Top reasons to enter the Brentwood Business Awards 2023

1. Shortlisted finalists in our 2022 awards had a great opportunity for publicity, with the awards in many areas trending locally on social media and in the local press. Consider the impact that placing the phrase ‘award winning’ could have on your PR and marketing efforts.

2. Everybody likes a challenge and running a business can be very time consuming. Entering our awards forces you to stop and reflect on your successes and what you have achieved. It can also give you ideas for taking your business to the next level.  However, the applications have been designed in a simple format and not take forever to complete.

3. Awards can help you benchmark your business against your peers both locally and nationally.

4. Entering the Brentwood Business Awards is free and you have nothing to lose. Just being shortlisted for the final is a remarkable achievement and it could lead to local success and recognition.

5. Entering is easy and is done online. Many of our categories have just a few questions about your business and information which can be saved and finished off at a later date.

6.  As a shortlisted finalist you are offered a free place to attend the awards, which is always a fantastic evening.

Top tips on your entry

1. Be concise and keep within the word limit. You have a limited space to grab the attention of the judges!

2. Give yourself time to apply – do not rush! Take the time to showcase your achievements but remember the entry deadline!

3. Tell a story and grab the judge’s attention from the title through to the content                                                  N.B. It may be easier to create a word document and copy and paste into the application.

4. Substantiate your entry with attachments but make sure they are relevant to your entry. Remember to include links to your website and customer testimonials.

5. Read the criteria and make sure you address each point clearly. If you entered last year do not presume the criteria is the same!

6. Focus on your business success in facts.

7. Presentation is key– use bullet points or sub headings and make sure your entry is well structured and grammatically correct.

8. Enter the correct category and make sure that the award reflects what you excel at.

9. If you are entering more than one category make sure you tailor your entry according to the category. Entries that are just copied and pasted across numerous categories are unlikely to be relevant to the criteria.

10. Be passionate! Remember you are showcasing your business and achievements to the judges. If you are not being passionate about your business you cannot expect the judges to be.

Which category should I enter?

1. You can enter a maximum of 2 categories.

2. Think carefully about your business and make sure that you only enter relevant categories.

3. If you are entering more than one category then ensure that you tailor your entry by category. Do not simply copy and paste your entry several times.

4. Read all of the entry criteria for each category before you enter. There may be some categories that you have not considered before. Have you been innovative, Green or contributed to our community? Remember innovation does not mean inventing a new product but can be a new business process or a way you have adapted your business.

5. Read the criteria carefully and remember to save your entry as you go. Writing your entry in Word first before transferring to the awards website is advised.

6. Think carefully about your supporting documentation and make sure it is relevant to your entry.

7. Remember what you write may appear in our awards programmes so it is a good idea to write in complete sentences and in the third person.