In this article, “business and industry awards” refers to awards programs run by industry bodies, professional associations, peak organisations, government and community institutions, including categories designed for both businesses and not-for-profit organisations.
When your organisation receives recognition at a business or industry awards event, it is more than a moment on stage. It is an opportunity to demonstrate credibility to peers, customers, partners and staff, and to position the business for future growth.
However, reaching that point requires more than strong performance alone. To give your business the best chance of success, it is essential to understand how to write a business awards entry properly and to approach the process strategically, not reactively.
This article outlines what strong award submissions really require and introduces a practical Business and Industry Awards Entry Checklist to help businesses assess their readiness and prepare disciplined, evidence-based submissions.
Why business awards matter beyond awards night
Awards provide external validation. While any organisation can describe itself as innovative or high performing, an award judged by independent industry representatives carries far greater weight.
An award win demonstrates objectively that your organisation meets recognised standards of performance. This credibility can be leveraged across:
- tender and grant applications
- investor and partner discussions
- industry profiles and media coverage
- marketing campaigns and customer communications
- websites, email marketing and social media
Awards also play an important internal role. They recognise the contribution of teams and reinforce pride and engagement across the organisation.
For many organisations, awards form part of broader annual goals around reputation, growth and visibility.
Why capable businesses and NFPs still struggle with award submissions
Many strong organisations fail to progress in awards programs, not because they lack results, but because the submission itself falls short.
Most major awards now rely on online submission portals with strict word limits, specific attachment requirements and automated cut-offs if responses exceed limits. It is common for more time to be spent editing responses down to size than writing them in the first place.
Timing is another challenge. Awards often require end-of-financial-year figures, financial statements, testimonials or supporting data sourced from multiple contributors. Without early planning, organisations find themselves rushing close to deadlines, which affects quality.
Another common issue is failing to tailor submissions to the specific award or sponsor. Generic responses that do not align with judging criteria or the awarding body’s priorities rarely score well.
Using AI to write entries with no depth doesn’t score well either. In fact, some award organisers indicate they monitor entries for AI-generated content, with judges marking down entries that are obviously written with AI tools.
Awards success requires a staged, disciplined approach
Strong award submissions follow a clear and repeatable process:
- Planning an annual awards calendar
- Preparing before each award opens
- Developing the award entry
- Finalising and quality-checking the submission
The earlier this process begins, the less pressure there is later and the stronger the final result.
The Business and Industry Awards Entry Checklist supports this staged approach and helps avoid common pitfalls.
Download the Business and Industry Awards Entry Checklist
This article provides context and guidance, but the Business and Industry Awards Readiness Checklist is designed as a practical self-assessment tool.
It can be used to:
- assess whether your orgnisation is ready to enter awards
- identify gaps before time is invested in submissions
- support planning and contributor coordination
- improve the quality and consistency of entries
Download the Business and Industry Awards Readiness Checklist
When professional support makes sense
For many businesses, award submissions compete with day-to-day operations. Professional support can be valuable, particularly when managing multiple submissions or entering highly competitive categories.
Infodec Communications has supported businesses and NFPs across multiple industry sectors in preparing and submitting award entries, achieving a 95% success rate in helping clients progress to award finals.
This experience ensures submissions are aligned with the judging criteria, supported by evidence, and written with clarity and discipline.
A well prepared award entry does more than improve the chance of a win. It strengthens how a business articulates its value across tenders, marketing and stakeholder communications.