Do you want to write better awards entries?
In the final weeks of this year, I’ve been preparing for my 2021 CPD awards workshop, so I’ve been gathering feedback from past attendees, and scouring all of the hints and clues that are buried in announcements and commentary around this year’s winners.
All of these insights and information can be put to good use to help you write better entries next year.
So what key issues have come to the forefront this year?
One of the key themes in awards commentary is a much greater focus on – and response to – emerging trends and concerns in the broader community than in previous years. This includes issues such as:
last summer’s devastating bushfires and the resulting stronger emphasis on sustainability and climate change;
the impacts of COVID-19 on the way we live, work, learn and play; and
a growing elevation of Indigenous voices and experiences in architectural projects and practice.
The fact that the 2020 awards process was interrupted by coronavirus impacted the results too, especially the Institute’s programs, because juries were unable to visit the projects in person as they usually do, so they awarded more joint winners than they usually might.
And we can observe the ongoing impacts of the #collectiveagency conference in 2019 and the emergence of Architects Declare as forces for change; both of these are shifting the focus of discussions around awards in new and welcome directions.
This year, much of the commentary centred on the role and ability of architects to explode the brief, deliver more with less; and achieve outcomes far beyond those intended by the client when they initially commissioned some of the projects.
What does this mean for you, in terms of next year’s awards?
In this awards environment, it’s no longer sufficient to just describe your project in isolation. Ideally you should be able to explain how your project delivered upon some of these broader objectives, and provided wider community benefits.
Doing so will help your entry to stand out in a crowded field – and may also convince the jury that it is worthy of recognition.
I don’t expect you to be able to identify and integrate all of these emerging themes that I’ve observed recently. I know you’re busy, and many architects leave their awards entries to the last possible moment before the submission deadlines, which start to fall due in February.
So how can you plan ahead, and reduce awards stress when you return to work in January?
Purchase the CPD training Strategically plan your Awards, which contains the 8-step guide to awards, and schedule as many tasks as you can before Christmas.
That CPD training also contains the client questionnaire template that you can customise and ask your clients to complete over the holiday season, so their testimonials are ready for when you return to the studio in January.
Purchase the CPD training Turn your awards entries into Marketing Gold, which outlines how to write compelling entries, speak to three key audiences - juries, media and future clients. and how to repurpose your entries into marketing materials later on. It also contains exclusive insights from Kerstin Thompson Architect, John Wardle Architects, Iredale pedersen hook and Austin Maynard - about how to use awards for business development purposes.
Lastly, if you’re a regular reader - or skimmer! - of The Drill. you have probably already picked up on some of these broad themes – and local shifts and considerations that impact your practice and community – so you can weave those into your entries as well.
So if you’re keen to think about your awards differently in future – and use your entries to respond to current and emerging trends, and to increase your ROI on investment – you can purchase access to both of these CPD Awards Workshop recordings here.
(This article was updated and revised with new CPD links on Mon 28 Nov 2022.)