Writing about how brilliant you are is weird. It goes against everything we’re taught about modesty and not showing off. Which is exactly why most B2B award entries read like they were written by someone who’d rather be doing literally anything else.
Judges read hundreds of entries. They’re tired. They’re time-poor. They can spot waffle, jargon, and self-congratulatory fluff from a mile off. So if you want to win business awards that build credibility and help your brand stand out, write an entry that’s as compelling as the work you’re entering.
As a B2B PR agency that’s helped clients win a fair share of industry awards across sectors like marketing and tech, we know how to write a business award entry. Here are our ten best award entry tips for writing nominations that actually land.
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- Treat the word count like a gift, not a prison
- Answer the question (and only the question)
- Check you’re actually eligible before you start
- Pick your category and commit
- Ditch the jargon
- Show, don’t tell
- Kill your darlings (especially the superlatives)
- Proofread like your reputation depends on it
- Stay on message
- Add supporting materials (if they help)
1. Treat the word count like a gift, not a prison
The word count isn’t there to torture you – it’s there to save you from yourself. It forces you to be ruthless, focused, and interesting. Judges don’t want your life story; they want the good stuff, fast. If a section allows 500 words, allocate them deliberately: 100 for context, 300 for story and results, 100 for evidence. Trim fluff like you’re editing someone else’s work.
Try this: paste the draft into a new doc and delete every sentence that doesn’t prove impact. You’ll be amazed how much sharper your story becomes.
2. Answer the question (and only the question)
It sounds simple, but a lot of entries fail here. Every sub‑question in the criteria deserves its own clear answer.
If they ask for results from Q3, don’t chuck in Q1 and Q2 for good measure. It doesn’t make you look thorough – it makes you look like you can’t follow instructions. Judges notice, and they’re not impressed.
Example:
Instead of listing every marketing success from 2022, focus on the single campaign the award is for, and show how it hit its KPIs during the stated timescale.
3. Check you’re actually eligible before you start
You can’t win what you don’t qualify for. Sounds obvious, but you’d be amazed how many people get halfway through an entry only to realise they don’t qualify. Before writing, read every line of the entry criteria: time frames, geography, company size, and category focus.
We’ve seen teams spend hours on writing award entries that were automatically ruled out. Prevent that heartbreak. Eligibility checks also help you spot whether you need supporting materials or references early on.
4. Pick your category and commit
If you hedge your bets across multiple categories, your entry reads like it doesn’t know what it wants to be. Make sure everything you write is laser-focused on why you deserve to win that award.
Choose the category where your story sings loudest, then shape every sentence around it. Judges love coherence – a clear thread from objective to outcome.
Example:
If you’re going for “Best Digital Transformation,” focus on the business problem the technology solved, not the internal comms campaign that ran alongside it. Save that for another day (or category).
5. Ditch the jargon
Your entry might be read by someone who’s never worked in your industry, so if you’re throwing around acronyms, technical terms, and insider language, you’ll lose them. Award entry writing should be like explaining something to a friend in the pub. Clear beats clever every time.
Instead of “leveraged cross‑functional alignment to drive incremental synergies,” try “brought sales and marketing together to generate 200 qualified leads in six weeks.”
Bonus tip:
Read your entry out loud. If it sounds like something you’d never say to a friend in the pub, rewrite it until it does. Simple language feels confident, not basic.
6. Show, don’t tell
“We’re innovative.” “We’re customer-focused.” “We’re award-winning.” Cool. Now prove it.
Use case studies, testimonials, stats, and stories. Don’t just say you’re brilliant – show the judges how and why.
Example:
Rather than “We improved customer experience,” say “After improving our onboarding workflow, NPS rose from 42 to 71 in three months.” A single factual sentence trumps five lines of superlatives.
If you’ve got a short quote from a client, include it. Judges want authenticity – it makes the data real.
7. Kill your darlings (especially the superlatives)
“Revolutionary.” “Game-changing.” “Best-in-class.” Mean nothing. If your work’s genuinely brilliant, the evidence will speak for itself. And please, please, please lose the exclamation marks.
Be ruthless when proofreading. Delete every adjective that doesn’t add precision. Replace emotional language with quantitative proof: revenue growth, satisfaction scores, engagement metrics.
From the judge’s perspective, inflated language signals insecurity, not excellence.
8. Proofread like your reputation depends on it
Because it does. Typos and grammatical howlers make you look careless. And if you’re careless with your award entry writing, judges assume you’re careless with your work.
Read it. Then read it again. Then get someone else to read it. If they can understand it without background knowledge, you’re good. Use a spell-checker. Then read it one more time.
9. Stay on message
Every sentence should earn its place. If it’s not directly supporting your case for winning, cut it. Be brutal. Replace waffle with facts, stats, and story. Your entry should be so tight there’s not a wasted word in sight.
Practical exercise: highlight verbs and numbers in your copy. If a paragraph lacks both, tighten it.
10. Add supporting materials (if they help)
Some awards ask for supporting documents. Some don’t.
Either way, if you’ve got something that genuinely strengthens your case – a glowing testimonial, a sharp infographic, a short video that brings your work to life – include it.
Just make sure it adds value. Judges won’t thank you for a 40-slide deck they don’t need.
The bottom line
Writing a winning award entry is about clarity, confidence, and evidence. Tell a compelling story. Back it up with proof. Make it impossible to ignore you.
If you’d like support from a specialist B2B PR agency that knows how to help brands turn their strongest work into award-winning stories, we’d love to chat.
Updated by Caitlin Singh, Comms Consultant at Definition on 05/01/2026
Let's talkFAQs about writing a winning business award entry
How long should a business award entry be?
Use the full word count allowed – it’s there to help you, not restrict you. Allocate room for context, story, results, and evidence. Edit ruthlessly – remove any sentences that don’t prove impact.
What’s the most common mistake in award entries?
Not answering the question. Answer only the question asked. Including unrelated information makes you look like you can’t follow instructions.
How do I know if I’m eligible for a business award?
Read every line of the entry criteria before you start writing: timeframes, geography, company size, and category focus. You can’t win what you don’t qualify for.
Should I use technical jargon in my award submission?
No. Judges might not be experts in your field, so avoid acronyms and insider language. Write like you’re explaining it to a friend at the pub.
Do I need supporting materials for award entries?
Only if they genuinely strengthen your case. Some awards ask for supporting documents, some don’t. If you’ve got something that adds value – a glowing testimonial, a sharp infographic, or a short video that brings your work to life – include it.
