The ultimate guide for entering and winning awards

Entering event awards can do wonders for your company, such as generate positive PR, showcase your achievements, bring new clients and partners, and boost your authority in what is an incredibly vibrant industry. That’s why it’s important to do it the right way to increase your chances of getting your event shortlisted and actually winning. And while it may seem like a daunting task, here’s the scoop on how to get an edge over the competition. 

Plan before you apply
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Before you start working on the actual application, there’s some prep work that you need to do. Here’s a list of tips to help you along: 

• Research the awarding body — since you will invest time and resources in your application, you need to make sure that it will be worth it. The more respected the organization that hands out the awards, the more meaningful their recognition. Eventex Awards are the biggest international event industry awards with over a decade of history, and more than 3,100 entries from 90+ countries.
• Check out their prizes — in the case of the Eventex Awards, you get a free kit with promotional materials such as a certificate of excellence, badges, press templates, and social media visuals, among other perks, as well as the option to order a commemorative trophy. 
• Figure out your goals — while winning is your logical endgame, getting shortlisted might also give you benefits such as networking opportunities and extra marketing power. Defining what constitutes success for your entry will make you more focused on taking full advantage of all you can gain by entering the awards.   
• Check out the jury panel and judging criteria — transparency and objectivity in the awards process are crucial when deciding whether to enter certain awards or not. To ensure ultimate objectivity, we go one step further and use Evalato’s unique score normalization feature which applies a mathematical formula where every entry is scored based on the same set of standards, regardless of how many judges are evaluating the program submissions. After the winners are announced, we publish all the judging results and comments on the entries to achieve maximum transparency.
• Read carefully how to enter and get the entry kit — this way you will have all the details on how to register and apply for the awards and get a head start on planning. With Eventex Awards, you get a detailed entry kit packed with useful info, templates, and best practices, that will come in handy regardless of whether you’re a seasoned veteran or it’s your first time. 
• Choose your categories well — if you can only apply for a single category, make sure that it matches the focus of your organization perfectly. If, however, the organizers have given you the option to participate in more than one category, as is the case with Eventex Awards, try to pick categories that are relevant to your goals and where you can realistically win or get shortlisted. Our team is always happy to give you advice on the most suitable categories and you have plenty of opportunities to reach out: chat, email, or booking a slot for a consultation.
• Check for early-bird offers and promo codes — some awards organizers offer discounts if you register and/or apply before a certain date, or give promo codes to loyal customers, partners, etc. Taking advantage of such an offer, such as the 5 for 3 promo for Eventex Awards 2023, will save you money, making the price for an entry a fraction of what you would otherwise pay for a single entry. Then, entering more than one category increases your chances of winning an award.  
• See if the application process is convenient — check if and what type of awards platform the organizer uses to collect applications. The truth is not all awards bodies use awards platforms and not all software are intuitive enough for you as an applicant.  Luckily for you, Eventex has been using Evalato for years now, so you can rest assured that submitting applications is as easy as it gets. 
• Mind the deadline and plan your time — make sure that you don’t wait for the last possible moment to submit your entry. Will you rely on your staff to collect some or all of the data for the entry? Do you need any visuals prepared beforehand? Do you need any permissions from a client or partner whose event you organized? Take all of this into account when working on the timeline of your application. While the actual submission might be quick and easy, especially in the case of an intuitive application platform like Evalato, the prep work involved might prove more time-consuming than expected.  

Use the application platform to the fullest 
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Organizations that highly value their time and that of their applicants tend to use advanced awards software such as Evalato, which streamlines the whole application and evaluation process. Since Eventex uses Evalato, you’re in good hands. Now, let’s take a look at how you can use it to your advantage: 

• Quick and easy registration process — with Eventex’s Evalato-powered awards, you get a straightforward registration process that wraps up quickly. In short, you register with just a few clicks and instantly get login details and a confirmation email you can always refer to to log in. Voila, you can now focus on what really matters — crafting your application. 
• Secure payments — last but not least, Evalato makes sure your data is encrypted with the latest SSL security protocols for complete peace of mind.  
• Applicant portal with resumable entry creation —  this is your space to craft a winning entry, use it to the fullest. In the case of Evalato, you get an individual full-feature portal where you can save your application in draft mode and resume your work whenever you like. This way, you can come back to it later and fix that annoying typo that you would’ve otherwise overlooked. You hit the submit button only when you’re ready — just make sure it’s before the submission deadline, of course. 
• Tooltips — Evalato’s handy tooltips are there to make your life easier. They will assist you during the registration and application process so make sure to read them for an even smoother experience.  

Craft the perfect entry  

When you have done the prep work, crafting a winning entry should be less of a challenge. Here are Evalato’s top tips for a winning entry: 

• Read the criteria — while this should be a no-brainer, it tends to get overlooked way too often. This will help you structure your entry in a way that would make the best possible impression on the jury. 
• Research previous winners — unless you’re applying for the inaugural edition of an awards program, you don’t need to start from scratch. Research previous winners of the award and their successful case studies to see what they did right to impress the jury panel.  
• Be specific and concise — remember that less is more. Focus on substance and don’t distract the jury with fluff or cliches just to fill the word count. Use specific data to prove your point and try to structure your narrative so that it’s easy to comprehend — with bullets, numbering, paragraphs, etc.
• Be authentic and original — consider what makes you stand out from the crowd, what makes your venture a success, and focus on it in your entry. It’s always the disruptors and the most creative ideas that steal the limelight — show the jury that’s you.
• Add proofs — enhance your application with statistics, videos, testimonials, anything that is allowed, to prove your worth. That said, do not overwhelm the judges with too much information, include only what is relevant to the award. 
• Proofread — make sure to double and triple-check everything before submitting. Ideally, you could turn to a team member for a fresh pair of eyes who is more likely to spot mistakes such as typos. 

That’s a Wrap 

Now that you know how to enter an awards competition the right way, it’s time to get started —  Eventex Awards await you. Remember that your winning entry is in your hands, while Evalato will help you showcase your achievements and get your application safely to the jury. Good luck!