The Entry

"Significant growth" scores nothing. "Turnover rose from X to Y over eighteen months" scores. Almost everything in this section follows from that. A useful comparison point is this reference page, which approaches the issue from an operational angle.

Answering the question asked — the commonest substantive failure, and it happens because your best material is not what was asked for.

Evidence rather than adjectives — adjectives score nothing because every entry has them and none can be checked.

Numbers a judge can check — the measure, the period, the comparison and the source, in one sentence. For another perspective on recognition, evidence, or professional standards, see Britannica.

The word limit is the brief — limits state what kind of answer is wanted, and where weightings are unpublished they are the best proxy for what matters.

Testimonials and references — ask a question about what changed rather than asking for a testimonial, three weeks out rather than three days.

The story problem — the most common advice in awards guidance, sound against a discussion panel and expensive against a scoring sheet.

What a second reader is for — three tasks only somebody else can do, none of which is proofreading.

• Answering the Question Asked

  The commonest substantive failure in competent entries. Four ways it happens and the check that catches all of them.

• Editing Against the Criteria

  Not proofreading at all. Four passes in a specific order, what each one removes, and the pass that finds the most points.

• Evidence Rather Than Adjectives

  Judges score claims they can check. What counts as evidence, what does not, and the substitution that costs most entries.

• Writing for Somebody Who Reads Forty

  Attention is the constraint, not comprehension. Six things that make an entry easy to score, and what each is worth.

• Numbers a Judge Can Check

  What makes a figure usable in an entry, four that undermine it, and where the numbers come from months earlier.

• What a Second Reader Is For

  Not proofreading. Three tasks only somebody else can do, who to ask, and the instruction that makes the review useful.

• Supporting Material That Helps

  Attachments evidence claims rather than extending answers. What to include, what to leave out, and how to reference it.

• Testimonials and References

  The attachment that cannot be produced at short notice. How to ask, what makes one usable, and the four that score nothing.

• The Story Problem

  Every guide says tell a story. Where that advice comes from, where it works, and where it costs points against a scoring sheet.

• The Word Limit Is the Brief

  Limits state what kind of answer is wanted. How to read them, what happens when they are exceeded, and how to cut.