By Matthew Leopold, ESA Awards Committee Chair
I can’t say I have ever enjoyed writing an award application. I have toiled over many submissions over the years. The challenge is always the same: to convey the energy, passion and commercial strategy of your work within a limited word count. You can usually submit a video or picture to support, but nothing can ever truly bring your work to life.
Writing award submissions can be a chore. They quickly slip down the priority list, and often the task falls to the most junior member of the team. Then, once written and rewritten, all your stakeholders need a chance to review, tweak and rewrite – again. Simply, there is nothing enjoyable about the process.
For several years, the ESA Awards Committee has fiddled with a few innovations to make the applications easier and less of a chore. The pandemic’s enforced use of video conferencing encouraged us to unleash our plan. Although written entries are still perfectly acceptable, the big shift came when we invited award entries in video form.
So, after two years of this visual revolution, here are my top tips for a winning video submission…
1. It’s all about the content
The only grumble we heard when changing to video entries was “my little brand/agency will never be able to produce the same quality of video as the big brands/agencies”. Worry not, my friend. There are zero – I repeat – zero points for presentation.
No points for fancy graphics or animations. No points for Academy Award-nominated artistic video pans or Spielberg-directed vox pops from the audience. The only marks awarded are for the quality of the content you cover in the video. You can book Pinewood Studios or your mum’s living room – it will not impact on your marks.
The format of the presentation doesn’t matter either. Do what feels comfortable for you. We’ve seen winning applications where just one person presents, or where whole teams present.
We’ve seen Q&A-style fireside chats, highly polished documentary-style videos, home-edited footage and one-take presentations. No single format is better than the others. All that matters is the content you cover. This leads me nicely on to Point 2….
2. Answer the question
It sounds so simple because it is simple! Please, please, please read the award criteria and mark scheme. Everything you need to earn marks is very clearly outlined there. Structure your video along the mark scheme and provide commentary on all the points.
Alternatively, you can just spend a happy 10 minutes talking about your brilliant work and get no points.
Video submission or written submission, this happens every year. Top-notch work misses out on recognition because the award application answers the questions it wants to be asked, rather than the questions that will earn marks.
3. Bring in the experts
You have the undivided attention of the judges for 10 minutes. Use it wisely. That means doing more than just “telling your story”.
The very best submissions use the right people to tell each part of the story. For example, if your video includes the Head of Sponsorship or a senior business leader explaining the business problem and how sponsorship helps – they will add authenticity.
When conveying the magic of the activation, no one will be more passionate about the work or better able to explain what they did and why than the activation leader.
Remember, you are trying to convince the judges that what you have done deserves to win. A human talking about a topic they understand inside out and really care about is far more impactful than words on a page.
Is English not your first language?
Do not worry. We will do everything we can to support you. Firstly, if your mother tongue is not English and you chose to present your video in English, you have an extra two minutes to present. This will give you a little more space to think and translate as you speak.
Alternatively, you can choose to record your video in your native tongue and provide English subtitles. Your third option for 2023 is to simply provide a written submission, if this helps you to overcome the language barrier.
Whatever route you take, we will ensure that judges treat your submission equally, so you are not unfairly disadvantaged. If you want help, please reach out to the ESA team.
What do the judges think?
You will be delighted to hear that the judges love the video format. It is easier and more enjoyable for them to engage with your entry and form a view.
We know that they watch all the videos – often more than once. So don’t be afraid of this format. It means higher quality submissions from you and a less taxing experience for the judges. Sounds like a win-win to me.