There is a common perception that entering industry awards is an onerous process with very little return if you don't land a win - an unlikely platform for meaningfully raising your business profile. However, at New Doors, we believe submitting for awards is worthwhile for various reasons - and it's not all about winning.

Awards programs offer practices the opportunity to strategically select the most relevant program to showcase their expertise. Whether it's to highlight excellence in a specific discipline, market sector, capability or client service, entering the right awards program provides many opportunities to elevate your firm's reputation.

In the competitive world of the built environment, publicly showcasing your expertise is a core ingredient of success as it demonstrates commitment, confidence and pride in the value you have to offer. In this article, we explore the various ways in which awards can benefit businesses involved in the built environment, from capturing expertise to strengthening client relationships and promoting exceptional projects.

Client Relationship Development

Entering a project into an awards program can speak volumes about your firm's commitment to excellence and the importance you place on your clients and their projects. Seeking client input during the submission process allows for positive discussions about project outcomes and the services provided, nurturing the relationship whilst giving you a legitimate excuse to gather feedback and client testimonials. This process not only serves the purpose of the awards submission but also generates content that can be used in project sheets, on your website and in future tender submissions to enhance your firm's reputation and credibility.

Capture Thorough Case Studies

Participating in an awards program forces you to create detailed case studies of your leading projects. These case studies are immensely valuable for new project opportunities, providing base content that can be drawn upon to demonstrate relevant parallels in tender submissions and interviews, showcasing your problem-solving capabilities and innovative approaches. Additionally, the content generated from these case studies can be repurposed as PR articles and social media posts, creating a treasure trove of strategic and engaging content for your target audience/s.

An Excuse to Promote Services

While awards programs may offer some promotion of the winners, self-promotion of a shortlisting or win can often be more effective. If you are shortlisted or declared a winner - don’t just tell people you won. Focus on why you won, sharing clever and innovative aspects, client testimonials and the judges’ comments. Whether you win or not, collating information for a submission provides the breadth of content you need to proactively promote your expertise, providing quality content to share with your contacts database, social media followers, and via targeted advertising.

Engage your Network

Awards programs often include a "People's Choice" category, where public voting occurs. This presents an excellent opportunity to promote your project and engage those involved in your project and your wider network to support your entry.

A Compelling Reference Point

Winning awards or receiving recognition from reputable industry bodies provides a powerful reference point when procuring new work. In presentations, capability statements, or tender submissions, you can confidently showcase that your projects have been acknowledged for excellence. Some proposal and tender criteria may even explicitly ask for proof of awards and recognition, making your accomplishments even more critical.

In Conclusion

Participating in awards programs is more than just a formality; it's a strategic approach to elevate your design firm's reputation, foster client relationships, and promote your services effectively. The awards process allows you to showcase your expertise, celebrate your hero projects, and collect valuable case studies and testimonials. So why not embrace the power of awards to position your design practice as an industry leader and secure new opportunities? There really is nothing to lose, and so much to gain. And as they say - you’ve gotta be in it to win it!. (or to enjoy the many rewards!).

Lack of time and resources? 

Preparing award submissions can be time-consuming and requires significant resources. The New Doors team has been writing awards submissions for nearly 20 years. We take the stress out of preparing your response for lodgement and we know how to draw out the details that make a winning submission.

Get in touch today to discuss how we can assist you.