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OK, so you’ve decided to enter one of APEA Awards – well done, you’ve taken the first step towards rewarding your team with the attention and recognition that their brilliant work deserves. Now all you have to do is write the actual entry!
Here at the APEA, we know exactly what normally happens next. You’ll make a note to start your entry whenever you get a spare minute, then leave it untouched for weeks. A few days before the entry deadline, you’ll get a reminder that it's due and the whole thing will be thrown together in a screaming rush that fails to do credit to the project involved.
There is another way. Writing award entries doesn’t have to be either difficult or time-consuming but it does take focus and planning.
Here are a few tips for making the whole entry writing process as painless and effective as possible.
Awards entry submissions are open! Celebrate your achievements by entering here.
Know your categories!
Firstly, go ahead and check the awards categories page - read through all the categories and choose the one(s) which best suit your submission. Make sure you get this right - I've seen entries for best retail forecourt accidentally be submitted in the non-retail fuel installation category and I've seen Health and Safety focused entry's that have been submitted into the Innovation category! Don't make this mistake.
Register right now!
Register your account on the awards platform right now - it takes 2 minutes!
Once signed up you can login and pick up where you left off - so you don’t have to do the entire entry in one go.
Being registered also means we know who you are and you will get helpful email reminders from us throughout the process.
Get to know your entry form!
Log in to the awards platform and have a look at the entry questions and judging criteria for the award you are going to enter - you can even print these off if you'd like as a reference.
Spend 5 minutes looking at the entry questions and the judging criteria and decide how you can best answer them. Maybe discuss this with your colleagues, your friends, your family or even your dog - bouncing ideas around can be a good source of inspiration!
Keep it simple, Stupid!
Don't think you need to write thousands of words to be considered worthy - but do assume that the judges don't know anything about you or your entry. Explain everything.
Keep your answers clear and concise - nobody likes repetition - I said nobody likes repetition... you see what I mean
Get some help!
If you feel like you have a worthy entry but you're worried that your English skills will let you down - don't worry. Our judges aren't scoring you on your grammar or spelling, they're judging you on your entry. However, they do need to be able to understand what it is that you are trying to tell them. So if you're really worried then get some help.
Do you have a friend or partner that can help you? You can offer to take them to the awards dinner as a treat if you get shortlisted!
Failing that, speak to us - once you've registered on the awards platform you can contact the awards organisers and ask for their help. We would be more than happy to help you format your entry to make it as clear as possible - and we are totally independent of the judges.
Supporting evidence wins awards!
Whilst our judges are a trusting lot, they also like to be able to back up claims and statements with evidence.
Some awards call for supporting evidence and the most successful entries are usually the ones which have taken the time to provide it.
This evidence can come in many forms, such as a letter or an email from a happy customer, a report from a 3rd party test-house, some facts and figures showcasing the success of the project or some case-studies showing how it has been adopted in the market.
Don't miss the deadline!
Last year 22 people started awards entries but didn't finish them before the deadline! We chased most of them up but 22 still didn't get it over the line….
That's 22 organisations that could have had their new product, service or site under the noses of our VIP judges (many of whom are decision making industry VIP's with the power to grow your business!)
That's 22 organisations who didn’t get their name in lights and read out by our celebrity host Colin Murray as shortlisted entries at the APEA Awards dinner in front of 600+ industry VIP's
That's 22 organisations who could have won an award - catapulting themselves instantly into the realms of marketing gold that only "award winners" can dream of. To understand what’s really in it for you, please see the relevant section of this website!
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