Seven Ways to Create an IRP Award Winning Entry

If you're writing your IRP Awards entry right now, make sure you read this before you continue. We want to make sure you make your entry the best it can be, so have pulled together our judges seven top tips to follow when creating an IRP Award winning entry.

1. Clarity is key. Be succinct and stick to the word count.

Try not to get carried away while writing your entry - we recommend you don't go over 500 words per category question, and this should be more than enough to get each point across. Bullet points are your friend! Be as concise as possible.

2. Make sure to read and follow the entry criteria carefully.

Everything you need to create the best entry is contained in the specific category criteria. Remember to study it and make sure you address all the points you're being asked for. Even if you write a great entry, if you don't answer the question, unfortunately you won't get far. Our IRP Awards Entry Pack lays out the specifics of what you need to include in your entry.

3. Bring it to life. Include testimonials and supporting documents.

It's one thing saying you did something - but you've got to show the evidence behind it. This doesn't just mean financials or numbers of placements - each category asks for specific supporting documents, whether that's candidate testimonials or even testimonials from your colleagues. Great supporting documents strengthen your entry.

4. Show your differentiator. Tell us what you do that goes above and beyond.

It's important to really show the judges what makes you different. Are you doing anything innovative? Have you figured out a solution to a problem that's really changed how you do things? Do you have lots of great testimonials? Include this information. It may feel strange to big yourself up, but don't be shy about shouting about what makes you the best.

5. Don’t leave it until the last minute.  

It can be tempting to leave everything right until the last minute - but it's unlikely you'll end up with a quality entry by following this logic. Take the time to craft your entry and give yourself time to proof-read. It's amazing the amount of silly mistakes you can spot when taking a step back and leaving your drafted entry even for just a day.

6. Check and double check. Get someone outside your team to proof-read your entry.

You may think your entry is perfect - but are you too close to it? Many of us make the mistake of missing crucial grammar mistakes, or simply not realising that we're using too much company jargon in our entries. A good way to test this is to get someone outside your team to take a look over your entry - if someone who doesn't know much about what you're referring to can understand what you're trying to say, that's a great sign.

7. Be inspiring. Explain the impact of what you’ve achieved, rather than just what you did.

It's easy to just state what you did to achieve a goal - to hit that target or to get that business. But try and take that a step further. Our judges are interested in the impact of your actions, what made them different and how it's changed things since. This will really make your entry stand out.

If you follow our judges' simple tips, you're on the way to crafting an IRP Award winning entry and it could be you accepting an award on stage in December. Watch our judges' tips video for more inspiration.

You've got until 30 June to get your entry in before our early bird rate closes - just £99 + VAT per company category entry, a saving of £60. Enter the IRP Awards now.