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Six rules for award-winning writing.

Writing an awards entry? Think about who’s reading, and stick to five other rules says Jan Dekker from The Writer.

Have you ever been an awards judge? If not, here’s what to expect. First, a warm, flattered feeling when the organisers ask you to do it. Next, a reality check as they sling you the entries and give you the deadline for getting them judged. Then, the entries themselves: the hard work before the slap-up dinner.

As you might have guessed, I’ve been an awards judge recently. It showed me that a good awards entry is no different to any other good business writing. They both follow the same rules, just as not-so-good entries fall into the same traps as not-so-good business writing. So before you start writing and send the suit or dress off to the cleaners, make sure you’ve got those rules clear.

Think about who’s reading

Like with anything else you write, it pays to think about who’s on the receiving end. In this case, they’re short of time, and probably reading your entry in the evenings or at weekends. They’re a captive audience. They have to read your entry, along with everyone else’s. But they’re really hoping for something interesting, even exciting. Something that grabs them by the lapels and makes their life easy by being the clear winner.

Put the important stuff up top

Read any news story, and the bit that matters most is always in the first paragraph. The number of people injured in the fire. Who won the by-election. What the verdict was in the murder trial. So even if we don’t read everything, we’ll get the essentials. Try to think the same way about your entry. Get the most important facts down before the judge’s mind can start wandering. What’s changed in your business? What impact has your new campaign or service had? How much has your market share gone up? It’s surprising how often vital information ends up really low down, or lurking in supporting bumph or behind web links.

Make it interesting

There are lots of ways to do this, but the most obvious one is to tell stories. You’re entering an award, so you should have one or two. The ones about the problems you (or your customer) had, how you spotted them, what you did to solve them and the impact that had. And tell the stories with vivid language – the kind that paints a picture in the judge’s mind. Throw in the odd question, too. (How did we do it? What’s so different about that? What happened next?) It’s a good way to draw readers in. Quotes from people involved help add a touch of drama, too.

Give evidence, not adjectives

Nearly all businesses succumb to adjectivitis occasionally, especially at awards time. World-leading, first-class, amazing, dedicated, experienced… You can play adjective bingo with almost any sample of business writing. But they don’t mean anything. Either they need backing up with facts – what makes your product world-leading or your service first-class? Or they’re so obvious you don’t need them – anyone would hope your people are dedicated (not indifferent) and your consultants are experienced (not first-timers).

So every time you write an adjective, think of a fact instead. Or do the ‘as-opposed-to’ test? If the opposite of your adjective is as silly as the two examples here, you don’t need it.

Make it easy to read

Even if they read every word, your judge will still start with a skim-read. First impressions count, and you won’t make a good one if they can’t size things up in a few seconds. So use lots of subheadings summing up what each section is about. Keep paragraphs short. Don’t let sentences creep over 25–30 words. Use bullet points, but don’t have them last several sentences or pile up in groups of ten or more.

Sound like a human being

Part of getting the judge on your side is making them feel you’re a member of the same species. You can do that by using the kind of language you’d go for if you were talking to them face to face. People often think that sounding professional means throwing in words like ‘enablement’, ‘solution’ and ‘delivery’. Or shying away from conversational words like ‘buy’ and ‘need’ in favour of ‘purchase’ and ‘require’.

Again, think about the kind of business writing that keeps you reading. It could be the FT or The Economist, a good bit of thought leadership or an ad. Do any of them use stiff, formal-sounding language, or pepper every sentence with jargon? Industry-speak has its role. If you’re entering highly specialist awards – a particular niche of IT or pharmaceuticals, say – and you’re sure the judge is from exactly the same background as you, it could save time. But in any other situation it could alienate them.

Jan Dekker is a creative director at The Writer.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Jan Dekker .