The gongs to go for: UK business growth and innovation

Communication about business awards dazzle our email inboxes on a daily basis. There’s no doubt that an award win can add real kudos to your business or project, boost your credibility and help you stand out from the competition.

Entering awards is an investment in itself. Done well, it can deliver a great return on investment. But selecting the right award and creating a winning entry is a skill.

Awards are often on our to-do list for clients. Here’s a few tips we use to create winning entries:

• Read the criteria for your category carefully and shape the responses accordingly – use key words from the criteria description in your response headings.
• Presentation is everything, a professional entry will stand out from the start.
• Look at who’s judging your category – think about what they will be interested to see from you.
• Use facts and figures to illustrate your successes.
• Don’t be afraid to be aspirational – awards are about rewarding success, but make sure you communicate your ambition.

As a starter for ten, here’s a flavour of business growth and innovation awards on our radar for 2016.

• Growing Business Awards (entries open in June 2016)
• The Lloyds Bank National Business Awards UK (keep an eye out for when entries open in 2016)
• Big Chip Awards (open early 2016)
• The IET Innovation Awards (open in spring 2016)
• The UK Energy Innovation Awards 2016 (entries open now)
• Merseyside Innovation Awards (entries ongoing)
• IoD Director of the Year Awards 2016 (held October 2016)

Don’t miss our next post featuring the top property and regeneration awards to enter in 2016 and how to make the most out of an award win.