How to write a winning award entry

Winning an award is a great accolade for a charity. It’s a chance to celebrate the achievements of individual staff and volunteers or the efforts of a whole organisation.

 

Winning an award can help to raise the profile of your organisation, bring credibility to your work, and boost team morale.

 

Make sure you pick the right award to enter for your charity. You need to be strategic and ensure the award fits in with your organisation’s priorities.

 

There are several award schemes for charities to enter. These include The Charity Awards, the Charity Times Awards, the Third Sector Awards and the Inspiring Communicator Awards from CharityComms.

 

Here are some tips for writing a successful award entry.

 

 

Do your background reading for every award

 

Read the rules before filling out an application so you submit the correct information.

 

You want to make sure you’re entering an award you’re eligible for and that you’re writing about work that fits into the time frame covered by the award. Check the word count so you don’t go over the limit.

 

Also, find out if you need to include any supporting material and how the judges want you to present you entry. For example, as a PDF or a Word document.

 

 

Make sure you tick all the award criteria

 

Carefully read the criteria for the award and make sure you cover each point in your entry. This will increase your chances of winning. If you don’t feel like you have all the information you need to cover all of the criteria, it may not be the right award for your charity.

 

The Learning Network says that you should “be your own judge” and think about how you can make your entry as easy as possible for the judges to look at.

 

For example, it recommends using the criteria as subheadings in your entry to make it clear which criteria you’re covering.

 

 

Tell a strong story for your award application

 

Try to weave a clear, strong story into your award submission. You can do this by explaining what the problem was, the work you did to tackle it, and the difference the work has made. Also, rather than answering each question as a standalone answer, make sure each of your answers work together to tell a bigger story.

 

Use a strong hook to help draw judges in. For example, you could start with a quote from press coverage or a statistic that shows the difference your charity is making.

 

 

Share clear examples of your work

 

Don’t just tell the judges what you did. Make sure you show the impact of the work you’ve done through clear examples and evidence. The Learning Network recommends using numbers and data to show the difference you made.

 

 

Allocate time for writing

 

Helen Olszowska, managing director of Seashell Collective, says it’s important to give yourself plenty of time to write an award entry. In an article for Charity Digital, she says the British Chambers estimates that you need about four to six weeks to write a good award entry. This will give you time to collect the information you need and get the perspectives and views of others.

 

 

Use plain English

 

Make sure your award entry is easy for the judges to understand. You can do this by using the active voice and short sentences. Make sure you use words that the reader understands and stay clear of acronyms they haven’t heard of.

 

 

Edit and proofread your award entry

 

Don’t rush an award entry. Give yourself enough time to edit and proofread what you’ve written.

 

When you edit your award entry, read the copy out loud, look for, and remove any, repetition, and change or delete copy that sounds indecisive or unclear.

 

Get someone else to proofread your copy and give you feedback, including spotting inconsistencies, statements that are unclear, and areas where you need more information.

 

 

How to make the most of award entries

 

Charities are stretched and award entries can take time to prepare. The Awards People recommends that when you write an award entry for the first time, you create and save information that can be used for other work. For example, your charity’s achievements will be helpful when you write other communications such as press releases.

 

For more advice and support on writing award entries, have a look at:

• A tips and advice guide from The Awards People
• CharityComms – How to increase your chance of winning at charity awards
• The Charity Awards – Seven secrets of what makes an award-winning charity
• Charity Digital – Tips on entering charity awards