10 Top Tips for entering awards

Entering awards is a great opportunity to generate positive PR about your business and also provides you with the opportunity to network with other businesses.

To make sure you reach the final shortlist, here are some top tips to ensure your entry stands out to the judges!

1. Pick the right category to enter

Many awards can have 10, 15 or even 20 categories to choose from so you want to make sure you are picking the right one for your story. Small Business of the Year and New Business of the Year tend to be the most popular categories in our business awards so make sure you also consider entering more industry or project specific categories such as Innovation of the Year, Green Business or Entrepreneur of the Year.

2. Check the rules

There will be terms and conditions for any awards entry process to ensure fairness amongst entries. Ensure you make a note of the deadline, any restrictions on eligibility or number of categories a business can enter, plus details of the shortlisting process and awards ceremony.

3. Read the criteria

Use the criteria of the category to structure your entry. Pick out key words - these will tell you what the judges want to hear from you so make sure you don't miss anything out! Ensure each submission relates to the specific criteria if you are entering more than 1. Avoid repeating a submission across multiple categories otherwise the judges may overlook them.

4. Plan your time

It's unlikely that you will be able to write a winning entry in 30 minutes, so give yourself plenty of time to perfect your submission. Do what works best for you. Block off an entire day to tackle writing if you need to or allocate slots in your diary to write in bursts. Ensure you give yourself enough time for planning, writing and editing.

5. Tell a story

Think about what you want the judges to learn about your business when they're reading your submission. Take them through the stages of your success to bring out an emotive response.

6. Use the full word count

The word count is a great indication of the amount of detail the judges are expecting to make an informed decision when deciding on the shortlist. Aim to submit at least 90% of the word count to ensure you tell the judges everything they need to know.

7. Avoid jargon

While many judging panels are made up of business professionals and industry experts, all types of organisations are encouraged to enter our awards and therefore could be inclined to use wording, phrases or acronyms that are not necessarily common terms. When writing your entry, think about the person reading your submission and make it as easy for them to read and understand your story.

8. Include statistics

Stats, quotes and percentages are great tools to back up the points in your story! If you can demonstrate measurable improvements or provide testimonials from customers, the judges will see this as proof of success which boosts the credibility of your claims.

9. Upload supporting evidence

Many awards give the option to upload supporting evidence which further backs up your written submission. This can be imagery, testimonials or quotes, screen grabs, charts or graphs etc. Don't use this as a place to provide further wording as it will not be marked as part of your entry but will be taken into account by the judges to support your submission. Our portal allows 1 pdf file to be uploaded which can consist of a maximum of 3 a4 pages.

10. Meet the deadline

The most important element when entering awards! If you miss the deadline, you miss out on the opportunity to win. We always encourage our entrants to submit in good time. This allows your business to get the most exposure before the awards as our editorial teams often like to write stories about entrants in the run up to the deadline! Don't forget you can always edit your entries right up until the closing date if you've forgotten anything.

If you need any extra help with your entry, we work with Lucinda White at Pure Awards Creative who specialises in awards entry writing and offers a number of services to help you write a top entry.

What to do when postponing an event?

The events industry is one of the hardest-hit sectors following the global escalation of the coronavirus outbreak. Many event professionals are taking precautionary measures by postponing events in order to reduce the risk of spreading the virus and avoiding large gatherings, so we wanted to share our top tips to follow after making that difficult decision to postpone an event.

Arrange an alternative date

Firstly speak with your key suppliers and stakeholders in order to find an alternative date for the event to take place that suits all parties.
Think about how long would be an appropriate amount to time to postpone the event, in this case, when the pandemic is likely to have settled down.

Communication is key

It is imperative that all stakeholders are informed of a change in date; many people may have booked travel, accommodation or organised their calendars in order to make the original event date.
Use all platforms you have to get the message out so everybody has the most up to date information. Make use of email, ticket booking platforms, social media etc.

Look into alternative options

If postponing the event to a later date is not possible, look into alternative options! Are you able to do the event virtually? Can you host a mini version of your event which is recorded and broadcast to other event attendees?
You can even book onto a webinar to learn more about hosting virtual events. Here are a few that I came across when looking for alternative options for our events. BrightTALK: Flip the Switch, EventMB: Pivot to Virtual.

Stay positive

Finally, as event professionals, we are used to problem solving and are often ready to handle anything that comes our way when doing our jobs, however it can be overwhelming dealing with something that affects our events so dramatically. The key is to stay positive and optimistic in this situation! Follow Government guidelines and make sure the event attendee is always at the forefront of everything we do, as always.

Case Study: Sunshine Awards 2019

May 2019 marked the 10th Anniversary of our black tie Sunshine Ball at the iconic Midland Hotel, Morecambe, celebrating the fantastic local community.

Eric Morecambe was the inspiration for the the Sunshine Awards; taking place around his birthday each year and rewarding the businesses and individuals that bring sunshine and happiness into the lives of the local community inspired by the infamous song...

Bring me sunshine
In your smile
Bring me laughter
All the while
In this world where we live
There should be more happiness
So much joy you can give
To each brand new bright tomorrow.

Established in 2009, The Sunshine Awards has become a favourite annual event within the community across the Bay Area and an unmissable date in The Visitor's events calendar.

Each year, more and more local businesses support the event with our headline sponsor, Wright & Lord Solicitors, being associated for a number of years.

Nominations for the awards launched in February 2019 inviting readers to submit their nominations in categories including Unsung Hero, Young Achiever, Good Neighbour Award and Community Group Award. We are always overwhelmed with nominations and it is always a very difficult decision for our judges to whittle the shortlist nominees!

The guest list is comprised of our sponsors, shortlisted finalists and invited guests. This year 200 people joined us at the Midland Hotel for a glittering four course gala dinner, set off with a sparkling drinks reception and a white grand piano played by the hotel's resident pianist.

Sunflowers are synonymous with the Sunshine Awards bringing happiness to the overall feel of the event. Our sunflower centrepieces were provided by a fabulous local florist. Entertainer, Stuart Michaels added to the uplifting theme of the event with his inspiring live performance!

The evening finished with the Ambassador Award which was awarded posthumously to a local boy from Overton; Reece Holt.Reece was only thirteen years old when he sadly passed away in January due to a brain tumour but had raised £100,000’s to help children with similar life threatening diseases. The award was very moving and the whole room stood up clapping with an emotional standing ovation.

This 10th anniversary is going to be a challenge to improve on next year, however I am confident we will deliver once again above and beyond the Sunshine Awards 2020!

My first 6 months at JPIMedia Events

Emily joined our Yorkshire team in April 2019 as an Event Manager, take a look below to see how her first 6 months went...

Before starting at JPIMedia Events I was more than ready to start my role in a fully event focused position. Although having over 8 years experience in this department, it has always been mixed with other roles such as sales & marketing, which has definitely made me a far more well rounded character. However, my heart has always been in events and being a part of something from the beginning stages, all the way through to the end product... where you really get to see all the fruits of your labour! I was most definitely ready to be in a place where I could get up in the morning and be excited to go to work!

I knew straight from the interview process that JPI Media Events would be a company I could flourish, and expand my skills and expertise. Even from my first meeting with the Yorkshire Regional Events Manager, Lisa Bradbury, I was filled with confidence and excitement for the upcoming events we would be organising, and that this was a team I would fit well in.

My first 2 weeks were a whirlwind, and a real baptism of fire! I couldn’t believe that Lisa, and Karen and been arranging these brilliant events on their own for so long with such a heavy (but satisfying) workload, and still being able to keep their heads above water. I was immediately given my first event to manage, the Scarborough Food & Drink Festival, mainly due to my background in the F&B industry, and I was thrilled to get started, although a little daunted by the time I had to turn this around! I tried to listen and ask for as much feedback as I could to see if I could take this event to the next level and make my mark in the business!

The following month was spent calling what seemed like every food & drink trader in the Yorkshire area, and then following up again…. and again! In the two weeks leading up to the event, everything (luckily) seemed to come together; I had a fair attending plus children's entertainment, a line-up of local Scarborough bands coming to our music stage to entertain the masses as they sipped their local G&Ts, and a plethora of fantastic chefs showcasing their local dishes! To say it was a stressful & nerve wracking time would be an understatement! Even trying to create a floor plan in the most awkward shaped arena ever was an achievement. Arriving at the Open Air Theatre and all my measurements for every trailer, gazebo and marquee fitting perfectly, almost made the hours scribbling sections on pieces of paper worth it...almost! When it was time to open the gates, there was a queue of people along the side of the theatre, I couldn’t believe it, people had actually seen all the social media posts I had boosted, and the 7m banner across the city centre… who would have thought?

The weather was glorious and floods of people came to enjoy all the fine food spectacles and soak in the atmosphere, I couldn’t be happier and knew I’d made the right decision coming into the business.

After having my first event under my belt it was on to the next without hesitation and felt like I was coming into my own and learning a lot along the way. The team then got introduced to Charlotte, the newest & final member of our Yorkshire Team (very thankful I was no longer the ‘newbie’), and she hit the ground running too. I knew straight away we would get on great and work well together. We were finally a complete little team.

As I look over my first 6 months in the JPI Media Events team I think how fast it's gone and how many wonderful events I've been able to manage & assist with, and think how lucky I’ve been to land on my feet within a company that's known across the UK. It's been crazy, but well worth the madness... Here’s to another 6 months!

What's coming up in the JPIMedia Events calendar?

September to December is our busiest time of the year where there are almost 40 events taking place up and down the country!

Our teams have been working extremely hard to deliver exceptional events and now is the crunch time to see whether months of hard work will pay off.

We're very excited to be introducing some brand new events for our 2019 portfolio including:

Staycation Awards 2019 - A fantastic national campaign hosted by the i newspaper in association with holidaycottages.co.uk to find the nation's favourite UK holiday destinations and attractions.
Wearside Women in Business Awards 2019 - An opportunity to celebrate the women champions of the business world across Wearside.
Sheffield Retail Awards 2019 - Brand new to 2019, we are celebrating the retailers, shops and cafes in Sheffield's city centre.

There are also some of our portfolio's most loved and long-standing events such as:

Sunderland Echo Portfolio Awards 2019 - Now in their 15th year, the Portfolio Awards celebrate businesses across Wearside and East Durham.
Pride in Peterborough Awards 2019 - Celebrating outstanding individuals in the Greater Peterborough area which started 22 years ago.
We Can Do It, Portsmouth 2019 - A community awards running for 18 years celebrating community champions from the previous 12 months.

Check out the rest of our upcoming events taking place this year and don't forget to keep your eyes peeled for 2020 announcements....