Tips for Writing a Winning Banner Brunch Nomination

by | Jan 12, 2011 | Banner Brunch | 0 comments

by Lisa Maxwell

  1. Use specific examples instead of generalizations  

    2. Instead of “she was a good leader,” say, “she was the first member of the board to make a personal contribution to the event.”
    Instead of “she mentored many people,” say, “she averaged two lunches a week with young professionals throughout her career.” 
     

  2. Use numbers and statistics when possible

    3. Just like with a resume, providing proof of effectiveness will make a huge difference in the judging. 
    – “Membership was up 42 percent under his tenure.”
    – “Attendance at the event was 350, up 25 percent from the prior year.”
     

  3. Tell a personal anecdote 

    4. Giving a little personal insight helps the committee to see your nominee as a real human. Reading a stack of resume-type nominations is boring and sometimes very good nominees can get lost because there just wasn’t something memorable about the nomination itself. 
     

  4. Make sure you’re nominating the right person for the right award

    5. Someone who is a long-shot for a Lifetime Acheivement Award may be the ideal candidate for the Mentor Award. Put some thought into who you are nominating and if you’ve chosen the best category.  Also, keep in mind that all AWC Austin awards represent the person’s body of work. They are not “of-the-year” awards. So, just because a person hasn’t done something big in the past 12 months doesn’t mean you shouldn’t nominate her or him. 
     

  5. Get creative in your nomination style

    6. One year we wrote a very simple nomination, but had the past 10 winners of that same award sign it. You might do a “Top 10” list or write a poem. Why not?  Just make sure you answer the criteria questions and that you keep your nominee as the focus. 
     

  6. Realize that someone actually does deserve an award In other words, you can’t win if you don’t enter.

    7. We all get so wrapped up in our own stuff that we often don’t see just how much effort others are putting in. Part of realizing what makes people award-worthy is just paying attention to what they do. Often it’s the little things that set people apart.  I’ve written some nominations that I thought were a long shot – but really, I just wanted to recognize something the person did. If they win, it’s icing on the cake.

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