Instrumentation & Electronics Awards
In it to win it W
Awards play an important role in our industry, acknowledging innovative products and inspirational people. Richard Warrilow, one of the judges on this year’s Instrumentation & Electronics Awards, offers advice on how to make a strong submission.
inning or even being short-listed for an industry award is a praiseworthy achievement. In both cases
it is your industry acknowledging how and why your business, products, services and employees differ from those of your competitors.
Not surprisingly, businesses that regularly win awards tend to see a rise in sales compared to companies with comparable products and services that do not bother making submissions. This is because existing customers retain their trust in your company and those considering doing business with you for the first time see your win (or being shortlisted) as independent validation of your excellence.
Your success will also help you to attract new talent, and it is likely that you will start to receive more speculative applications. In short, awards are great for business development. Also, there is a considerable benefit in the act of just making your submission. Done properly, the submission process gives you the opportunity to examine your business objectively and to compare yourself to your competitors.
The best categories
Many awards - like the upcoming Instrumentation & Electronics Awards, for which entries close on 14th April - are free to enter. However, try not to adopt the mindset that because there is nothing to lose you might as well simply upload a press release, for example. Awards are an often- overlooked tool in the marketing toolbox, and you can get a huge ROI with just a little effort: typically, just a few hours work. Industry awards often have multiple categories, and you may have a product that is eligible for more than a single category. It is important to make your submission against the most appropriate category (or categories) and to understand what the judges will be looking for. If you do put the same product forward for
14 March 2025
multiple categories, be sure to tailor each submission.
For convenience, let’s consider how to tailor a single submission using the upcoming Instrumentation & Electronics Awards by way of example. One of the categories is ‘Internet of Things Product of the Year’, and the award will go to “…a company that best demonstrates true innovation within the Internet of Things. This product should be different from anything else in the market.” A strong submission would be one that explains why your IoT device is considered innovative. Is it the design, the application or both? As for stating how it is different from anything else in the market, does your product draw less power than its nearest competitor, for example? Does it work with multiple wireless protocols (Bluetooth, WiFi, LoRaWAN, etc.)? Is it a smaller form factor? If no single feature can be considered a differentiator, you may wish to combine features. For example: “This is the most compact, low power IoT device that can be connected using
Components in Electronics
multiple communication protocols.” Importantly, you must include facts and figures. If you claim low power, how many Watts are we talking? If you claim compact, what are the product’s dimensions? Most of the facts and figures you need will be present in the product’s datasheet or press release (if one was issued). However, whilst you
Checklist
The first thing to do is to identify the best category for your product and to be clear on what it is the judges are looking for. Identify the key words.
As for your submission, you should: Open with a simple statement (one that includes the key words from the category description) as to why your product should win the award category.
Focus on innovation and originality. Include evidence in the form of facts and figures. Give examples of the impact your product is having (and ideally include a customer testimonial).
Tell a compelling story by recounting how problems were solved and how the product was the result of great teamwork.
Provide supporting information. Make sure your submission is clear, professional and error-free throughout.
should draw on these resources for technical accuracy, please do not simply copy and paste the entire datasheet or press release as your entire submission. Instead, supply them as supporting documentation. Also, what will really impress the judges is a testimonial from one of your customers. For instance, include a testimonial from a
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