awardsit takes more than just a pretty face towin a prize

Whether the motivation is ego, a promotion,peer recognition, or kudos from a client, thepursuit of an award takes time, thought andcareful planning. These insights will help youto avoid some of the common pitfalls, andposition your next award entry for success.

awards

market expertise

Don't be misled into thinkingall award programs all equal.They're not. Some programsare conducted with integrity;others are downright dodgy.

There's little to be gainedfrom winning a gong whichnobody respects. Identify theworthy awards and pursuethose.

01choose wisely

market expertise

Your awards submission mustbe compliant. If you are unsureabout your interpretation ofthe specifications, rules orrequirements, ask theorganisers. Makingassumptions could cost you anaward, especially in highlycompetitive categories. Andbreach of the rules, howeverminor, could see youdisqualified.

02comply

market expertise

How you will build yoursubmission? It's common foraward entries to be lodgedonline. If so, your options maybe to upload your creative asseparate files, or to insert andembed showpieces into thebody of your submission. Thinkabout two things: firstly, whatthe technology will allow youto do; and secondly, what willmake the judges’ task easiest.

03constructive criticsm

market expertise

If an awards program haspublished its evaluation criteriaand their weightings, that's aclear indication you should alsofollow that format. Doing sowill make your submission easyto judge.  In fact, entrants thatignore or stray from theweighted criteria can leave thejudges frustrated as they'reforced to waste time searching– sometimes without success –for evidence of those elements.

04weighty matters

market expertise

The branding and layout ofany visual communication canhelp to sell an idea. Considerthe presentation of yourapplication and factor in timefor graphic design.05

the medium is the message

market expertise

06measure up

If the evaluation criteria arequantifiable, make sure youreport the success of yourcampaign against hard metrics.Broad statements simply won’tdo. The best submissionspresent quantitative results (thevery best in both real andrelative terms) ‐ for example, asrevenue growth, categorygrowth, product sales,impressions, followers, leadsgenerated, share of voice,market share and so on.

market expertise

Awards submissions areeffectively sales pieces. Yourchallenge is to convince thejudging panel your work isbest‐of‐breed. Write it in avoice that is engaging. Makeyour case compelling.Remember, in some categoriesthe judges may have dozens ofentries to evaluate. Is yoursmemorable?

07stand out

market expertise

Most campaigns that arepotentially award‐worthy aredesigned and executed with theassistance of external agencies.If that is the case, collaborateon the award entry as well. It'sfar better to share an awardthan to forego one out ofgreed. Leverage your extendedteam's resources and play toeach person's, or organisation's,strengths.

08collaborate

market expertise

...or graphs, diagrams,illustrations, audio, video oreven emoticons, if you must.Just make sure you incorporatewhatever formats and mediathe guidelines will allow. They'llcontribute to the 'readability' ofyour entry and will help you toengage the judges.

09say it with flowers

market expertise

While organisations commonlyapplaud knowledge reuse, becareful about recycling awardentries as the specificationsand judging criteria can varysubstantially from program toprogram. Will recycling thesubmission you developed forsome other program reallyoptimise your chances ofsuccess or is it just the easyway out?

10caution! recycled material

market expertise

checklistthe award is part of a respected program

our submission is compliant

our submission is easy to assess

we have addressed all of the evaluation criteria

our submission is visually appealing

we provide hard metrics as proof

our submission reads well

we have collaborated with our agency(s)

our submission is not text-heavy

any recycled content has been tailored for this award

market expertise

Are you working on something right now thatcould be worthy of an award? Plan ahead toensure the process, decision making, metricsand creative that you will be asked toincorporate in your entry are captured anddocumented along‐the way.

good luck!

market expertise

Jacqueline BurnsManaging DirectorMarket Expertise

+61 414 287 206 info@marketexpertise.com.au

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