Top Tips

Remember that the total word count across the entire submission should not exceed 1000 words. The judges will mark you down if you go over the wordcount. You will be asked to supply your wordcount at the end of the submission form.

Graphs and images may be uploaded as a PDF or media format in conjunction with the core 1000-word submission to clarify data and make the paper engaging. Additional material should be legible, clearly explained, and meaningful. Please note that any additional information is not formally marked and it is not essential to a high scoring entry to supply supporting evidence.

Read the questions carefully; use more of the word count for higher value answers.

Show us real evidence to support your entry - don't just tell us that it was amazing, or your boss thought it was wonderful. Quantitative and qualitative measures can each be convincing – but make sure that they are relevant and realistic.

Show us that you understand the use of statistics if you plan to include them. Sales or profits or unprompted awareness may well have increased by 153.27%, but it is better and more convincing to say “about 150%” or “more than 150%”.

Think of the judges and help them to understand your entry without having to refer to a dictionary or Google. The judges have wide-ranging but varying experiences of different sectors, markets and countries, so if your sector is niche or esoteric or new, describe it briefly in the introduction.

Be careful with abbreviations, acronyms and jargon – you know what you mean, but will the judges?

It is fine to enter the same project in several categories, and it is fine for some of the core elements to be “cut and pasted”. But make sure that other elements are edited to reflect any different criteria or each category.

For example, the same project might well be a successful new brand entry and demonstrate a corporate social responsibility focus, but the same metrics would not convince in both categories.

Re-read your “finished” entry carefully, from the perspective of the reader, not the writer, and revise. Then ask a colleague or friend not connected to the entry to read it critically – and revise again!