Is Winning Awards Worth It?
If you’ve spent any time in the creative field, you’ve probably received quite a few calls for entries. Maybe you’ve even entered a few industry awards competitions. Or maybe you’re still thinking about it.
You might be wondering if taking the considerable amount of time to prepare an entry, in addition to paying what can sometimes be a hefty entry fee, is it feasible. Is it worth the effort?
Everybody Loves a Winner
The first way to look at this question is from the perspective of current and potential clients. More than a few of the current clients will be more than pleased if what you created wins an award. And what about your potential clients? Let’s say they’re seeking a web person for the redesign of their site. Don’t you think they’d be more willing to consider an award-winning designer over someone who’s just a designer? Although creatives sometimes disparage the over-used term “award-winning,” it still carries clout with the public.
Nothing like cultivating the clientele, I say. But be careful. Many clients have caught on to the notion that many competitions are little more than beauty contests. We’ve all heard about those expensive advertising campaigns that win copious awards while failing to increase sales of the product.
Choose the Right Competition
Fortunately, not all competitions are beauty contests. Some, like the Gold and Silver Quill Awards competitions sponsored by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), are results-focused. In order to win a Quill, you have to have an attractive communications piece. And you have to demonstrate that it achieves the goals that you and the client set out for it.
In addition to the Gold and Silver Quills, many local IABC chapters sponsor their own resulted-oriented Quill competition. (Here in Tucson, it’s called the Cactus Quill.) Head over to the IABC website to find the chapter nearest you.
Know Your Rights
Okay, so you’ve decided to take the plunge and enter some awards competitions. Before you do, I want to warn you about competition terms and conditions and rights to your work. These terms can be found in the fine print section in the call for entry. Be especially wary of language that says, in essence, that the competition sponsors can take your entry and use it any way they want without paying you. Think twice about whether you want to enter such a competition.
Such rights-grabbing terms and conditions seem to be especially prevalent in the photography world. Creative consultant (and intellectual property law student) Leslie Burns and attorney/photographer Carolyn E. Wright frequently blog on this topic, so be sure to keep up with their posts.
You Won!
Now what? Are the clients going to start flocking to your door? I hate to break the news to you, but the answer is probably not. Once the applause from the awards ceremony fades away, you’re going to need to promote the fact that you’ve won something. Here are four things to try:
- Send a press release to the media, you friends, family, colleagues, clients, potential clients, newsletters of organizations you belong to, everybody! If you have $200 to spend, use the popular PRWeb SEO-oriented press release distribution service.
- Use the power of social media to get the word out. Post news of your latest award on your Facebook, LinkedIn, or MySpace pages. Twitter it!
- Post news of your award on your website – if you don’t already have a “News” page, start one. And, if you’ve been meaning to start a blog, news releases make great search engine bait for your site.
- I hope you didn’t forget to invite your award-winning client to the ceremony. But, in case your client wasn’t able to attend, why not throw a party? Yes, I know. You work from home and your studio is so small that you couldn’t possibly have the client over. Well, it’s time to emerge from your studio-cave and get a table at your favorite restaurant. Now turn that table into party central! Not only will your client have a good time, you might also attract some potential client attention from other restaurant patrons.
There’s no doubt that entering competitions takes a lot of careful research and hard work. Even when you win, it takes effort to effectively capitalize on it. The prestige, however, can carry your career forward. How do you decide when to enter a competition?
If you’ve spent any time in the creative fields, you’ve probably received quite a few calls for entries. Maybe you’ve even entered a few industry awards competitions. Or maybe you’re still thinking about it.
You might be wondering if taking the considerable amount of time to prepare an entry, in addition to paying what can sometimes be a hefty entry fee, is worth the effort. This article addresses that question.
The first way to look at this question is from the perspective of current and potential clients. More than a few of the current clients will be more than pleased if what you created wins an award. Nothing like cultivating the clientele, I say.
But be careful. Many clients have caught on to the notion that many competitions are little more than beauty contests. We’ve all heard about those expensive advertising campaigns that win copious awards while failing to increase sales of the product.
Fortunately, not all competitions are beauty contests. Some, like the Gold and Silver Quill Awards competitions sponsored by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), are results-focused. In order to win a Quill, you have to have an attractive communications piece. And you have to demonstrate that it achieves the goals that you and the client set out for it.
In addition to the Gold and Silver Quills, many local IABC chapters sponsor their own resulted-oriented Quill competition. (Here in Tucson, it’s called the Cactus Quill.) Head over to the IABC website to find the chapter nearest you.
While cultivation of your current clients is important, what about your potential clients? Let’s say they’re seeking a web person for the redesign of their site. Don’t you think they’d be more willing to consider an award-winning designer over someone who’s just a designer? Although creatives sometimes disparage the term “award-winning,” especially since it’s so overused, it still carries clout with the public.
Okay, so you’ve decided to take the plunge and enter some awards competitions. Before you do, I want to warn you about rights-grabbing terms and conditions. These can be found in the fine print part of the call for entry. Be especially wary of language that says, in essence that the competition sponsors can take your entry and use it any way they want without paying you. Think twice about whether you want to enter such a competition.
Rights-grabbing terms and conditions seem to be especially prevalent in the photography world. Creative consultant (and intellectual property law student) Leslie Burns and attorney/photographer Carolyn E. Wright frequently blog on this topic, so be sure to keep up with their posts.
Okay, so you’re entering and winning awards…
Now what? Are the clients going to start flocking to your door? I hate to break the news to you, but the answer is probably not. Once the applause from the awards ceremony fades away, you’re going to need to promote the fact that you’ve won something. Here are four things to try:
- Send a press release to the media, you friends, family, colleagues, clients, potential clients, newsletters of organizations you belong to, everybody! If you have $200 to spend, use the popular PRWeb SEO-oriented press release distribution service.
- Use the power of social media to get the word out. Post news of your latest award on your Facebook, LinkedIn, or MySpace pages. Twitter it.
- Post news of your award on your website – if you don’t already have a “News” page, start one. And, if you’ve been meaning to start a blog, news releases make great search engine bait for your site.
- I hope you didn’t forget to invite your award-winning client to the ceremony. But, in case your client wasn’t able to attend, why not throw a party? Yes, I know. You work from home and your studio is so small that you couldn’t possibly have the client over. Well, it’s time to emerge from your studio-cave and get a table at your favorite restaurant. Next comes the fun part – turn that table into party central. Not only will your client have a good time, you might also attract some potential client attention from other restaurant patrons.
Leave a Comment
Great post, Martha. I fall into the category of “thinking about entering.” Maybe I will, but I’ll scope out the competition first to be sure it’s worthwhile.
I think entering contests is worth it especially for freelancers. When you freelance and jump around from agency to agency or client to client, people want to know who they are potentially hiring.
What is going to make you stand out from the other freelancers? Of course your portfolio should speak for itself but by wining a couple awards I think it helps say what type of person you are or what kind of designer you are.
This is a good question Martha.
I think it all depends on the source of the award and how reputable that source is. If the award is from a respected source, then yes, I think that winning an award can help your freelancing career.
Freelancers should be cautious, though. Anyone can set up a website and announce a competition. I’d especially avoid competitions with hefty entry fees from organizations that you’ve never heard of.
Another consideration is intellectual property rights. Always read the fine print to make sure that you’re not giving these away when you enter a contest.
I have won some awards too, but in the end it wasn’t such a big deal. All I have now is a good portfolio that attracts attention. Knowing how to use the awards to your benefit is a good thing to boost your business, in the end you have to capitalize on this and keep on providing a good service.
I do agree with Laura, watch out for competitions you’ve never heard of.
Having a small award from a well known source is worth far more than a trophy from a never-before-heard-of-and-little-known company(.com).
Totally agree.. Also, if you’ve got a lot of unknown awards, you’re ‘image’ will be negatively affected
When you look at the big picture, entering competitions isn’t worth the time or energy. Avoid.
The award is only a symbol, and that’s not quite balanced with hard work. Award only as motivation to move forward.
I’m a photographer who finished working for an ad studio in 2008. When I went out on my own I called around the contacts that I had picked up over the years. As the economy was heading downhill things were tight (still are!) and there wasn’t too much work around. Somebody in an agency offered me the chance to shoot (for free) for an industry competition that they were entering. It didn’t win anything but was later entered into another national awards competition. It won its category and picked up the only Gold for that year. I facebooked it, got postcards made up and sent and told everyone I knew. A week after the postcard run I made a list of four people in four agencies that I’d been trying to get a meeting with but without luck. I sent an email to all of them and within 24 hours I had four meetings arranged. At each meeting there was more than one person so on the back of the award I met with 12 creatives who a week earlier had been beyond my reach. That was last week and on Friday I pitched for a nationwide billboard campaign for one of the people I met. Didn’t get it but it got me more exposure in an agency and the chance to impress with my ideas.
I’d go for any opportunity that might result in more positive exposure and get me meeting with the right people.
Just my little story!
Like!
=^)
Thought-provoking post. I’ve never considered entering a contest as I think people will just try to steal my creative works. You give sound advice, thanks. Maybe, I’ll reconsider. I think having an award in my portfolio will make it shine better than the rest. Still, I need to spread the word about it, like you said. Nice tips.
I think you have to look at what an award does for your CAREER not just your ego. It’s easy to say they are lame but they can lend credibility to a freelancer that isn’t backed by a company with a stellar reputation. They are lot of time and energy, though.
What about design competitions that you have to pay to enter? I’ve tended to avoid them as it felt like purchasing an award, and I could just make my own ‘competition’ if that was the case.
Of course it is….But it is depend on the criteria and the person who think you are deserving candidate.
We just won “Best in class” award in web design and development company from Interactive Media Awards (IMA). I put it on Facebook, blogged about it, did PR plus I’m going to notify our clients in next newsletter. Also, we’re going to put it on out website so visitors will notify right away.
I think it’s nice to have it and mention about it in proposals. Unfortunately, most clients have no idea what IMA, Communicator Award or W3Award is.
Is there a UK version of the prweb seo link you have posted above? Thanks in advance.
I agree. Most of the time, winning is simply bragging rights. How can an award truly represent the best of the web when it costs a couple of hundred dollars to enter? Perhaps, the best of the web didn’t want to cough up the money to enter.