What do you need to do to enter the Business Finance Awards?
First, please read through the category list and decide which categories you wish to enter. Remember, you can enter as many categories as the services your business provides for customers throughout the world of business finance.
Tell the story of your achievement
There is no prescribed formula for a winning entry.
Every achievement, innovation and example of excellence has its own story. The strongest entries explain that story clearly, provide relevant evidence and help the judges understand why the work deserves recognition.
The guidance below is intended to help you prepare your entry. It is not a checklist, and you do not need to address every point.
Start with what matters
Make the central point of your entry clear from the beginning.
Tell the judges what was achieved, created, changed or delivered—and why it was important. Give them enough context to understand the circumstances, the challenges involved and what made the work stand out.
Avoid assuming that the judges will already know the background. A concise explanation can make the significance of an achievement much easier to appreciate.
Your 100-word summary
Every entry must be accompanied by a 100-word summary.
This is very important, as it will probably be the first thing a judge reads about your entry. It should give the judges an immediate and compelling overview of what was achieved and why it deserves recognition.
Use the summary to identify:
- the entrant
- the achievement, innovation or example of excellence
- why it was significant
- the principal outcome or impact.
Keep it clear, specific and interesting. Concentrate on the strongest aspects of the entry rather than trying to include every detail.
Tell a clear story
A strong entry will usually have a natural progression:
- What was the situation or opportunity?
- What did you set out to achieve?
- What action did you take?
- What challenges did you overcome?
- What was the result?
- Why does it deserve recognition?
You are free to structure your submission in the way that best suits your story.
Support your claims
Evidence helps the judges understand the scale, quality and impact of your work.
Depending on the category and the nature of the entry, useful evidence might include:
- financial or commercial results;
- business growth or improved performance;
- benefits delivered for clients or customers;
- measurable efficiencies or improvements;
- successful completion of a significant transaction or project;
- development of a new product, service or way of working;
- testimonials, feedback or independent recognition;
- wider benefits for employees, communities, industries or the environment.
Use the evidence that is most relevant to your entry. If you are unable to disclose actual figures for reasons of commercial sensitivity or confidentiality, percentages may help you demonstrate the scale of the results or improvement achieved.
Put the achievement in context
Help the judges understand what made the work exceptional.
This might include the complexity of the challenge, the originality of the approach, the quality of the execution, the people involved or the lasting difference the work has made.
Where relevant, explain the contribution made by partners, advisers, clients or other organisations. Be clear about the entrant’s own role while recognising the contribution of others.
The judges will take account of differences in sector, market, organisation size, resources and operating environment.
Results do not always need to be expressed through large numbers. The judges will consider the nature, circumstances and context of each achievement.
Achievement entries
You may wish to consider:
- What was the financing achievement?
- What made it significant or successful?
- Who else was involved?
- What challenges had to be overcome?
- What was the outcome?
Innovation entries
You may wish to consider:
- What was innovative or different about the approach?
- What prompted the innovation?
- Why did it matter?
- What difference did it make?
- Was it developed independently or in partnership with others?
- Does it have the potential to create a wider or lasting impact?
Excellence entries
You may wish to consider:
- What demonstrates outstanding expertise or performance?
- What distinguishes the entrant from others?
- What evidence supports the entry?
- Is excellence demonstrated across the whole entry, or through particular aspects that deserve special attention?
- How has this excellence benefited clients, colleagues, the organisation or the wider profession?
AI and sustainability
Where artificial intelligence, new technology or sustainability is relevant to the achievement, explain its role and the difference it made.
These considerations will not apply equally to every entry. Include them where they genuinely strengthen the judges’ understanding of the work rather than treating them as compulsory additions.
Write for the judges
Keep the entry focused, specific and easy to follow.
- Use plain, direct language.
- Explain specialist terms and abbreviations.
- Prioritise the strongest and most relevant information.
- Avoid unsupported claims or unnecessary promotional language.
- Check that important facts, names and figures are accurate.
- Make sure the significance of the entry is clear.
Before submitting, ask someone who was not closely involved in the work to read the entry. If they can quickly understand what happened, why it mattered and what was achieved, the judges are likely to be able to do the same.
Your story, told your way
Every entry is different. These are prompts, not a checklist.
Tell the judges the story of your achievement in the way that best explains why it deserves recognition. You do not need to address every point above, and you should not feel constrained by them.
The judges are experienced professionals who will consider each entry on its merit and in its own context.