How to write an awards submission

Lodging a submission for these awards offers you the opportunity to highlight your achievements and successes during the assessment period and reflect on your initiatives, processes, and outcomes.

It is also an opportunity to apply critical thinking, review your systems and processes, articulate how your work distinguishes you from your peers and competitors in your industry, and perhaps consider how you could improve your approach to your work.

Submissions take time and effort so allot sufficient time to reflect on your achievements, collect supporting documents (including references and testimonials), write an effective submission, and edit and proofread it before submitting.

Tips for compiling an effective submission

Writing an award-winning submission is about narrating your story in a compelling and authentic way that captures the judges’ attention. It is critical that you tell your personal story in the first person and include evidence such as case studies and statistics to back your story.

Here are some top tips for writing an impressive submission.

Stick to the awards criteria

Every category has a published criteria document. It tells you exactly what the judges are assessing and how each element is weighted. Download it. Read it. Then read it again. Structure your submission around the criteria headings so a judge can immediately see where you're addressing each requirement.

Quantify everything

"Improved financial reporting" is a claim. "Reduced month-end close from 12 days to 4 days, saving 3,200 hours annually across the finance team" is a case for an award. Wherever possible, attach a number – dollars saved, hours reduced, errors eliminated, compliance scores improved, team engagement measured.

Tell a story

The best submissions have a narrative arc. Where were you when you started? What challenge did you face? What did you do that was different? What was the outcome? A clear before-during-after structure makes your submission readable, memorable, and persuasive.

Use evidence

Attach supporting documentation: board reports, dashboards, testimonials from stakeholders, screenshots of systems you've implemented, before-and-after metrics reports. Evidence transforms assertions into facts.

Lead with impact

Your opening paragraph should tell the judge why this submission matters. Don't build up slowly – state your strongest achievement in the first three sentences. Judges read dozens of submissions; make yours impossible to skip.

Be specific about your role

If you're part of a team, clearly define your individual contribution. What did you do? What decisions did you make? What would not have happened without you? The judges can only assess what you tell them.

Edit ruthlessly

Write your first draft, then cut 30%. Remove jargon. Shorten sentences. Delete adjectives that don't carry weight. Ask a colleague outside finance to read it. If they understand and are impressed, you're ready to submit.

Avoid

What judges don't want to see

Generic claims without evidence.

We are committed to excellence" means nothing without proof.

Company marketing material

Judges want specifics about your work, not your employer's annual report copy.

Overly long submissions.

Respect the word limit. More words do not equal more points.

Paint your canvas

Your submission is not a compliance document. It is a portrait of your professional contribution over the eligibility period. Give the judges a full, vivid picture – the challenges, the decisions, the outcomes, and the learnings. The best submissions are honest, specific, and unmistakably human.

Don’t be beige

Most submissions play it safe. The winners don't. Take a position. Own your achievements. Write with the confidence of someone who knows their work deserves to be on stage at the Four Seasons.

How to Write an Award-Winning Submission