The wonderful world of awards

The point of awards

Awards offer the recipient the opportunity to compete against others in the hope that they will be recognised for being awesome at something, or everything. Whatever you are into, you’ll find general awards, as well as awards designed to celebrate niche subjects too. For example, there are tons of marketing awards, as well as those specialising in search marketing or data.

Types of awards

Awards come in every shape and size. Which makes sense. I mean, if there was only the BAFTAS to celebrate the best in UK entertainment, then many professionals would miss out on the opportunity to be applauded for their achievements. In fact, the UK entertainment industry has over 50 prominent awards spanning film, TV, music, theatre, radio, fashion and media, comedy, arts and festivals. Your sector will be similar, with broad categories and niche ones.

And the winner is…

Some awards present an outright winner. Others take a bronze to gold approach. And some awards offer something in between for competitive categories where first and second was tightly fought. In most cases there is a short list selected for the awards event, consisting of anything from three to ten entrants.

The Awards calendar

Whilst awards are happening throughout the year, most industries have their own set of patterns. When you start to research awards for your sector, you’ll spot them. They’ll be there.

Trends in the Awards Landscape

Awards organisers are entrepreneurial. If there is an opportunity to branch out, they will take it. Afterall, it is a competitive world for them too. Sometimes one area will grow so much that it will become its own event. Take AI, for example. Five years ago, it barely got a mention at IT events. Now, there are AI award events springing up across the planet. Other popular areas include sustainability, diversity, inclusivity, digital and online awards. And I’m also seeing a growth in areas such as digital content creation, eSports, and virtual entertainment.

Judgement day

The concept of an award is that someone awards you with, well, er an award! How they identify the winner can vary.

• Industry or sector specific awards – Every industry has their version of the Oscars, where competitors fight for bragging rights!

• Local, regional and global – Some awards restrict entrants by postcode or counties. Others invite entries from far and wide. And then there’s Eurovision, where no-one quite understands the geographical guidelines.

• Public, member and juries: Public-voted awards involve a community nominating or voting for their favourite. Member-voted awards like the Oscars are where active members vote. And Jury-based awards are where a panel of judges is used to review an awards submission either on their own or as a team.

The Evolution of Award Shows

Although Covid saw a trend of online events, most award ceremonies have reverted to being physical events. Traditional formats involve a mid-week early evening event with networking followed by food and entertainment hosted by a compere skilled at rattling through each category at a rate of knots. Winners rarely get to say their thank you’s, but often have time for a quick on-stage photo.

The financials

Most awards organisers are commercial organisations. The most common financial model is a fee per entry followed by the sale of seats or tables to shortlisted entrants wanting to attend the awards event. Organisers also create additional income streams, by for example charging nominees and winners to use their suite of digital ‘winners’ or ‘short-listed’ logos. If the organisers run a publishing arm, then expect be offered editorial coverage as a sponsor. Entrants can expect to pay an entry fee in the UK of £250 upwards. A seat at an awards gala can cost from £500 per guest in packages normally sold per full table of 10 or 12. Halve tables and individual seats often cost more per head.

In my next blog: I'll explain why it pays to have an awards strategy, and what that could look like.