Part of the skill of writing your entries is how you put yourself, your agency and your media campaign forward. Here are some tips for making sure your entry will engage the judges and stand out from the rest.

Less IS more, but tell a story

Keep in mind that the judges may have to read through many entries by the time they get to yours. Keep your language basic and avoid using jargon. Long words are not necessary to show you are clever. Present your information to the judges as though you are telling them a story. The beginning should set out your insight and objectives clearly. The middle should explain the strategy, followed by its execution and the end should reveal the results. Bring the campaign to life through descriptive language, good scenario setting, real people and quotes.

Create a good first impression and be unique

First impressions count, so make an instant impact by using short and concise sentences. Leave out any unnecessary details, which will only overshadow your “big idea”. Think about what makes your campaign, team or agency unique and focus your entry on supporting this one main “big idea”. One compelling idea is much better than including as many points as possible, which dilutes the effect and makes the entry confusing to read.

Entertain the judges

Think about how you can engage your – probably tired – audience. Add some personality to your write up and make sure your images stand out and are relevant. Most of the judges will not be first-timers and so will have seen and read most things before, so make it memorable. If you just submit a standard summary of your campaign, you’re not going to win. Remember, you are never going to win over every judge so the most important thing is to be passionate about what you are saying.

Check, check and check again

Be ruthless when redrafting. Once you’ve written your rough draft of the entry, read it over several times and cut out unnecessary information. This will make it much clearer. Always check thoroughly for the basics: typos, grammatical mistakes and spellings – especially of the client’s name. It’s also a good idea to get someone who hasn’t been directly involved to cast their fresh eyes over it to double-check for clarity. Also remember; the best entries are put together by a team of people.

Don’t over-claim

The jury consists of a set of serious heavyweight judges with lots of experience. They will see straight through exaggeration and unsubstantiated claim, which will undermine the judges’ confidence in the whole submission. If the client won’t let you disclose numbers, say that. The success of your entry will then depend on how well you can sell your work using other measures of success.