12 Top Tips: Applying for Our 2024 Black Country Chamber Business Awards

29 Aug 2024

Published in: Black Country Chamber of Commerce News

Thinking of applying for this years’ Black Country Chamber Business Awards? If you are motivated to promote your business, know your strengths and know where you make a difference, you have all the potential to become a finalist.

Keep reading to see how you can strengthen your submission with our 12 top tips…

1. Make sure the task is given to someone who wants to write the entry

Writing with energy, enthusiasm and knowledge is vital. You need to be able to sell your business and its impact and your entry should show passion and detail.

Judges have limited time to review submissions so take no shortcuts: e.g. “If you look at our website…” as judges won’t. If focus or time is an issue, consider an expert partner for entries.

2. You must read the award criteria beforehand and take notes

As taught in exams: Always read the question. You cannot win the award if you don’t meet the criteria.

Base your submission around each point on the judging criteria. Don’t overfocus on your strong points or go off on a tangent as you will need to outscore others on as many criteria as possible. The best way to do this is to get your point across concisely.

3. Set clear, achievable deadlines

Establish when the deadline for submission is and work backwards. Don’t forget to consider time for business sign off and amendments.

Prepare for fact checking and gathering all your evidence plus making time to write the submission itself. If you are going to struggle to submit, you can consider getting outside help.

4. Make sure you tell your story

The judging panel can’t judge what isn’t written down on paper. Tell your story in a clear, concise way.

Think about the business purpose and how this was met, what results were achieved and what your future plans are, as well as defining what makes your story unique in your sector or organisation.

5. Use images, charts and graphs

Our entry process does not allow visual content however you can add links of this to share with people.

Break your submission up with links to images, tables or charts which visually demonstrate your achievements. Display figures in clear, easily understandable way. It can also be a big help with your word count!

6. Let the facts speak for themselves

Use a mix of quantitative and qualitative data – numbers and comments to back up what you’re saying.

E.g. You may claim your customer service programme is excellent so include a statistic to back it up or ask a customer or supplier to testify. Even better – do both! All of this evidence will strengthen your submission.

7. Gather as much data as possible

Data will back up your story and make the awards writing process so much easier.

Think of inputs, outputs and outcomes, e.g. How much time or money has been invested? How many people have benefited? What do employee retention or staff satisfaction scores look like?

8. Pay attention to the word limit

Make sure you know the word limit and stick to it. Keep an eye on weighted sections and ensure you are using your word limit wisely. Spread information across sections to get most marks from judges.

9. Avoid using specialised jargon

Try to avoid using jargon or abbreviations and assume the judging panel will not understand any.

Spell it out to the judges so they can read and evaluate your entry properly, e.g. within your sector you may know what a POS is or a CAD drawing is but remove them from your entry and write them out in words instead.

10. Summarise your entry… Last!

Summarising your award entry is essential. Your summary should be last thing you do - but first thing the judging panel read.

Using some short punchy sentences will grab the judge’s attention and writing your entry first will make it easier to summarise your achievements and other key areas of your submission.

11. Proofread everything

Make sure your entry is free from spelling mistakes, jargon and that it makes sense! Ask someone from outside your team to read the entry. If an outsider can make sense of everything - your entry will be clear to the judges.

12. Develop a winning habit

Enter other awards to learn from each experience. Feedback is rare but if offered take up the chance. Awards are an opportunity to get recognition and engage, but also enjoy the challenge of promoting your business.

Congratulations! You now have the tools to make your award application stand out. Try putting the tips into practice and take your opportunity to win big at our Awards Evening on Thursday 21st November 2024. See you there…

SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY

Want to learn more?

In an upcoming webinar, Chris Leggett from previous award-winners, Osborn Communications will be covering how you can write to identify your business impact while capturing the imagination of the judges to earn their recognition.

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