How to make a successful Entry to the AEMT Awards
There’s nothing worse than clicking the submit button and then realising you neglected to include a crucial piece of winning material. Don’t worry - it’s not over! We’ve specifically designed the www.aemtawards.com entry forms, so that this can never happen. Once your entry has been submitted you will receive an email confirming the receipt of your nomination. At the bottom of the email will be a link to edit your form. You can tweak and change your form until your hearts content - but make sure you don't miss the deadline! Your last entry will be the one accepted as your entrance.
Below we outline ten pieces of advice to help you make your award entry a winning one.
1. Preparation is key. Read the criteria carefully and allow yourself plenty of time to develop a well-thought-out entry. Don’t get caught out by the deadline.
2. It is allowed to enter more than one category. Increase your chances of winning and enter for as many applicable awards as you can: But ensure that you tailor your entry to each category – as each award has unique criteria.
3. Make sure clients give you the thumbs up. Collaborate with your customer on the testimonial or endorsement. Customers also receives promotion through the ceremony and PR, so they’ll be thankful for it.
4. Answer the questions properly and write persuasively. Set out clear and concise benefits of your entry – don’t just write a ‘stream of consciousness’.
5. Banish all Salesy and PR jargon. By writing in clear, plain English, the judges will love your entry even more, avoid jargon and explain uncommon abbreviations.
6. Use attachments wisely. You may attach documents to support your entry but they should be limited to useful information that will help the judges to understand the impact of your work. However the essential elements of the entry must be kept within the word count of the entry – we won’t be able to accept entries on an attached PDF, unless it is a supporting endorsement or testimonial. Supporting documents should be compressed into a zipped folder to make uploading of multiple items possible.
7. We are looking for strong evidence to back up your claims. Collect good data and show it off! Even if the project is new, an estimate or a projection of the benefits is important. And if an installed project has given “25 per cent more energy efficiency” for instance, tell the judges what the increase relates to – compared to its predecessor, to rivals, to the relevant standard etc.
8. Read through the criteria and double check that you are meeting all the requirements. For instance, categories are aimed specifically at new technologies, techniques, or services developed within the last year or two.
9. Ask someone else, such as a colleague, to look through your entry before you submit. It can be helpful to ask someone who was not directly involved in the work you are entering – because, like the judges,they will not have intimate knowledge of the entry, so they may be able to suggest ways to clarify the details. You can share the form you are working on easily – just click on the ‘save for later’ link at the bottom of the form.
10. Stop before you submit! And double-check that you have fulfilled all the applicable fields and elements of the form and provided all the evidence that the judges need. If you get stuck then call us at the AEMT on +44 (0)1904 674 899, or email admin@theaemt.com.
Closing date for entries
Check the event website on www.aemtawards.com for the deadline. Those wanting industry-wide recognition for a job well done, be it for technical innovation or application know-how, for environmental consideration or commitment to training, they should make a note of this important date. It is completely free of charge to enter the awards, but the promotional value associated with being selected as a finalist is worth many hundreds of pounds. And for those individuals and companies who become one of the seven winners, the promotional benefit is even greater.
Further details
The gala awards dinner will be staged at the Doubletree by Hilton in Coventry. For more information, please visit the website www.aemtawards.com or call the event producers, Touchwave Media on +44 (0)7785 290 034.