Awards Insider: Craft A Killer Business Awards Entry

This is a special not-to-be-missed episode! We had a special request to combine all our top tips from each of our nine guests into one final, killer episode. And we think this is a great idea to help you in the final week of submissions, allowing you the opportunity to review your entry against all of our guests’ top tips. Along with our producer Bec, Chance and I have loved doing the show and we can’t think of a better way to wrap up 9 brilliant episodes. A huge thanks to Bec for slicing and dicing all our interviews to produce episode 10, taking you another step closer to crafting a standout and memorable Awards entry.

Your interview is your opportunity to really bring your submission to life. Would you rather read a movie script, or watch the movie? You’d rather watch the movie because you get a much stronger connection to the story when all of your senses are engaged. In your interview, you can use facial expressions, body language, eye contact and tone to add layers to your story. You get to show the judges your physical place of business and demonstrate how you connect with staff, customers and suppliers. Your customers make assumptions about your business based on how you project it visually, so too will the judges. Think about the impression your place of business will have on the them; will what they see and experience complement and enhance your application? Warwick Shanks has been the chair of the Illawarra Business Awards for 13 years, and he joins us to provide years of insight into what a great interview looks like.

How you speak and how you write tells the world what sort of brand you are. If you are a young, fun brand, you should write and speak that way. If you are serious and you target professionals, then your communication style should reflect that. However, fun and young should not translate to poor language or grammar. Any piece of professional writing, whether an awards entry, a blog post or social media activity, should always respect the rules of grammar. And always think about your audience. If you’re writing a blog post for an industry specific audience, some jargon is ok. When you’re writing an awards submission, you don’t know that your judge knows your industry lingo. So be sure to speak in simple terms that anyone can understand. Your parents weren’t kidding when they told you to mind your language. Nor were your teachers. Language matters. The best entries are written in the first person and they use simple, jargon-free language and they have short, succinct sentences.

So far in our podcast series, you’ve learned about the importance of giving yourself plenty of time, providing evidence, involving lots of people, and the power of storytelling. Most likely, you’ve even started applying what you’ve learned so far. But wouldn’t you love the opportunity to get some validation as to whether the work you’ve done so far really is what the judges are looking for? Attend our workshop and you can. Ask specific questions of past judges, as well as our chair of judges, and ensure you give yourself every possible chance of winning. We talk with Robbie Collins, head of UOW Shoalhaven and discover why entrants need to attend the workshop.

Marie Persson is a former Telstra Businesswoman of the year and long time judge of the Telstra Business Awards. She has read countless submissions and joins our show to tell us exactly what she looks for in a winning entry. Structure, consistency, staying on topic, and clearly addressing the questions are all essential attributes of a great entry. But what else are Awards judges looking for? What sets one entry apart from all the others? What exactly do you need to include in your submission to ensure your entry stands out from the crowd?  Listen to our interview with Marie and find out!

Lisa Burling is an all round storytelling and media guru. From journalism and PR, to entrepreneurship and owning an award winning agency, she is a living, breathing example of  the power behind a successful story and what it can achieve. Lisa shares with Chance and Miranda how an incredibly difficult time in her life acted as a catalyst for her to take the plunge and begin her own business. She hasn't looked back since. Lisa uses her personal story of triumph to connect and resonate with her clients, and she provides clear tips to entrants on how to use story to create a killer awards entry.

Copywriting and business awards submission expert Rosemary Gillespie shares tonnes of easily implemented tips on creating a killer awards entry. Drawing on her many years' experience in business writing, as well as creating multiple winning business awards submissions for her clients, there is not much Rosemary doesn't know about crafting business award entries. She also has to most gorgeous accent and we could have talked to her all day! This episode is a must listen for anyone entering any business awards program.

Raj Ray has judged and won multiple awards. This, coupled with his solid business background and an award winning winery on the NSW South Coast, he has a tonne of advice for businesses in how to approach their submission. Time, strategy and talking to the people around you are his top tips for creating a standout entry. Listen and find out exactly how to do this, from someone who has been on both sides of awards programs, many times.

Pete Russell gets business awards. He knows that by entering, supporting and participating in the Awards every year, he gets huge exposure for his business. But in 2011, as a direct result of winning two Awards, his business grew dramatically. From the exposure gained as a winner, he developed relationships that led to developing a strata business, and growing his business into a franchise. Pete talks about how the Awards is a platform for engaging and celebrating with his team, how it gives brand recognition, and is a really important opportunity to reflect on the achievement of goals. Plus Pete shares how another local business that he was not aware of is now a major supplier to Integrity, as a result of winning a few years ago.  If you're on the fence about entering an awards program, you will feel like it's a no brainer after listening to Pete's compelling reasons for entering.

This was such a great interview for our very first episode. Matt was a delight to talk with as he is a genuine believer in the value that entering Awards brings to his business and his team. Matt shares with us the impact that entering the Awards has had on staff morale and camaraderie in the workplace at Simmark. He also discusses the importance of articulating your vision and how entering the Awards provides a great platform for this. We also take a minute away from the serious stuff to explore Matt's love of Texas BBQ'ing. Do not listen on an empty stomach!