How To Win A Small Business Award - Win A Business Award

Are you an award-winning business? If not, you could be. If you’re excellent at what you do and deliver what your customers want, you should be putting yourself forwards for relevant awards. And no, you don’t need to wait for someone else to do it for you – most people submit themselves.

Why does winning an award matter?

There’s some scepticism that everyone is award-winning these days. But just because there are lots of awards out there to enter, you still have to meet strict criteria and usually be judged against other entrants by a panel. It also takes effort to submit a great application.

But is it worth it?

“Awards definitely give your business a boost – from the PR exposure when you win to the increased confidence customers have in you.”

Jen Smith, social media trainer and copywriter

Awards instil confidence in your business, especially in the area you’ve been awarded for. Prospective customers see it as reassuring, and current customers will be proud to have chosen you. It reflects well on them. Plus, it’s a great opportunity to generate publicity through traditional PR and on social media, as well as being able to use awards branding across your marketing materials online and offline.

What awards should I enter?

As we’ve mentioned already, there are many different awards that businesses can enter. You might want to try your luck in a broad field or go for something completely niche or industry-specific. The broader you go with your award entries – ie a national business award – the more competition there will be, whereas something more niche might give you a greater chance of winning or being shortlisted (but maybe less exposure and recognition).

Where to find awards

Boost Awards have a handy list of all UK business awards you can enter and a quick Google will throw up plenty for you to go for. You should also check out your competitors and see if they’ve won any awards which you could apply for. Here are some other places you can look…

Chamber of Commerce

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Not only does the British Chamber of Commerce have its own annual nationwide awards, but your local chamber should know about other more local awards you can enter.

Trade or Professional Associations

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Does the industry you work in have an association you can become a member of? If so, they will likely have awards to honour the best within the industry.

Specialist awards

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Are you a specialist in any particular way? There are awards for all sorts of unique aspects of business, including awards for having a great company culture, for being a rural business, for running a business with a disability and so on.

Checklist: How to write an awards application

To give yourself the best chance of winning or being shortlisted, you will need to put time and effort into writing your application. Go through our checklist below to ensure you’ve covered off everything.

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1. Check you meet the criteria

All awards will have specific criteria you need to meet. Make sure you meet all essentials and can prove that you do before entering.

2. Read through the application guidelines

Most awards give clear guidelines of what you need to submit as part of your application. Be sure to follow them closely and answer every question, and show evidence for every area they suggest you focus on.

3. Collate your evidence

What information do you have that proves you are the best business to win this award? Pull together: results, statistics, anecdotes and customer reviews/feedback, personal accounts of why and how you’ve met the award criteria.

4. Be OK with bigging yourself up

It can be difficult writing about yourself and your business in a positive way. If you struggle, ask someone you trust to help you write your submission or ask customers to share their experiences to help you increase your confidence.

5. Be honest

Don’t inflate or lie about your results or achievements. It will come back to bite you and is not running a business with integrity.

6. Proofread and sense check it

Triple check your application and ideally get someone else who’s a good with grammar, spelling and punctuation to read your submission. Go back and check you’ve answered every single criteria and followed their guidelines.

7. Submit

Submit your application before the deadline.

What happens if I’m shortlisted?

If you’re shortlisted, you will usually be invited to an awards ceremony. These events often invite the press and will give you the opportunity to network with other shortlisted entrants, enjoy dinner and entertainment as well as wait to see if you’ve won your category.

If you do win, you’ll likely have your photograph taken with your award and speak to local press about your experience.

Do be aware that these are often events you have to pay to attend. This is normal practice to cover the cost of running the awards and generate profit for the organisation hosting them.

Remember, even if you don’t win, being shortlisted is still worth shouting about on your website and elsewhere. Most organisers will provide you with awards branding which you can use to reinforce and enhance your proposition.

What else do I need to think about?

So, you’re all set and ready to enter your business for an award. Before you do, here are some quick things to bear in mind:

Some awards have a business entry fee. Make sure it’s legitimate before you cough up any cash and if you’re unsure, speak to previous winners to hear their experience.
You might not win, and it might not be anything to do with your submission. The panel may have an idea of the type of business they want to award, or someone else met the criteria better. If you feel disheartened, ask for feedback on your application.
Entering awards takes time, so be choosy and think about which ones are going to be the most beneficial for you to win and would make you most proud.
You can submit specific employees to win awards, so if you are an employer, consider putting your team up for awards.

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