UK IT Awards: Get the top tips from the experts on crafting your entries

A panel of judges and a previous winner explain how to give yourself the best chance of winning big in the 'Oscars of IT'

The UK IT Industry Awards are the most prestigious, and most coveted technology awards in the UK, with upwards of 1,500 of the cream of the IT industry gathering annually to celebrate their success.

The awards are open for entries now, with 31 categories covering every vertical, and every aspect of the career, including individuals, teams, projects, products and organisations.

Computing and the BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, came together recently to produce a webinar designed to help entrants craft their submissions to give themselves the best possible chance of success.

Matt Sharp, Chief Digital Officer of RLB and a regular judge at the awards gave the following tips.

Answer the exam questions

• The criteria for each category are specific and the judges scorecards are based on these criteria
• To be fair across all entrants the judges strictly assess ONLY the criteria for the category
• Explicitly respond with how you satisfy the criteria
• Use evidence and metrics to support your response
• Be concise
• Don't make the judges have to craft/interpret the criteria response from your waffle!

Make your response specific to these UK IT Industry IT awards, this category, these criteria

• Don't "Cut & Paste" answers used for every awards submission you make - we can spot this
• Be genuine
• Show that these awards mean something more to your organisation than just another marketing channel

Don't leave your submission to your marketing teams

• The moderators and judging panel are industry experts in their fields they don't like marketing flannel, they will understand the technical elements
• In the face to face submission the judges will interrogate the entrants presenting the submission - bring the experts

Use testimony

• Let your customers/colleagues do the talking for you - they can tell us how good you are

Practice your presentation

• Don't let the first time you deliver your presentation be in front of the judges, it can be nerve-wracking (even though our judges are all nice, friendly and supportive).
• Get your timings right. Your presentation will be guillotined if your run over as we need to keep to our judging schedule. We need to be fair to all entrants and so we won't make exceptions for you and your submission.

The webinar, in full, is available here (registration required).