You are entering the Europe FinTech Awards because you want to reward your team for their efforts and recognise the work they have done.
But, it’s not enough to have the most innovative product, amazing team or rising star. You have to make your entry stand out from the rest and convince the judges of your merits.
Our guide will lead you through the process and show you everything you need to know, from picking the right categories to editing your work.
Choose the right category
There are more than 20 categories to choose from, and while we encourage entering multiple submissions, each entry must be unique and tailored to best demonstrate its strengths in that particular category.
There may be a crossover with your entry, for example, a product or service could fall under Banking Tech of the Year as well as Payments. So it’s important to choose the right entry to fit the correct category.
By studying the criteria and looking at the questions for each category, you’ll be able to decide where your entry fits best.
Show, don’t tell
The judges will look to see who has met all the criteria. Make sure you answer every question and as obvious as it may sound, answer the question that’s asked.
Work methodically through the process and provide evidence for each of the questions. It’s important to provide clear evidence of what your product does or what your director has achieved to show the judges why it or they should be a winner.
By ticking off all the boxes and providing a clear submission, you will give yourself the best chance of winning an award.
Know your audience
Get to know the judges, research their background and find out what type of work might impress them.
Similarly, look at previous awards to see what and who has won before.
Look at your competitors, see what they do well and where you stand in relation to them. Is your product or service demonstrably better? Use what’s out there as the benchmark and show the judges why your offering is superior.
Editing
Great writing doesn’t come out of the first draft. It takes multiple edits.
Watch the word count (submissions to the Europe FinTech Awards must be 1,000 words max, in total), proofread your work and edit multiple times. Allow time for this.
And keep in mind these basic writing tips:
- Never use a long word where a short one will do
- If it’s possible to cut a word without compromising meaning, do so
- Never use passive sentences where you can use the active, and avoid jargon wherever possible
By following these steps, you’ll give yourself the best chance of being shortlisted and winning an award.
If you have any specific questions not covered here, please do get in touch with the Europe FinTech Awards team.