I have never won a King’s Award for Enterprise, but I’ve helped to write them on behalf of clients and boy, are they hard things to win, writes Simon Burch.
So congratulations to the four Derbyshire firms – Acres Engineering Europe, West Special Fasteners Limited, KranLee Logistics Limited and PHOENIX SEALING LIMITED – who from this week will be able to use the prized King’s Award logo on their website, on their company signage and, quite frankly, anywhere they please.
The awards are widely regarded as the equivalent of an OBE for companies, and it’s not hard to see why.
Just like the awards for individuals, they go to firms which have gone beyond the call of duty to make a difference to people’s lives, or have gone to extraordinary lengths to achieve a technological breakthrough which is now generating wealth and helping to create jobs.
Or maybe they have mounted a stupendous export operation which is flying the flag for UK industry around the world and is bringing overseas money into the country.
It sounds like a tall order, but national awards that are endorsed by the King, no less, aren’t handed out ten-a-penny.
However, what’s special about them is that, like the OBEs the Palace hands out every year to non-famous people, the majority go to lesser-known firms – SMEs and the like – who are far from household names but whose activity out of the limelight encapsulates the best of British.
You don’t have to be big to win a King’s Award, and many of the winning enterprises only employ a handful of people. This is one award scheme where you don’t need gleaming offices, a staff of thousands and listing on the stock exchange.
Instead, you need heart, commitment, a healthy balance sheet and an excellent story.
I’ve written awards on behalf of local firms for five years now, and these are the qualities which will win you the prize, with one caveat – you need to be able to evidence everything and show beyond doubt that you embody the spirit of whatever King’s Award is it you’re applying for.
This isn’t about drawing up a mission statement and then leaving it in a drawer somewhere, only dusting it down when it’s time to write an award entry.
Instead, this stuff has to be in your company’s very DNA. It has to be woven into your values and fully understood throughout your supply chain and your customer base.
It has to be front of mind of everyone who works for you and it has to be reflected in every piece of correspondence, every page of your website and every piece of PR and marketing that you undertake.
If you’re going for a sustainability award, just how committed to the idea are you?
Does it influence your choice of supplier, is it reflected in your recruitment process? Do you share your latest green initiative with your customers via your social media or website?
If you’re looking to win the Promoting Opportunity award, just how deeply is the concept embedded into your organisation?
You will need the data to show where you recruit people from, show your understanding of the challenges they face, talk about what provisions you made and how they progressed in their careers.
And then, should they leave your organisation, you will need to show that their career was benefitted by their time with you.
You can’t fake this stuff. Like ripples in a pond, anything that takes place in the heart of your business has a wider effect on somebody, somewhere, and your job is to bring that to life to provide proof that what you’re doing is changing lives and deserves recognition on a national level.
This requires a lot of data and, naturally, it requires a story, because everything that happens has a story, and good stories are at the heart of good award entries.
Never present a list of facts or a chronological timeline of unconnected events – they’re boring to read, and bored judges aren’t very good at giving out awards.
They need to be given something interesting and engaging to read, and this is often where I’m asked to come in.
One of the joys of writing companies’ award entries is that, as an outsider, I get to ask loads of questions that are rarely asked by those who are already in the know.
By doing that, not only can I start to understand how the story will be told, I also discover the “why”, which, in healthy companies that are truly committed to making a difference, is all-important.
And it’s the “why” that can make or break a King’s Award entry.
The winners are those for whom the why is the reason that they are business in the first place.
It’s their purpose, which all too often gets forgotten in the day-to-day operations, or which gets pushed to one side while chasing profits.
Maybe their why is a commitment to creating jobs for disadvantaged people, or creating a new technology that will make lives better for people struggling with a specific problem.
Maybe they are passionate about giving back to their community or to nature, standing up as a company which invests heavily in green technology and is leading their industry’s move towards being carbon zero.
Whatever it is, they have to show that they live it and breathe it, and they need to prove that, should someone come into their company and metaphorically lift up every stone or peer inside every room, they would find that purpose shining out from every nook and cranny.
The best applicants are those for whom this is genuinely the case, and whose purpose is the reason why they make money in the first place.
In fact, the two are closely aligned in Kings Award entries, because applicants have to submit their last three years’ financials and they have to be healthy.
To some, all of this is the easy part. The hardest part is being able to prove that you truly wear your purpose on your sleeve and that you take every opportunity to tell people how it’s central to the way your company ticks.
Because that’s what the judges are looking for too – firms which don’t just do the right thing, but which inspire others to do the right thing too.
Getting everything together is a huge undertaking and it’s estimated that it takes 40 hours to complete a King’s Award. There is also a high bar for entries, with just 186 awards handed out across the country this year.
For many, last year’s entry process will have ended in disappointing failure, but what’s heartening is that many unsuccessful applicants dust themselves down and give it another go, and can often win second, or third, time round.
And that is perhaps the best reason to enter for a King’s Award, because the process isn’t just about going for an award, it’s about taking time out to reflect on what your company stands for and a chance to align everyone behind your values.
In today’s fast-paced world where consumers care about what their favourite brands stand for, doing that work can boost a company’s bottom line – and if it takes you one step closer to winning the ultimate UK business accolade, then it’s time well-spent.
If you’re considering entering a King’s Award for Enterprise and want to give your application the strongest possible chance of success, our specialist team can help you shape a compelling, evidence-led submission that brings your story to life.
At Penguin PR, we support businesses through every stage of the awards writing process – from uncovering the narrative that sets you apart, to structuring robust evidence that meets the judges’ expectations.
