Guest post by Ken Jacobs, principal of Jacobs Communications Consulting (@Kensviews)

Having just judged three awards competitions— the PRSA Silver Anvils, PRSA-NY Big Apples and PRSA-NJ Pyramids—I was delighted when Priya asked me to share my thoughts, from a judge’s perspective, on what makes for an award-winning entry.

Here’s a baker’s dozen list of questions that you should ask yourself before sending your entry. I apologize if some of these seem overly basic, but trust me, over the years I’ve reviewed a number of program entries where this list could have made a real difference for those submitting their work.

1. Is this truly game-changing work? We know you worked very hard, but awards are given to identify and honor best practices, for results that are above-and-beyond, for programs that changed the game for you or your client, and yes, for our industry. Very good programs are very good, but they don’t win awards. If your program was very good, revel in that, but save your time and your expense. Don’t enter it into an awards program.

2. Did I show that I understand that one of the objectives of an awards program is to prove that I know what an objective is? Ok, I exaggerate, but just a bit. I still reel when I see entries, from reputable firms, which seem to indicate that they don’t understand that an objective should be measurable, that an objective is the “what” and the strategy’s the “how.” I appreciate that some industry pros have slightly different definitions of goals, objectives and strategies, but I think we can all agree that “generating more media coverage” is not a measurable objective!

3. Are my results connected to my objectives? I’m amazed that I just wrote those words, but I’ve seen countless entries where the goals and results seem to live in different universes. Let me make it simple for you: When you’re writing your results, just copy and paste your objectives into the results section. Then share the appropriate results for each objective. If you’ve laid out measurable objectives, it should be easy to prove that your results achieved them. If some of your objectives weren’t achieved, it’s best for you to acknowledge this, indicate the reason and how this affects your plans going forward. If you over-achieved any objectives, don’t be shy about trumpeting this fact.

4. Does it all connect? If you achieve the measurable objectives that you indicated, will it help solve the business or marketing image you described in the business environment section? Do your strategies truly overcome the challenges you articulated? Will the tactics involve and reach the audiences you’ve identified? Will the coverage likely convey the important messages that you indicated?

5. Did I show the entry to someone not on this account or who didn’t work on this project? It’s absolutely critical that you do so. Even though these pros won’t know the details of your program, they have one critical skill that you don’t: objectivity. They can help you see which parts of your write-up aren’t clear, or what might be confusing to another reader. And wouldn’t you want that insight so you can take corrective action before judges see your work?

6. If I left out the budget, did I explain why? Budgets are often required for programs. If your client or company prohibits you from sharing this critical piece of information, at least provide a budget range. If you’re prohibited from sharing even that, say so. Either way, don’t allow the judges to assume you were hiding a huge budget or were simply being careless.

7. Should I be entering this campaign in a publicity, rather than a public relations, awards program? You don’t need me to remind you that our industry has morphed incredibly in the past few years, and that we’re living in an era of engagement, when (cliché alert) content is king and getting the target to share it is critical. Yet many firms insist on entering publicity programs into public relations awards contests. I’ve nothing against a classic publicity program designed to generate coverage in traditional outlets. But if your program doesn’t reflect state-of-the art execution, channels and tactics, don’t enter it in a public relations awards contest. (And don’t even get me started on the entries whose achievements were primarily the result of advertising efforts.)

8. Did I focus on the entry, not the back-up? When I was entering and winning awards competitions, it was believed that judges were looking for excuses not to review the support binders. While that may or may not be true, all those with whom I’ve ever judged, and certainly the senior judges, focused on the two-page entry. That’s where you convince the judge that your program was truly best-in-class. In my experience, the binder was used as a tie-breaker, or perhaps to determine which campaign gets the award and which gets the honorable mention. But if your entry isn’t executed properly, and according to the rules, your binder won’t make a difference.

(Photo Credit: Photong)

9. Did I use the checklist? Checklists are provided by the awards sponsors to assure that each entry addresses all key issues. This also makes it easier to judge all submissions from a level playing field. These are requirements, people! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sat around a table with a group of judges, saying “This seems to be great work, but where’s the budget? Where’s the research? Don’t they understand the meaning of the word ‘required’?” (Yes, after a morning of looking through entries that leave out key data, we judges can be a bit snarky! Now you know.)

10. Did I wow the judges? I’m not talking about a flashy video or a beautifully-designed binder, but an entry that’s well written. I’ve read some entries for programs that might have been absolutely compelling, but were so dryly written I needed two double espressos to get to the end. The reality is judges are reading many entries in a relatively short period of time. Write yours in a way that captures and keeps our attention. And yes, you can have some fun with it. In fact, please do so, at least for this judge!

11. Have I taken the judges ages into account? Ageist you say? Not at all. But most awards judges are around 40 or older, when the eyes start to go. So that 8-pt. type that you’ve used in order to fit all your words onto two pages is not having your desired effect. Instead of using tiny type, take out your red pencil, and slash the copy down to size. And on the same subject, remember that white space is the judges’-and therefore your—friend!

12. Does the data in my binder truly support my two-page entry? Okay, you’ve wowed us with your two page entry. It’s thorough, well-written and yes, compelling. Make sure that your binder proves all the claims you’ve made in your entry, that you’ve shared the findings of the research that led to your strategy, and most important, the data that proves you achieved your objectives.

13. Did I proof? Have I seen more than my share of awards entries with typos? Yess!

Ken Jacobs is the principal of Jacobs Communications Consulting, which helps public relations firms 1) Grow and manage business; 2) Improve client service and enhance client relationships; and 3) Increase staff performance, motivation, loyalty and retention. It does so via training, consulting and coaching. Prior to launching his firm, he spent 25 years in leadership roles with various New York-based public relations agencies. He blogs at Ken’s Views.