Do you need help with your winning award submission?

The awards process in 2022 for the 24th Awards for Achievement has changed from previous years. Not only do we have new and updated categories, but we are also seeking a much greater level of detail from nominees, asking bespoke questions for each category.

This will allow the judges more of a chance to choose a winning nominee. The data provided will also help us as an organisation understand what information is available. Following our transition to a social enterprise, we want to be able to understand the impact all members achieve, and this will help.

So what should you be looking to include in your submissions? We pulled together the below list:.

• Choose your awards carefully. You should not seek to put forward an award for every category. Instead focus on those categories where you are confident of making the shortlist … or winning! Please note that you can put forward multiple nominees per award – we realise that sometimes it is very difficult to choose just one individual
• Provide the detail and, given space is limited, please use appendices to supplement the initial information
• Projects showcased don’t have to be successful, but they should show their development and progression overtime, and how the company/nominee has used experience and learnings to set a new direction
• Make sure you tell a story – with a beginning, middle and end – despite the brevity
• We welcome the use of images, infographics, tables and videos where possible – not least as this often brings your story to life
• Use quotes within the submission – from both managers and employees. While some of the quotes requested do require the provision of a name to help substantiate the submission, other quotes can be provided on an anonymised basis
• Include any independent feedback and information you have. We welcome any source, whether it is an employee survey, staff council, client research, HR-generated pay gap data, awards and commendations, commitments to gender representation targets, etc.
• Seek support from a colleague and a fresh pair of eyes to read the submission(s). Involving a senior manager, who was not involved in the project(s), may help you include information you may have missed during the drafting process
• And confidential information can be included. We will seek your approval for any content created using the submissions (apart from the initial paragraph as detailed on each form) before its publication.

If we had just one piece of advice for those completing the entry forms, the message from Anna Lane is clear: “read the questions and provide the requested information, backed up by the data”.

Last but not least, please let us know if you have any questions not answered by our FAQs by emailing [email protected] and [email protected]. They will come back to you as soon as they can.

We look forward to your entries and good luck!