Award ceremonies and competitions are taking place all year round and there are a large variety of award categories that may fit with your business. You may think these are just for the large, long running businesses but that is not the case – if your company has a unique offering or has produced something that stands out why not enter it for an award? It’s free to enter most awards too (although some do charge a nominal fee).
Entering your business for an award can have a number of benefits:
- Enhanced reputation
- PR opportunities – to raise awareness of your company
- Networking opportunities – the chance to meet companies that may be in a similar field to yours
- Opportunity to use their award logo on your marketing materials in the future to convey your message to your clients and give you the edge over your competitors with the title “Finalist” or “Award Winner”
- Increase staff morale by being part of a winning team
You may not be aware of the type of competitions and awards that are available for you to enter locally and nationally. Here are some ideas of where you can find out about awards:
- Trade magazines
- Local newspapers/business publications
- Google search
- Research other relevant publications - for example if your company offering is ‘green’ then carry out research on environment-based publications/media too
Several of the award ceremonies are held at this time of year so keep an eye out for categories and the type of companies that are entering to help you with your future entries.
Don’t be afraid you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by entering an award or competition and follow our pointers to filling in the application forms:
- Take your time – make sure you read the criteria carefully and give answers to the actual questions (if you send in a generic answer this will not be judged as highly)
- Include as much supporting information as possible – this may consist of testimonials, charters/policies, accreditations and work carried out
- Get your entry in on time
- As entering awards can be time-consuming, work out which awards would be most beneficial to you.
Good luck with your applications
