Wrapping Your Arms Around
Award Opportunities

Whether it’s pursuing a business award, individual recognition, or an accolade for a particular project, the opportunities are endless. The trick is to find the right award opportunities for you and your business.

Not sure where to start or how to wrap your arms around all the information that is available?

First, think local. Check with local business organizations and publications that host award competitions. Keep an eye on your local newspapers, which can be a great resource for posting award opportunities. Search your professional organizations, which often provide a member discount for award submissions.

Second, think broad. Identify organizations which target your industry and see if they host award competitions. Conduct an Internet search to find information about categories and awards for which you would qualify.

After identifying award opportunities that are of interest to you, create a calendar of the submission deadlines for each award. This way, you can plan out your time for preparing the award nomination and know what to expect each year. Often, the application process can be daunting and lengthy, so you need to allow ample time to complete paperwork and get other necessary submission materials in order. However, don’t let the long applications overwhelm you—it’s worth the time and investment. In addition, a planning calendar gives someone time to nominate you for a specific award that would require a nominator other than yourself.

Once the calendar is set, establish an award budget since certain competitions, such as project work for industry associations, require entry fees.

If you are pursuing an award for a particular project or project(s), there are definite rules of thumb to follow as there are usually many integral steps to the submission process.

In cases where an application asks you to explain your objectives and audience, be very clear about this and be sure that your results match your objectives. Give as much explanation as possible and be very specific in your description. Keep your sentence structure simple and easy to read. If writing is not one of your strong suits, consider hiring a copywriter to help with the more involved award applications.

Pay attention to the layout instructions as they are very specific to each award. Present your entry(s) in an easy-to-read, clean and professional looking format and include pictures where appropriate.

Winning or even being a finalist for an award can yield many benefits. It helps get the word out about your business, which is an excellent way to promote your company to existing customers and to attract prospective clients. In addition, your name could be added to other award competition lists, which would open the door to other award opportunities that you may not have known were available.

Don’t be discouraged if you lose. Always plan to reenter the competition next year (if the rules allow) and perhaps submit your work in a different category. You might win in another category or at another organization.

Last, but not least, consider being a judge. Often, local professional organizations swap award judging with another chapter so that the judges aren’t familiar with the company and/or individuals submitting the work. Helping judge a competition for your professional organization will give you a great perspective on submission ideas, what judges look for, and on what not to do in the submission process.