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Five Tips for Regional Business Award Success

Winning a business award brings many benefits, some of which are often overlooked.

As well as providing great marketing content and proving your credibility and expertise to existing clients and customers, they’re a great way to stand apart from your competitors and convey key messages about your company to new business prospects and recruits.

Of course, they’re also great for staff morale, as people feel proud to be part of an award-winning organisation.

For regional businesses competing against larger players in the market, award success can help level the playing field and establish genuine authority within specialist sectors.

In our experience, however, many regional businesses approach awards in a haphazard way, missing opportunities to maximise their advantages.

 

Measurable Impact

In the past, there were far fewer organisations running award programmes and the entry process was generally straightforward. Today, however, virtually every publication runs its own awards programme with a vast array of categories covering every aspect of running a business. The entry process differs greatly, with some enforcing strict wordcounts, while others require a video submission or a site visit and interview stage.

If you don’t have record-breaking profit to shout about or a staggering growth trajectory to share, don’t be put off, judges are always looking for a human-interest angle. What is it that really sets your business apart from your competitors? Whether it’s a standout people strategy, a technical innovation you’ve developed or a superstar employee, there’s likely to be an award category for you.

Here are three tips for writing an entry that will catch the eye of a judge:

1. Provide evidence

Where possible, provide supporting evidence for every claim you make. If you’re writing about your excellent customer service, back this up with testimonials and case studies.

2. Choose the right category

It’s vitally important that you choose the right category to enter. Think carefully about the areas you genuinely excel and spend your time writing an excellent, highly specific entry. Less is definitely more. It’s far better to spend time on one standout entry addressing all the key criteria, than five generic entries that miss the mark.

3. Showcase your regional expertise

As a regional business, you have unmatched local market knowledge and are likely to be deeply ingrained in your local market. This gives you a unique ability to tell an authentic business story that showcases your contribution to the local economy.

Case Study: WestBridge Award Success

Thomas Dutton, investment director at WestBridge, was recently named Young Private Equity Professional of the year at the Young Professional Awards, organised by North West Business Insider. In tandem, WestBridge itself won the Value Creation Deal of the Year (Upper Mid) award at the Actum Group Private Equity Value Creation Awards.

This dual award success demonstrates how strategic award targeting can build both individual and corporate recognition simultaneously.

 

The five step framework that delivers results

Step 1. Map your awards calendar 12 months ahead

  • Research opportunities early.
  • Map your strengths against award categories.
  • Start collecting evidence now, not when deadlines loom.

Step 2. Build your evidence before you need it

  • Document achievements on a monthly basis.
  • Collect client testimonials, performance data, and impact metrics throughout the year.
  • Regional businesses excel when they can demonstrate direct community impact.

Step 3. Create stories that judges remember

  • Follow a clear structure, i.e. problem, solution, impact.
  • The judges want to hear about the people and personalities behind the figures. Share the human side of your success, let the judges feel your passion and make your entry unforgettable.
  • Where possible, use quantitative metrics alongside qualitative storytelling

Step 4. Perfect your presentation standards

  • Professional formatting matters.
  • Stick to word limits, check your spelling and grammar, include proper documentation, and invest in quality visuals, if allowed.
  • Make your entry easy to evaluate and impossible to ignore.

Step 5. Choose your categories carefully

  • Only submit multiple category entries for the same awards, if you’re able to address the specific criteria for each. Writing a generic entry and submitting it for a range of categories is unlikely to go down well with the judges.

 

Five mistakes that could kill your award chances

Here are five of the most common reasons award applications miss the mark.

  1. 1. Generic applications: Don’t be tempted to submit a generic entry or rehash an entry from a previous year. Address specific judging criteria and avoid using one-size-fits-all submissions.
  2. 2. Internal focus: If you’re talking about internal achievements, where possible, provide external validation or stakeholder proof.
  3. 3. Last-minute rush: Leaving entries until the last minute often results in submissions that lack depth.
  4. 4. Wrong category targeting: Really think about the category you’re entering, don’t be tempted to apply for a broad business excellence award if you’d be better suited to a specialist category that showcases your expertise.
  5. 5. Missing the story: Don’t write out an extensive list of your achievements without answering the ‘so what’ question. Explain what problem your solution solved and the impact you delivered.

Ready to turn your achievements into award-winning recognition? Our team specialises in crafting compelling award entries that showcase regional businesses at their best.

Want to discuss how strategic award entry planning can improve your market position and credibility? Get in touch via our contact form or call us on 0161 927 3131 today.

For expert support with your award entry strategy, explore our award entries service or read more award success stories from regional businesses.

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