Want to win a Gold Quill Award? Here are some tips from one of the judges

After some years of judging Gold Quill Award entries from around the Asia Pacific, as well as within New Zealand, I can state with confidence that public relations standards are continually improving within our profession.

Compared to even just four or five years ago, most Asia/Pacific regional entries for IABC's international Gold Quill Awards now display much greater awareness of the enhanced professional standards and new approaches required in all areas of global communication today.

However, each year a surprising number of entrants miss out on possible awards for a variety of reasons.

Here are some basic tips that may help those individuals and others improve their chances of success in the next round of awards.

1) Study the rules

Don't just read, but also make sure you understand, the entry rules and conditions.

For instance, if the rules say a maximum of four pages to outline your entry's work plan, don't exceed four pages.

I have seen a number of judging panels disqualify entries for exceeding the limit.

If you're struggling to fit your project description into four pages, take a tougher editing stance or use a slightly smaller font, or remove material that could form an attachment with your work samples and other background material.

2) Be selective

Don't overload judges with a mass of background material and endless work samples.

I won't forget one entry that included several large binders with dozens of pages of background material, including copies of every item of correspondence exchanged during a 12-month project. One of my fellow judges almost fell asleep trying to wade through it all. Not surprisingly, this entry was among those eliminated early.

3) Pick the right division

Closely read the description of the different award divisions, and pick the one(s) most appropriate to your entry.

Inevitably, some campaigns and projects may possibly fall into several potential divisions, and you may decide to submit the same entry into all of them.

It's wise for the entrant to select the division(s) he or she feels best suits his or her work - the area where that work has excelled or broken new ground and so stands the best chance of winning an award.

4) State your objectives clearly

Unfortunately, too many entrants still do not clearly define their strategic communication objectives.

"I haven't got a clue what they were trying to achieve, or what this project was meant to accomplish," was the comment I recall from one of my fellow judges, after reading and rereading one entry several times.

He then went on: "So how the hell am I meant to assess whether or not it achieved objectives which haven't been defined, or decide whether or not it was really a successful programme?"

From a judging perspective, this is probably the most important area of your entry in that it highlights your strategic approach to communication needs. It is also probably the area where most entries could be improved.

5) Demonstrate real results

Communication today is all about changing perceptions and attitudes, and so influencing actions and outcomes arising from those changed attitudes.

If you're submitting an annual report or a corporate video or employee publication, it's not good enough just to say, "The boss and management team loved it."

You need to show how attitudes - and, ideally, resulting actions - were changed by your project or campaign, and preferably document those changes through solid research before and after the exercise.

6) Point of difference

Remember, your entry is competing against many other, often strong, entries.

To win an award, your work needs to be seen as a cut above the rest. It needs to have a point of difference that makes it stand out, such as an innovative approach to a tricky problem, or that extra creative flair, or imaginative use of new technology, or simply superlative results that flow from sound strategies excellently implemented.

7) Meet the deadline

Make sure your entry, and entry fee, gets to the right destination ahead of the closing deadline. Don't wait until the last minute, or all your hard work may be wasted if your entry does not get there on time.

If you're relying on international mail, or even international couriers, allow an extra week or two for possible delays in transit.

8) Acknowledge team efforts

Personally, I believe it is important to acknowledge the input of other professionals to the success of your programme or project.

I would like to see entrants encouraged to include within their entry, or within their background material, a list of other professionals involved to give them due recognition for their part.

A few years ago my consultancy helped New Zealand's printing industry establish New Zealand's Pride in Print Awards, which each year recognise excellence in printing.

I'm pleased to say the organisers of these awards felt it was important to recognise not only just the winning printers, but also those professionals supplying the design, typesetting, filmwork and separations, photography or other illustrations, paper stock, any special inks, plates, writing or words, overall strategic concept and, of course, the end client. While the trophy may go to the winning printer, all those involved receive certificates in recognition of their contribution to producing an exceptional final product.

Similar team recognition would, I believe, be a welcome addition to the IABC awards.

9) Have a go

If you're proud of work you've done, don't hesitate to have a go. Talk your entry over with colleagues, if you want. But don't be shy about submitting an entry, to see how your work measures up with your peers, nationally or internationally.

At worst, you'll get a note back from the judges with some comments and suggestions, and most likely be constructive and helpful.

And you never know, your entry this time may just be the best in its field, winning you that coveted Gold Quill Award.

We need to recognise global differences

In today's fast shrinking world, I would also like to see more award entries incorporating multicultural communication programmes.

I have recently been involved in a major multicultural programme addressing 56 different ethnic groups, requiring material to be translated into some 30 diverse languages for testing. Translations are easy, but it's much harder to present material in ways which achieve effective communication results with all those different ethnic groups, taking into account their cultural and socio-economic differences.

As professional communicators, I believe we all have a responsibility to assist in the process of improving global understanding of different cultures, and of encouraging tolerance and respect of those differences, as an important step towards a more harmonious world.

We certainly need to improve our understanding of those global differences, if we are to communicate successfully across national, continental and oceanic boundaries.

Indeed, as we approach the new millennium, it may be timely for IABC to consider a new award category that recognises achievements in multicultural or multinational communication.

Enter the 1999 Gold Quill Awards Program!

IABC's Gold Quill Awards program offers the chance to receive international recognition for your outstanding communication projects. The early-bird deadline for submissions is January 20, 1999; the final deadline is February 3, 1999.

The Gold Quill Call for Entries brochure will be available November 1998. You can request that a brochure be mailed to you by calling IABC at (415) 544-4700, or e-mail the Customer Service Centre at service_centre@iabc.com. You can also download a copy or receive more information about the program from IABC's web site at http://www.iabc.com.

Bruce Rogers is managing director of Phoenix Public Relations Limited, Auckland, New Zealand.

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