Submitting an award entry is a powerful opportunity to tell your story, celebrate your organisation’s achievements, and build brand reputation. When you become an award finalist or winner, it can position you and your organisation as a leader, enhance credibility, and open doors to growth.
My team and I have been writing award submissions for ourselves and businesses of all sizes for more than a decade, and we’ve developed a winning approach. Here are my 10 tips to help you craft a compelling, strategic, and standout submission this award season.
1. Visualise the win
I’m a big believer in visualising successful outcomes in my life. By mentally rehearsing what success could look or feel like, we equip our minds with the steps required to achieve it with a newfound sense of focus and confidence.
Before sitting down to write an award submission, I find it helpful to:
a) visualise what finalising or winning means to me, and
b) believe that my business and its project/initiative/innovation, are worthy.
This mindset shift turns the submission from a writing task into a strategic opportunity. Entering awards can offer a lot of value to your organisation, including:
- Industry credibility and recognition
- PR and marketing exposure
- Opportunities for reflection and growth
- A morale boost for your team
- Evidence of leadership and innovation
- Increased sales and lead generation
By creating a clear image of what you’ve achieved and the value that an awards program can bring, you and your executive team are more likely to buy into the process with better outcomes.
2. Give it time
The bottom line is that writing takes time, even if you’ve had some help from AI (more on that later). And it’s not just writing, it’s the thinking, planning, and collating evidence before you start.
A rushed job often reads that way. Writing with confidence and purpose will create a more authentic and persuasive entry.
I like to have at least 4-5 weeks to work on an award submission. I recommend you set aside some uninterrupted time (ideally at least two full days) to immerse yourself in writing and enjoy the process of reflecting on what you’ve accomplished.
3. Identify your core theme(s)
A strong submission tells a cohesive story, anchored by one to three clear themes. Before starting, consider what you want the judges to know about your business achievements and why they’re award-winning. What story are you telling? What inspired your work? What challenges have you overcome? What impact have you had?
Reflect on the themes that best represent your work, for example, it may be:
- Resilience and adaptability
- Innovation and creativity
- Leadership and industry impact
- Community engagement
- Diversity and inclusion
- Sustainability
Weave your themes through every answer, making it easy for judges to understand the essence of your story.
4. Gather compelling evidence
When describing what your business has achieved, avoid vague and overused superlatives like “world-class” or “cutting-edge.” Show it instead. Let your results, innovations, or bold decisions speak for themselves with clear evidence.
The best way to do that is to swap generic language for tangible examples. Instead of saying “we’re passionate about community”, describe exactly how you’ve supported your community and what outcomes you achieved using both qualitative (experience-based) and quantitative (measurable number-based) examples.
5. Set the scene
The first question to be answered in an award submission is often the most open-ended. Your response sets both the tone and the scene for the rest of your entry. Many people make the mistake of assuming that the judges understand the industry they’re operating in, and therefore don’t take the time to paint a picture.
Instead, write like you’re speaking to someone unfamiliar with your industry. This helps the reader to understand the environment in which you’ve achieved success. If word count allows, consider including:
- Why and how your initiative, event or business started – ie did it set about to address a need or solve a challenge?
- Your business offering
- Your mission and values
- How things have evolved
- Audience insights
- Key people involved
6. Stay focused and relevant
It’s easy to drift into nice-to-mention territory, attempting to wow the judges with all of the things you’ve achieved. I find it helpful to read and then reread the question, underlining or bolding the key words to ensure I stay focused on what the question asks. This helps me to be more selective with what I include, aiming for quality over quantity.
Always reference the question and category in your answer, ensuring you answer all elements, and support your claims with relevant data.
7. Highlight your uniqueness
Judges aren’t just comparing submissions, they’re looking for what stands out. While your business and its initiatives may seem similar to your award entry competitors at first glance, dig deeper to help the judges understand why you’re different.
Ask yourself:
- Are you the first in your region or sector to achieve something?
- Have you implemented a unique model or delivery format?
- Is there a creative partnership that sets you apart?
- Have you demonstrated leadership in an important area?
Highlight what sets you apart now, but also share your vision for where you’re heading to show forward thinking.
8. Use AI tools thoughtfully
I have a love-hate relationship with writing tools like ChatGPT. These AI tools can be a brilliant brainstorming partner, but they shouldn’t be your ghostwriter.
Use it to:
- Clarify complex questions
- Research themes
- Summarise data or reports
- Explore ideas for response structure
- Reduce word count (however, this is not always foolproof and can strip out the best bits.)
Avoid using AI to write or edit your submission from start to finish. Judges are trained to spot generic language, and anything that’s written by AI isn’t likely to stir up anything more than a yawn. Your unique insights, tone, emotion and specific examples are what will connect with them and earn higher marks.
9. Edit with purpose
Great submissions are written in the rewrite. Editing helps you stay within tight word limits and clarify your message. Focus on:
- Removing anything that doesn’t reinforce your core themes
- Avoiding repetition
- Replacing wordy phrases with punchy alternatives (e.g. “due to the fact that” → “because”)
- Cutting filler and redundant words (e.g. “just”, “very”, “past history”, “end result”)
My biggest tip is to read your submission out loud. It’s the best way to spot clunky phrasing and unnatural flow.
10. Make it easy to read
Judges often have limited time and many entries to read. Large chunks of text can be overwhelming to trudge through, and they may miss key points if they’re buried.
Much like this blog is structured, help them to get to the key points by:
- Using headings or bolding sub-points (if possible) to keep your response structured.
- Using bullet points where appropriate, especially to outline results.
- Keeping sentences short.
A clear, readable layout gives your submission the best chance to shine.
Need help with your award submission?
Successful award writing is part storytelling, part strategy, and part editing.
I hope these tips give you the confidence and skills to move ahead with your award entry. However, if you’re feeling overwhelmed and you’ve got enough lead time before the submission is due, ask a professional copywriting agency for support. At LEP Digital, my team and I help businesses craft compelling, cohesive submissions that stand out.
Contact our team of copywriters to create something award-worthy together.
