Read the criteria carefully

The criteria are there for a reason so make sure that you, your nominee or your business fit it before you start all the effort of filling in the application form. If you aren’t sure, reach out to the organisation and ASK. They will be able to give you clarification and maybe even suggest other categories to enter. Which brings me on to my next point…

Assume that the judges do not know a thing your business

We’ve read quite a few applications where the person writing assumed that the judges knew their business by name and this is a common mistake. While we have an eclectic group of judges, they might not have come across your business before so even just a paragraph on what you do would make a massive difference to setting the scene. Make sure you are putting your business or nominee in the best possible position to be considered for the shortlist.

Create a balance of narrative and numbers

The best applications are a mixture of the story behind the business and/or nominee and the facts and figures to back it up. The judges are people just like you and they want to hear about the person.  But they also have the job of picking the finalists from potentially, many entries. You could say that the nominee is hard working and dedicated but back that up with an example of how that is shown in their business. Have they increased cashflow? Tell us how. It doesn’t need to be your whole accounts, but a percentage would be useful. Don’t get lost in the story and forget the facts.

Don’t be afraid to nominate yourself

Sometimes, as the owner of a business you can find it easier to talk about your organisation or your staff rather than yourself. Try to take the embarrassment away and write about yourself impartially. Or if you struggle with that, ask a colleague or friend to help your get the ball rolling on why you should be a nominee. Winning an award is a wonderful opportunity to be recognised for all your hard work so don’t let modesty get in the way! 

Don’t be afraid to apply for more than one category

For the BWS awards, we have multiple categories to cast the net wide to find fantastic talent. You may find that you can apply for Business of the Year AND Best Place for Women to Work. Just make sure that you tailor your application to the category criteria and don’t just put the exact same entry in. It’s worth taking the time to make sure you are answering all the criteria questions.

Too much information is always better than too little

The judges would rather have 5 pages of solid information on your business to make a decision on rather than a 2 paragraph synopsis. Add in percentages, growth figures, customer feedback. All of this adds colour to your application and gives the judges real reasons to pick you to be on the shortlist or the winner.

Give yourself enough time

Make a note of the closing date and then start your application at least two weeks before. Mark it in your diary and try to block out some time. Don’t start your application the night before as you won’t do your business or your nominee justice.  Start the application as soon as you can to give yourself time to really think about what you want to say. Awards programmes can be tight on their deadlines and can’t always give extensions.