Director’s Digest: Writing a Winning Award Submission
September 28, 2021
Winning awards as an organization earns widespread exposure, enhances brand awareness and validates your market position. However, earning these recognitions is a highly competitive process, so your application makes or breaks your opportunity to earn these benefits.
We frequently use our industry and client-specific knowledge to craft stellar award submissions on our clients’ behalf. With our assistance, clients have earned first-time recognition or have climbed significantly on key rankings such as the Entrepreneur Franchise 500, Franchise Times Top 200+, Fast Casual Top Movers and Shakers and more.
Here’s how you can stand out from the crowd and submit an award-winning award application.
Research Opportunities
To take home the gold, so to speak, you’ll spend a great deal of time and resources writing and collecting the information needed for submission. For this reason, you should think critically about your chances of being considered, the exposure the award will bring and the necessary materials needed for submission.
Begin by researching the award and previous winners. Does this award carry weight in your industry? For example, each year, we nominate several clients to Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500 list, considered the world’s first, best and most comprehensive franchise ranking. This list validates our clients as a prime franchise opportunity.
Have a Story Worth Telling
The fundamental part of any application is answering the why—why does your brand stand out among the other applicants? Many of our clients leverage systemwide growth, brand innovation, corporate support and strength to support their application.
If you truly believe your brand has what it takes, gather your team and brainstorm what you should include. What are you doing that your competitors are not? How can you quantify your success and communicate results? Once you determine what information you need, go out and source it.
Put Yourself in the Judges’ Mindset
When drafting a submission, always keep your audience in mind. Read the criteria thoroughly to determine what the judges are considering. With thousands of submissions to weed through, stick to the facts and to the point with snappy examples demonstrating why your brand should win. Keep in mind your existing brand awareness with the judges in particular and start with the basics if necessary.
Getting your award application just right can equate to a valuable third-party endorsement that differentiates you from your competitors.
JoeyLauren Jiracek is a Director at All Points Public Relations, a franchise-focused PR agency based in the Chicagoland area, www.allpointspr.com.
