How to Write a Winning Award Entry: Expert Insights from Our Judges’ Panel and Leading Awards Writing Agencies

For organisations entering a global platform like the International Brilliance Awards™, the challenge is not simply telling a story. It is presenting a credible, evidence-led case that stands out in front of independent judges.

Writing a successful award entry is rarely about using impressive language or filling pages with statistics. The strongest submissions are the ones that clearly explain what was achieved, why it mattered, and how the impact can be proven.

Award judges review hundreds of submissions across multiple categories. The entries that perform best are usually the ones that combine strong structure, measurable results, clear writing, and a human story that demonstrates genuine impact. This guide brings together insights from award writing experts and professional awards consultants to explain what separates a shortlisted entry from an award-winning submission.

Why Strong Award Entries Matter

Winning a respected business award can strengthen brand credibility, improve reputation, increase visibility, support employer branding, and build trust with clients, stakeholders, and employees.

A strong award entry also forces organisations to evaluate their own progress. The process often reveals achievements, innovations, and measurable outcomes that may otherwise remain internal.

For many organisations, awards recognition becomes a long-term business asset.

International awards programmes such as the International Brilliance Awards™ are designed to recognise organisations, teams, leaders, and professionals that demonstrate measurable excellence, innovation, creativity, leadership, and business impact.

What Judges Actually Look for in Award Entries

Award judges are not looking for marketing slogans or generic corporate language. They are looking for evidence.

Judges want to understand:

• What challenge or opportunity existed
• What actions were taken
• What made the work different or effective
• What measurable outcomes were achieved
• Why the work deserves recognition over competing entries

Leading Expert Insights

Below, leading awards consultants and writing experts share their core philosophies on what elevates an entry from a standard submission to a trophy winner.

Of all the many qualities winning entries have in common, the two most important are:

1. A clear and ‘wow’ reason why the entry should win this year: one that leaps off the page from the opening paragraph to the conclusion.
2. Compelling qualitative and quantitative evidence of success and impact – evidence points which flow from initiative level to the bigger picture in a clear, compelling way.

Neither of these qualities are particularly easy to nail, but with a bit of creativity and research, most stories can be moved from ‘long shot’ to ‘serious contender’ by getting these right.

On a more practical level, get the basics right. Success also relies upon strong planning and project management: by this we mean engaging the right stakeholders from kick-off to sign-off, and really getting under the skin of the awards before even putting pen to paper.

"The most basic point is ensuring you answer all the questions fully, with passion and conviction. The commonest mistake is simply ‘you didn’t fully answer the questions’." - Chris Robinson, Managing Director, Boost Awards

"A standout award entry delivers a clear, engaging narrative underpinned by quantifiable impact. It tells a compelling story while directly evidencing what judges are looking for." - Jeremy Colman, Founder and Principal Consultant, Kestrel HR

"Judges read hundreds of submissions, so the entries that immediately capture attention are those that are concise, evidence-led and easy to follow. Strong structure and clear commercial or social impact can make a significant difference." - Pure Awards

Focus on the Real People Behind the Data

A major trap is forgetting that business accomplishments are driven by human effort.

“Centre the human in the story. A lot of entries focus entirely on the technical or commercial outcome and forget to talk about the people involved. Tell me about the team that delivered it, the client stakeholders who had to be brought along, the moments where things had to change course. Awards recognise work, but work is done by people, and the entries that stay with you are those where you can feel the effort and collaboration behind the result.” - Tanya Peasgood

Prioritise the Human Impact to Stand Out

Differentiation happens when you show who actually benefited from your work.

“The human dimension. Beyond metrics, what truly stands out is how your work impacted people—teams, customers, communities. That’s where differentiation happens.” - Mayda Maged

Why Evidence Is Essential in Award Submissions

One of the most common reasons award entries fail, is the lack of credible supporting evidence.

Strong claims without proof rarely persuade experienced judges.

“Winning entries are crystal clear on impact, they don’t just tell a story, they prove it with credible evidence, measurable results, and a strong narrative that aligns precisely to the criteria.” - Donna O’Toole, Founder & CEO, August Recognition

This evidence can include:

• Revenue growth
• Performance metrics
• Engagement statistics
• Operational improvements
• Client testimonials
• Independent research
• Survey results
• Customer retention figures
• Productivity improvements
• Before-and-after comparisons
• Case studies
• Real-world implementation examples

"An entry becomes much stronger if assertions can be backed up with facts, case studies, testimonials and real-life examples relevant to each point of the criteria." - Make More Noise

The strongest award entries do not simply describe what happened. They demonstrate measurable outcomes.

The Importance of Human Storytelling in Award Entrie

While evidence matters, data alone does not create memorable entries.

Award judges often remember submissions because of the human impact behind the results.

“The entries that win aren't always the biggest or most impressive projects; they're the ones that tell a striking hot story. Judges want to feel impact over anything else, not just another case study. Always lead with the human side with a show-stopping story, and let the results speak for themselves.” - Becky Green, Director of Aura PR

This is particularly important in categories involving people, culture, leadership, internal communications, sustainability, customer experience, healthcare, education, and social impact.

Judges want to understand how a project affected employees, customers, communities, organisations, or industries.

The most effective award entries balance measurable evidence with a compelling narrative.

Writing for Judges, Not Internal Teams

One of the biggest mistakes organisations make when writing award entries is assuming the judges already understand the business, sector, or internal terminology.

In reality, judges may come from different industries, countries, or professional backgrounds.

Award entries should therefore be written clearly enough for an external audience with no prior knowledge of the organisation.

“The most common mistake I’ve seen is people treating an award entry like another internal report. It’s easy to do, but falling into the trap of making lists and pie charts is the surest way to not get noticed by a judge. Write for someone who doesn’t know your business, but do it with heart and captivating stories.” - Kirsty Olczak, PR and Communications Manager, Aura PR

This highlights an important principle of successful awards writing.

Judges are not reviewing internal documents. They are evaluating whether a submission clearly demonstrates excellence, originality, effectiveness, and impact.

Clear communication matters.

Understanding Competition in Awards Programmes

Award judging is not only about how strong an entry is individually.

It is also about how the entry compares against competitors.

“Experience tells us that winning award entries need three things – a strong narrative, supported by great numbers, plus a bit of luck. The narrative and numbers are within your control, but even the strongest entry needs luck, because winning isn’t just about your own story, it’s about what you’re up against.” - Louise Turner, Chief Wordsmith, Awards Writers

This is especially true in highly competitive international awards programmes where judges may review entries from global brands, fast-growing startups, public sector organisations, charities, agencies, and multinational businesses within the same category.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Understanding where other entrants fail is key to securing a win. Industry consultants identify several critical errors that frequently eliminate otherwise strong contenders:

• Failing to Answer the Prompt Fully: Chris Robinson, Managing Director of Boost Awards, highlights a surprisingly basic but pervasive issue: “The commonest mistake is simply ‘you didn’t fully answer the questions’.”
• Rushing the Process: Leaving draft preparation until the final moment is a recipe for mediocrity. Suzy Pettican warns: “Another common mistake is leaving it until the last minute to work on your entry. Awards deserve the right amount of attention to ensure they are as strong as possible. There needs to be adequate time to collate evidence and supporting evidence and write different drafts to make your entry sparkle!
• Ignoring the Criteria Guidelines: Entrants often assume their internal goals align with the judges’ expectations. Pettican notes that “not thoroughly reading the award criteria and confirming your business is strong against this” is a primary flaw, as this criterion is exactly what judges use for measurement.
• Treating the Entry Like an Internal Report: Kirsty Olczak, PR and Communications Manager at Aura PR, explains: “The most common mistake I’ve seen is people treating an award entry like another internal report… falling into the trap of making lists and pie charts is the surest way to not get noticed by a judge. Write for someone who doesn’t know your business, but do it with heart and captivating stories.”

How Professional Awards Writers Approach the Process

Professional awards writing agencies often follow a structured approach when developing submissions.

The writing experts at Make More Noise outline their workflow:

“Our first step would be carefully selecting an awards programme, like the Brilliance Awards, based on its prestige in the business world – and then reviewing the criteria line by line to ensure our client can evidence success relating to each key point. It’s important to liaise with multiple teams within the business to draw out as much detail as possible, including supporting evidence, so this may mean speaking to in-house marketing, finance and operations leaders, for example. Entries are then crafted and reviewed not only to ensure they are factually correct, but also that they share a compelling narrative and are thoroughly convincing! Once they’ve been approved by a senior manager, it’s time for a last proof-read before pressing 'submit' and marking the announcement date in our diaries.”

This process highlights how award writing is often a collaborative business exercise involving multiple departments and stakeholders.

Tips for Writing a Strong Award Entry

Read the Criteria Carefully

Every word in the judging criteria matters.

Many entries lose marks simply because they fail to answer the actual question being asked.

Use Clear Structure

Judges should be able to follow the story easily.

Use headings, logical flow, and concise language.

Focus on Measurable Results

Include statistics, KPIs, outcomes, comparisons, and evidence wherever possible.

Explain the Challenge

Strong entries explain the difficulty of the problem being solved.

Without context, judges cannot fully evaluate the achievement.

Show Innovation and Originality

Explain what made the work different from standard practice.

Avoid Overcomplicated Language

Simple, direct writing is usually more effective than corporate jargon.

Include Human Impact

Show how people, organisations, customers, employees, or communities benefited.

Proofread Carefully

Spelling mistakes, unclear formatting, and inconsistent information can weaken credibility.

Why Independent Judging Matters in Awards Programmes

For many entrants, the credibility of the awards programme itself is equally important.

Independent judging, blind evaluation, transparent scoring, and evidence-led assessment processes all contribute to trust in the outcome.

The International Brilliance Awards™ operate through an independent blind judging process designed to reduce bias and focus attention on the quality and impact of the work itself.

Entrant details are removed during evaluation, allowing judges to assess submissions based on evidence, effectiveness, execution, and measurable results rather than company reputation alone.

About the International Brilliance Awards™

Founded in 2014, the International Brilliance Awards™ recognise work defined by clear thinking, strong execution, and meaningful business impact across organisations worldwide.

The International Brilliance Awards™ serve as the flagship programme of the Brilliance Awards family, which includes Business Brilliance Awards, HR Brilliance Awards, Internal Communications (IC) Brilliance Awards, Marketing & PR Brilliance Awards, Sales & Revenue Brilliance Awards, and Sustainability & ESG Brilliance Awards.

Each programme focuses on a distinct area of organisational performance, while maintaining a consistent standard of evaluation through an independent, blind judging process.