissions often ask very specific questions. The best approach is to repeat the question in your opening sentence.
For example, if you’re asked “How did you grow your business last year?”, your answer should start like this: “The way we grew our business last year was by focusing on X, Y and Z.”
This tactic helps ensure you stay on track and reassures judges that you’re addressing the question head-on. Clear, direct answers are easier to assess and more likely to score highly with judges.
4. Stay on topic
It can be tempting to include as much information as possible, thinking it will impress the judges. But adding irrelevant details can actually harm your submission. Focus on answering only the question in front of you.
If a question asks about business growth, don’t talk about your office renovation or team-building activities unless they directly contributed to that growth. Judges don’t want to sift through unnecessary information – they want relevant and clear answers, so be sure to edit and proofread your submission.
5. Be concise
Just because you’re given 400 words to answer a question, doesn’t mean you need to use all of them.
When an award provides word counts, these need to be treated as strict limits, because judges generally ignore answers that exceed the word limit. But you shouldn’t add words for the sake of filling out the answer box.
A shorter, punchier submission that clearly answers the question will leave a stronger impression than one that’s full of fluff.
Compare good submissions vs bad submissions
Good award submissions give direct answers to direct questions. They’re concise and precise. And they’re easy to understand.
Bad submissions tend to be filled with irrelevant details and vague, unsubstantiated statements, which makes them hard for judges to read and assess.
Celebrate being named a finalist
Even if you don’t win, being named a finalist for an award can still have a big impact on your business, by showing potential clients and referrers you’re an elite performer.
Industry recognition, even at the finalist level, sets you apart from 99% of your rivals and adds a level of credibility to your business that can help build trust with new clients and partners.