This past year I have been invited to take part in several Judging Panels, a couple of which have been in the creative and marketing sector. I have to say, that finally being allowed on to the other side of the fence after years of entering awards, has been an eye opener.
I am sure you could write a book about how to win awards and I bet someone out there has, but here are a few things that leap out to me and my fellow judges that seem to work for and against some of the submissions:
The Author. Who actually fills out the entry is interesting. On one award panel, entries were dismissed if written by a junior or a PR agency. I’m not saying that this is always the case but perhaps it matters sometimes. Personally, I resorted to copywrites within the agency as they spend their lives writing copy that sells and at the end of the day thats what an award entry needs to do.
The Word Count. Some awards limit the number of words per section or overall entry. Do not assume this is only a guideline as again I have seen it used as a reason to dismiss entries. This may seem harsh as you feel you have lots to say in your entry but what you have to consider is the judges have reams of entries and if you write a novel they will not take it all in.
The format. If the entries are required to be filled in, in response to certain questions in a certain order, then follow the guidelines. Once again. the judges have a lot to plough through and trying to figure out what point you are trying to make is a frustration and a waste of time. So once again, you may find yourself binned before you have started.
Read the brief. After all, you are probably involved in responding to briefs in your day job! It’s amazing how many entries simply do not answer the brief or the category requirements. I have seen awards ask about the overall business but the entries then then ramble on about a particular case study. I have seen entries that bang on about investment in people, which is great – but not if the category does not ask for that. Be careful that you are not simply trying to get lots of self-congratulatory messages on paper and avoiding the real requirements.
Too desperate. Perhaps you are trying too hard to win and end up going for lots of categories with the same entry. This means that not only do you look lazy but no one entry can then possibly fulfil ‘the brief’. I saw one agency send in the same entry for ‘best start-up’, ‘best integrated’ and then ‘best digital’ – it can’t be all of them surely! Also the ‘cut and paste’ offenders out there, take heed: if you follow the entries template, enter more than one category and if you do cut and paste say 80% of the info and just tailor the relevant sections, then be careful. To the judges it may look like the same entry over and over again.
Facts and Figures. I have seen a lot of ‘we improved turnover by 150%’. ‘net profit increased 30%’, ‘staff numbers doubled’ and my favourite ‘we won 7 new accounts, that’s 100% record’ – what garbage. There is no point in stating increases in numbers if you don’t share with the judges what the starting point was! Judges aren’t stupid but it does make your entry look a little bit of a joke.
Never underestimate how many entries in each category there may be so don’t make the judges’ job harder than it already is. At the same time, check out the previous years award winners; if a category was marketed but no awards given, then perhaps no one entered it – is that an opportunity this time around for you? Maybe a category in the past did not have a winner, just commendations - another sign there may not have been many entries and again this may be a chance for you this year around.
Don’t assume that simply because you have won lots of awards for the same entry in the past that it will work again and mean you do not have to revisit your enty to make sure it’s relevant. Some panels I have been involved in are very reluctant to simply follow the pack and award gongs to previous winners. Part of the awards may be to encourage new businesses and teams so they may turn a blind eye to your shelves full of awards.
So whatever the awards, make sure you have answered the brief and once you have filled it all in… go back and read the brief again.
As an agency guy I would say that an award never won me any new business but they did delight my staff and my clients and it is great to be recognised by your peers for your work. It can help recruit and retain staff too. It should never be the reason why you exist though, you are after all a business. So when it comes to ‘creatives’, think business first, I couldnt put it better than this quote from Drayton Bird;
“If you try to do something that works, you might win an award or two. But if you try win awards you won’t have a snowball-in-hell’s chance of doing something that works…And, oh yes, you’ll be out of a job in six months.’
Good luck
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Recession was relatively kind to awards. They are a very cost effective marketing medium for those who are likely to get a win. It did however become increasingly expensive to enter awards as agencies no longer have ‘spare’ labour with which to create the entry. I wonder, Carl, if you have spotted any of those put together with professional ‘award advisor’ help? If it works it’s a good idea – I’ve seen great work which didn’t get the attention it deserved through poorly articulated entry. In the marketing world you could say ‘fair enough’ – they should communicate well. For the small, say, engineering business…well, the only answer is to engage one of the winners from marketing awards to write the submission!
Sometimes I purposely look lazy and it seems to pay off, which is contrary to your post. I think it all depends on your niche.
Thank you for the insight here; it is exactly what I needed to start my entry.
I suppose I am a junior within my organisation’s Marketing department and I am hoping that my inexperience in writing award entries does not hamper our chances! Undoubtedly your advice will put me in better stead.