Top Tips for Navigating Business Award Websites
Business award websites tend to vary greatly from one awarding body to another, so it’s important to know how to navigate them well in order to find the relevant information required for your submission. Read on to find out our top tips for navigating business award websites.
There are some steps you need to take before you start to write, or even think about writing your entry to ensure you are fully prepared. This will take some time, but they are all necessary steps if you want to have a higher chance of being shortlisted later on down the line.
- Research – Before starting your entry, it is important to fully research the award you are planning on entering. Take some time to familiarise yourself with the award website and note down key things such as the opening date, closing date, the date of the awards nights, costs to enter, ticket prices on the awards night and the various categories you may be considering.
- Dates – Sometimes, the dates are easily visible and may take some digging to find. If you’re having trouble finding the dates, try checking the FAQs section as they are often listed there. Also, be aware that sometimes if the dates aren’t easily accessible, it could mean that they haven’t been announced yet, so you will need to keep an eye out for when they are. Certain award websites may ask you to fill out your details before you can find out this information. Once you do have the dates, make sure you input them into your calendar and work backwards to give yourself plenty of time to prepare your submission.
- Prices – Again prices aren’t always easy to spot, so as with the dates, you may need to take some time to search the website to access them. This is important because you need to know whether you can factor all prices into your budget as some awards are more expensive than others to enter, and if you are planning on entering more than one category then you may need to pay additional entry fees.
- Entry Questions – There are specific questions you will need to answer for your entry and this differs between categories. Once you have found the dates and prices, decided which categories to enter and started your entry by filling out your details, you will then have access to the entry questions. These usually have strict word counts that must be adhered to, so take some time to prep your entry. We usually recommend inputting the questions into a Word document and answering them there before copying them into the online form, that way you can draft your entry fully first and will always have a backup in case the website goes down.
- Double Check the Entry Requirements – Check and double check exactly what the entry requirements are for the category you are choosing as you don’t want to make a mistake that could jeopardise your entry being accepted. Read carefully through the terms and conditions as again these can vary from award to award, and you shouldn’t assume they are all the same.
- Time – Giving yourself plenty of time to thoroughly go over the website and prepare your entry is possibly one of the most important steps. The last thing you want to do is leave everything until the last minute and rush through your entry as this could seriously harm your chances of making it onto the shortlist.
Final Thoughts
Writing a business award takes time and preparation and because the websites can sometimes be confusing to navigate, it’s important to familiarise yourself with them so that you can give yourself the best chance at succeeding. Check through all the entry requirements and make sure to put the important dates into your calendars to keep ahead of the game.
If you need any more help on navigating business award websites, don’t hesitate to ask us. We’re here to help with all your award needs, no matter how big or small.
