A strong and well-written nomination is powerful and compelling to the judges.
Consider these important points when completing a nomination form:
It’s about you! This is an opportunity for you and your company to receive well- deserved recognition for the many accomplishments of the past few years. The judges want to hear about both your individual accomplishments as well as the successes of the company. Bragging is encouraged. This is not the time to be humble.
Understand how you will be evaluated. The judges will consider entrepreneurial spirit, innovation, personal integrity, financial performance, strategic direction, market impact and social responsibility. It is a balanced scorecard. Keep these traits in mind and emphasize them throughout your essays.
Tell a story. Paint a unique picture of your history, entrepreneurial spirit and accomplishments. Use vivid language and create an engaging story. Nominees who have interesting, well-told stories have an advantage over nominees who cannot.
convey the impressive milestones they have achieved. If you have a PR team, they can be valuable in this process.
Be concise. Stay within the word count limit, as the regional judging panel includes entrepreneurs and prominent business leaders who have limited time to review a large number of applicants.
Demonstrate results. Make sure your achievements are measurable. Quantify and expand on your growth in the essay portion with specific numbers, percentages and statistics.
Compare yourself to the industry. Not all judges will be experts in your field, so make sure they know how you stack up to the competition and how you differentiate yourself in the market. Tell your story as if you were talking to a stranger.
Be persuasive. This is your opportunity to convince the judges why you should be a finalist and ultimately an award recipient. So put on your best marketing hat and remember to be authentic.
Polish and edit. Improper grammar and misspelled words distract from the quality of the nomination, so make sure to proof your work. Help the judges understand you and your company better by effectively explaining what your company does in a simple manner. Spell out any acronyms and avoid company jargon.
Meet the nomination deadline. Careful planning and preparation will ensure that your nomination is received on time. You may nominate an entrepreneur using our online nomination form.