When thinking about how to tell the wider world about your brilliant innovation, one effective strategy is to be smart about awards. And contrary to certain beliefs, awards are not just an excuse for a black tie jolly and some hearty backslapping; there are several ways in which they can complement your broader communications strategy.
Yes, don’t underestimate the value of awards in giving your business a wider profile and platform. Even though the process of entering them can be resource intensive and yes, sometimes also expensive, the benefits of showing up in relevant awards considerably outweigh this short-term pain. Because even if you don’t win, making the shortlist already has significant benefits. Respected awards are followed by journalists and other influencers spanning the landscape of your licence to operate, who view them as good bellwethers for innovators to watch.
Awards also give you credible third-party endorsement – and the kind of press coverage that can catapult you out of your own sector ecosphere. If you invest the time to do some judicious digging, you’ll soon find out which awards are the best fit for you. Whether it’s the Earthshot Prize, the Ray of Hope Prize, the AXA IM Research Award, the inimitable XPRIZE portfolio or others more specifically focussed around your own sector, there will be respected options out there for the taking. And the benefits vary from awareness only, to chunky financial rewards. Climate focused scientists and researchers are awarded €100,000 by AXA to further their work and its likely impact, whereas the XPRIZE hands out milestone awards of $1m as part of its $100m prize pot for carbon removal (among other categories).
So if you’re looking for something that gives you cut-through and shines a light on you as a company, we highly recommend that you look to awards as important inclusion within your comms armoury. And now we’ve got you onboard, here are five quick pointers to bear in mind when approaching entering awards:
1. BE STRATEGIC
When thinking about which awards to enter, be strategic: the ‘one size fits all’ approach is definitely not your friend here.
Many awards will have multiple categories, so you’ll need to adjust your story for the nuance of each category focus. Check the category carefully, and its sub-categories too by downloading the entry template and reading through case studies of previous winners. You need to be completely clear about what it is you’re entering, and why you’re entering it into that category.
Top tip: it can often be useful to look at previous years to see what won/ who were the runners up, to give you useful pointers.
2. BE RELEVANT
Of course, each awards entry will need to address a different set of criteria, whether that’s explaining the specifics of your unique technical wizardry or espousing its societal benefits. But whatever the criteria, you need to make sure your entry is super-relevant to what the judges are looking for.
The best way to do this is to look at the language organisers use when describing the category, and echo that back in your own awards entry.
3. BE CLEAR ON IMPACT
Awards 101: a compelling entry’s primary role is to show impact. It needs to clearly articulate the business objectives you were trying to address, and how you have delivered on that. Ideally, it would be framed in a way that concludes by reflecting the results of the initially stated objectives back to the reader at the end, in a classic storytelling arc.
It’s important to be very clear and concise in how you present the impact of your work. There’s generally no need to deviate from the winning formula of: ‘This was the problem; This was our solution; This is how effective it was; This is how we measured impact’. And of course entries need to be well written; don’t let a shoddily-prepared piece derail the ability of judges to see your substantive results.
To illustrate proof of impact, you’re also looking for anything that shows third-party support. Think press cuttings, and examples of high-quality social media and influencer engagement. Judges will be looking for examples of how this engagement led to something else – for example, how it converted into a business outcome.
4. BE CREATIVE
Perhaps you’re entering an award that calls for a deep dive into the specific technicalities of your product offering. Which is great – and of course you’ll know your technical data inside out. But the magic comes in how you tell its story.
Don’t drown the organisers in jargon; be creative in how you translate your expertise and results into your entry’s explanation. Remember: this is what will largely set you apart from others in your category.
5. DOUBLE DOWN ON DATA
Without exception, data points that back up your effectiveness are crucial – and the more (judiciously chosen ones) the better. Perhaps get yourself a killer chart that tells your story – e.g. we exceeded our goal by 35 percent – in one visually arresting image. The rest of your supporting data can always go in the appendix if necessary.
So to sum up: being shortlisted is still a significant win. Receiving that wider recognition and being able to put it on your creds as a business will never fail to impress. But if you really want to secure the Grand Prize in your category, perhaps the key takeaway here is nailing the ability to be best at telling your story. Tie the performance back to the objectives in the most clear and compelling way, and you’ve got a masterpiece submission. Good luck!
