There is no doubt that winning an award for your work from a national professional organization will look good on your resume, raise your self esteem, and bring you kudos at the office and among your peers. So why aren’t you applying for one?
The following are tips for presenting your project to judges. Most award programs in our industry are similar, so the tips will apply for other programs as well. For more information about the AWC Clarion Awards, you can refer to the PowerPoint presentation on this topic created by Pat Meads, Treasurer of the AWC National Board and Clarion Judge for the past 15 years, and Sheryl Liddle, former Chair of the AWC National Board and Clarion Awards program management and advisor for the last 4 years.
Choose the Right Category!
You may think this would be obvious, but there may be a fine line. There are over 100 different categories. When in doubt, contact [email protected]. New or expanded categories are:
- Under Online Media – New Categories in 2019
- Mobile Technology (apps)
- Podcasts
- Online Video – Informational/Instructional
- Online Video – Entertainment
- Under Website – Expanded Categories in 2020
- Based on Template Design
- Original Design
- Under Student – New categories in 2019
- Online Video – Informational/Instructional
- Online Video – Entertainment
- Under Student – New categories for 2020
- Student Publications – News
- Student Publications – Feature
Don’t Leave Anything Blank
The first place a lot of entries go wrong is leaving a section blank. Each entry is judged on its own merit. Judges assign points for your answers for each section on the entry form – 100 points total. If you leave a section blank or say N/A, you will receive no points for that section. When points are totaled up, you are already behind. There are 10 sections, each worth 10 points. You need to have 92 points or more to be considered a finalist. If you leave a question blank, you are out of the race. There is only one winner per category, but if no entry achieves enough points, there is no winner for that category.
The entry period for the AWC Clarion Awards is January 9 thru April 6, 2020. Apply online at womcom.org!
If you think a question does not apply to your situation, your entry may be in the wrong category. If the category is correct and you still don’t think a question applies, explain why. In explaining, you may see that it really does apply and be able to come up with a good answer.
Show Your Best Writing Skills
Answer every section thoroughly without adding padding – it’s not a high school essay! There is no limit on word count for most sections, but most of the judges are assigned many entries, so they will appreciate accuracy, brevity, and clarity – the foundation of good writing.
Write your answers in a word processing program like Microsoft Word first. That way you can take advantage of your software’s spelling and grammar checker. Have one or more people proofread your copy for errors and flow. When you are satisfied with your answers, copy and paste into the entry form.
Describe Your Project Fully
Pat and Sheryl say: “Make sure a judge who knows nothing about your company (publication, etc.) can understand who the company is (their product/service) and what the project is. Do not assume that the judge has heard of the company – or the project. And give full details of the elements of the project, or the background of the assignment, etc.”
Give the judges some context and then explain how your project was innovative, something new and different for your company, required a search for a software provider or learning new software, required interviews with experts or old-fashioned library research, etc. Impress the judge with the scope of your task!
Why? And Did You Meet Your Goals?
Any project starts with the Why. What are your goals? Did you reach those goals? You are always working for someone – even if it is yourself – so it is helpful to have some way to measure whether you achieved your goals. Show this to the judges. Whether it’s measurable ROI, feedback from your target audience, or compliance with regulations, describe your intent and your results.
Budget – There is a Cost for Everything!
Not every category requires that you disclose a budget, but if yours does, be sure to answer it completely. Your answers will be kept confidential if you so indicate. Judges look at this field to determine how much you got for the money you spent. Maybe you had a large budget, so you could afford all the bells and whistles. Or maybe you were operating on a shoestring budget, but you managed to use your money creatively to get the most bang for your buck. Those factors will be taken into account during the judging process. If you didn’t have a formal budget, figure out the cost of the project and use that and show how that money was spent. If you don’t have actual figures, you can describe the components of the cost of the project.
AWC’s Own Clarion Awards
AWC Members: The Clarions are our very own awards program. You might be surprised to hear that we receive many more entries from non-members than from members. That results in most of our winners being non-members. Why is that? Our members are a diverse group of communication professionals and students. We all have our own special talents and we are producing excellent work. You deserve to be recognized!
AWC members receive a discount on Clarion entries. Through March 2, 2020, you can receive a further Early Bird discount. Register during the Early Bird period and you still have a month to complete your entry. Don’t delay! Register today!
About the Author
Peggy Fleming is Director of Communication and Engagement at West Bank in West Des Moines, Iowa. A member of the Association for Women in Communications, she currently serves as secretary of the AWC National Board of Directors, secretary of the AWC Advancement Fund, and as treasurer of her local chapter. In addition, she serves on the board of directors of Social Media Club Des Moines where she is also treasurer. Peggy is a graduate of Drake University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
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