Architect Talina Edwards rates SLD's Awards workshop 10 out of 10!
Talina Edwards attended the Sounds Like Design workshop, How to turn your Awards entries into Marketing Gold, in February 2020.
Here she shares her feedback on the workshop itself and the results she achieved by implementing the strategies and insights she learned.
How satisfied were you overall with the How to turn your Awards entries into Marketing Gold workshop for your architecture practice, on a scale of 1-10?
I rated it 10 out of 10!
Rachael’s experience and expertise shone through and she was very generous with the amount of content she shared with us.
2019 was the first time we’d entered a project into any award programs, and we’d had our first taster of the awards-scene with our two submissions receiving one shortlist and one win… so after attending Rachael’s workshop, I was better informed to re-write our awards entries for the 2020 awards program from a different perspective.
Her workshop content and handouts/work-book were jam-packed full of helpful info, and Rachael clearly communicated better ways for us to learn to clearly communicate about our projects.
This resulted in a very successful year for our practice taking home multiple awards.
How many programs did you enter in 2020?
We entered five awards programs including HOUSES magazine, ArchiTeam, DesignMatters, BDAA and the Sustainability Awards. The International Passive House awards were postponed until 2021.
Owl Woods Passive House by Talina Edwards Architecture. Photography by Tatjana Plitt.
Did you apply any of the ideas or suggestions from the workshop to your awards entries in 2020?
Yes: Rachael provided many question-prompts for us to consider how we could create more compelling entries. This was very helpful to re-craft the story of our projects and our practice in terms of how we are providing innovative solutions that are both climate-responsive and responsible.
This was a bit of a light-bulb moment to realise that even though we’ve always been passionate about sustainability, that there was a better way to communicate this now that the broader industry was starting to pay more attention – particularly with the Architects Declare movement which I’ve been involved with.
Did you achieve any positive results from your entries that you would attribute to the new ideas you incorporated from the workshop?
YES – lots! For a project, for myself, and I also entered the “Architects Declare movement” in the ArchiTeam awards, on behalf of the organisers, signatories and supporters.
For the Talina Edwards Architecture Owl Woods Passive House project, we received:
HOUSES Awards 2020: SHORTLISTED, Sustainability Category;
Design Matters National Awards 2020: WINNER Residential – New House Up to $500K-$1M;
BDAA Awards 2020: WINNER National Design Excellence Award;
BDAA Awards 2020: WINNER New residential buildings 251 – 350 sqm and over $2,500 / sqm.
For me as an individual:
Sustainability Awards 2020: WINNER Emerging Sustainable Architect/Designer;
Sustainability Awards 2020: FINALIST Women in Sustainability; and
ArchiTeam Awards 2020: WINNER Contribution and Innovation Medal.
And on behalf of Australian Architects Declare, we achieved the following results:
ArchiTeam Awards 2020: WINNER Sustainability Medal; and
ArchiTeam Awards 2020: COMMENDATION Contribution and Innovation Medal.
Owl Woods Passive House by Talina Edwards Architecture. Photography by Tatjana Plitt.
Were there any other positive outcomes from your awards activities?
We generated significant media coverage including online and print articles that followed on from these awards, including industry interviews from sponsors, professional associations and others.
We’ve had exposure in local newspapers following our media release – however we’re still putting that out there slowly.
There have also been a number of presentations/speaking engagements/podcast interviews that have followed on from the awards, with more to come in 2021…
Did you repurpose your awards entry text into client-focussed marketing materials, and have these generated positive results in terms of new inquiries or clients?
We haven’t specifically spent time re-purposing our awards-entries yet, but it’s on our to-do list!
But we know that some of our new clients found out about us via the media-attention we received as a result of the awards, as noted above.
2020 was a year where we were focused on ‘surviving’, so we’re hoping to focus more on ‘thriving’ as we move into 2021!
I’ve employed new staff members so we’re going to make time to ensure that our marketing/social-media messaging is less about “look at us, we won another award!” to being way more about “hello potential client, we’re to help you with your dream home that is healthy, comfortable, sustainable and beautiful – because we have the expertise and experience to make your dream a reality (oh and here’s some awards as proof that we have been recognised as industry leaders who practice what we preach)….”
Which parts of the workshop did you find most useful?
The most useful section was Part 2: Preparing compelling entries, but the other sections - Part 1: Awards entry strategy and Part 3: Making marketing gold – and the case studies from Kerstin Thompson, Adrian Iredale and Andrew Maynard – were all insightful and helpful!
Do you have any other feedback about the workshop itself, or the way you implemented the lessons?
It’s useful to note that architects can enter awards categories that are not project-related.
I was recognised as a practitioner, but also for my advocacy roles with Architects Declare; the Australian Passive House Association and Architeam (via the Emerging Architect/Women in Sustainability, and Innovation & Contribution Awards).
Perhaps not everyone is aware that these other categories exist in some of the awards programs and are worth pursuing too…
Would you recommend the How to turn your Awards entries into Marketing Gold workshop to other architects?
Owl Woods Passive House by Talina Edwards Architecture. Photography by Tatjana Plitt.
The answer is YES! Rachael really knows her stuff! If you’re going to invest time and money into entering awards, why wouldn’t you give your chances a boost by learning more about ways to maximise that investment?
We don’t always make time for these kind of workshops as we have a lot of demands on our precious time. But sometimes you need to spend time to save time!
Rachael explained ways to be more strategic when writing these stories about your projects so they can be used in multiple ways.
It might sound obvious, but often the idea of writing awards entries, plus blog posts, plus media-releases, plus ongoing social-media content can feel overwhelming as these things all take a lot of time… but with Rachael’s expert guidance it meant this workshop was absolutely time well-spent.
Any other points to note?
We don’t do what we do to win awards.
We do what we do because we’re passionate about sustainability, biophilia, regenerative design, caring for country, and a desire to build better – because Australians deserve better and we should expect more from our buildings. They should be safe, healthy, comfortable, efficient, resilient (& bring joy to the occupants too!).
However, I am so incredibly grateful that we’ve received multiple national awards this past year, as it’s given me the confidence and the opportunity to share my stories, voice my opinions, and be respected as an emerging leader in our industry.
We each have a role to play in responding to the climate and biodiversity emergency – some will be quiet achievers; others will start to speak a little louder than before in the hope that what they say will resonate with their audience…because when we speak from the heart our message is amplified.
Rachael is passionate about generously sharing her skills with the industry so we can all communicate the value of good design to a wider audience.
Thanks Talina for taking the time to share your experiences of this workshop, and for all the advocacy work you do on behalf of the profession and sustainable design!
(Edited to add: You can purchase access to the recording of this CPD workshop here.)