So, at The Awards People we get contacted with all sorts of questions relating to awards (no surprise there) but just recently we’ve been asked by a few of our clients about re-entering the same awards they won the previous year. The main dilemma is ‘Is it a good thing or bad thing to try for the same award again?’.
Well, firstly it’s a great dilemma to have! Success is wonderful and we love to celebrate our clients’ wins so the fact that we’re now entering ‘Phase Two’ of their awards journey, by their side, fills us with pride.
To repeat or to leave well alone?
OK, no real right answer/ wrong answer situation here. As with any award-entry decision, it depends entirely on the circumstances of the business involved. It’s not like a world record or a championship match, there’s not a title to defend, but many feel like they want to hold on to the accolade.
The criteria for many categories relate to the last 12 months, so eligibility depends entirely on the activities within the business in that same time period – no cheating by using the achievements from the year before! Of course, if you’ve genuinely had another amazing year and have achieved new heights of greatness then we say go for it and treat the award entry as the brand-new opportunity it truly is!
Explore new opportunities
As an alternative to entering the same award again why not look for a new category which reflects how your own journey has developed? For example, if you won the innovation award last year then think about the longer term benefits you’ve gained from that original innovative move. Did it improve things for your employees? (think ‘Employer of the Year’), did it allow you to improve your offering or service levels? (think ‘Customer Service’ categories) …
Whilst you may have enjoyed being ‘Best Small Business’ in the East Midlands, accept that you’ve nailed that crown and you’ve now progressed to a point where you are ready to celebrate the individual aspects to your business in which you truly excel. Arguably it is possibly just that bit more special to win something entirely new rather than, perhaps predictably, winning the same title as before? We say, rejoice in the fact that your magnificence is multi-faceted!
It’s a big, wide awards world
As an award winner you have seen the many benefits it can bring to your business, you’ve experienced the sheer excitement of having your name announced at the ceremony and you’ve no doubt basked in the glory which the accolade brought. It’s quite an addictive thing and most people quickly realise that they want their first win to be the first of many – and so it should be.
By entering and winning an award you have demonstrated that you do something quite extraordinary within your business and, whilst it may have been related to a specific project or activity, it says a whole lot about the ethos, culture and attitude within you as an individual and / or the employees who work by your side. It is this which will make you an award winner again in future years, even if the activities of your company have totally changed. Also, let’s not forget that you have been tested by the awards application itself and have proven to be at least ‘better than average’ at conveying your story in words and providing the judges with compelling evidence of your achievements. This skill is transferred seamlessly to new awards and it would be a real shame not to use it!
