Why Entering Awards Is So Time-Consuming
Entering business awards is a great way for Australian businesses to showcase their achievements, gain recognition for their hard work, and promote their business. However, it’s important to be aware that the award submission process can be very time-consuming. This is because there’s more to entering awards than simply writing a submission.
Here are some of the reasons why entering awards is so time-consuming:
- Research: You need to research the awards you’re interested in entering to make sure they’re a good fit for your business and that you meet the eligibility criteria. You also need to research the judges and the other businesses that have won the awards in the past to assess the level of competitiveness for the award.
- Meeting tight deadlines: Awards have tight deadlines which typically can’t move. This is why knowing when awards open and close, and mapping out a project timeline so that you’re not in a rush close to the deadline is so important. When you’re juggling an award submission with other priorities it will take up a lot of time.
- Assessing the questions and criteria: Once you’ve chosen the awards you want to enter, you need to carefully assess the questions and criteria for each award. This will help you to tailor your submission accordingly.
- Gathering evidence: Once you’ve chosen the awards you’re going to enter, you need to gather evidence to support your submission. This could include things like financial data, customer testimonials, and case studies.
- Writing the submission: The award submission itself needs to be well-written and persuasive. It should clearly articulate why your business deserves to win the award and how you’ve met the judging criteria.
- Proofreading and editing: Once you’ve written the submission, you need to proofread and edit it carefully to make sure it’s free of errors.
- Submitting the entry: Once you’re happy with the submission, you need to submit it to the awards organisers. This often involves uploading responses and supporting documents via an online awards portal. This process will take longer than you think.
- Managing finalist logistics: Even if you’ve been announced as a finalist there are likely to be several logistical requirements including booking awards night tickets, writing a speech, preparing for Q&As and so on.
How Long Does It Take to Craft an Award Submission?
We’ve calculated that on average, an award submission will take around 2 full days of work to complete. This includes:
- Interviewing the client: We need to interview the client to gather information about their business, its achievements, and why they think they deserve to win the award. If you choose to enter an award on your own, this time will instead be spent on the brainstorming phase to note down everything that should be covered under every question.
- Writing and refining the submission: Once we have all the necessary information, we write the submission and refine it until we’re happy with it. This often involves multiple rounds of drafting and editing. The draft then goes to the client where another round of feedback will occur. For those writing a submission themselves, this is when you should have another person review your draft with fresh eyes so you can incorporate any feedback.
- Collating supplementary evidence: We gather any supporting evidence that the client has provided and collate it into a format that is required by the awards organisers. If handling the process yourself, make sure to build time into the process for this stage including sourcing information and/or creating a visual piece to accompany the written submission.
- Submitting the entry: We submit the entry to the awards organisers on behalf of the client. When doing this yourself, make sure you allocate enough time so you don’t miss the deadline.
Should You Outsource Your Award Submissions?
If you’re considering entering awards, it’s important to factor in the time commitment involved. If you don’t have the time or resources to craft a winning submission yourself, you may want to consider outsourcing it to an awards specialist.
Here are some of the benefits of outsourcing your award submissions:
- Save time: An awards writing specialist can save you a lot of time by taking care of the entire submission process, from research, to project management, to writing, to submission.
- Reduce stress: Meeting tight deadlines for awards can be stressful, especially when juggling so many other priorities. When you work with an awards specialist they handle this for you so you can focus on what you do best.
- Increase your chances of winning: An awards specialist will know how to select the right awards and write a winning submission that meets the judging criteria and impresses the judges. They will have the experience and expertise to write submissions that are clear, concise, and persuasive.
If you’re serious about winning awards, outsourcing your submissions is a wise investment. It’s a relatively small investment that could pay off big time in terms of recognition, credibility, and new business opportunities.
Conclusion
The award submission process can be time-consuming, but it’s worth it if you’re serious about winning. If you don’t have the time or resources to craft a winning submission yourself, consider outsourcing it to an awards specialist.
Interested in entering awards? Let us take on the time and stress for you. Contact us today to find out more!
