Blue Ribbon Award Winning Writing Tips
JoAnn R. Forrester
Awards are an excellent way to position a client, business associate or oneself for recognition and FREE publicity. The publicity received is often worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. The following tips will give you an overview of writing a nomination that will stand out and shout, “Pick me.”
- Preparation: Knowing the RIGHT steps to take, people to nominate and what awards to nominate your nominee for saves time, frustration and losing submission.
- READ, know and follow the guidelines exactly for the nomination. If you have questions… ASK the organization sponsoring the award.
3. Nominee’s Permission: It is essential to ask the intended honoree’s permission to nominate him or her for an award. Explain the award and let the nominee know up front if financial data is required. Some nominees are uncomfortable with disclosing financial information and will elect not to continue.
4. Supporting material: If there are supporting documents required, start gathering them immediately. The supporting documents and letters can be referenced in the nomination write-up to illustrate strong points of the candidate.
5. Writing: Give yourself plenty of time to write. Figure at least 10 hours for each nomination. This covers research, interviewing, verifying material and writing. List each criteria and answer that only. Use short and brief sentences with strong follow-up points. Long sentences and narratives are boring. The committee soon gets tired of reading and will start to skim over material.
6. Editing. Have the nominee review and verify what you have written. If you are unsure of a fact, do not use it. If it states no more than 5 pages, stick to that!
7. Submission: Make sure All information requested is enclosed. Do not guess on postage if mailing. Get proof of mailing or delivery verification of nomination. Make sure you have the name of the person who received it.
8. Congratulate Yourself. You did it! Pat yourself on the back! You deserve it and when your nominee wins…it will be a great time for all.
