Throughout your life, you’ll connect with people, both personally and professionally, who you feel are deserving of recognition. If you come across an award that would be perfectly suited for them, you may be required to submit a formal nomination letter, but finding the right words can be challenging.
The person or panel who is responsible for determining who the award recipient will be must often do their due diligence by reviewing a complete package on each nominee. This typically includes a resume, social media profiles and a recommendation or nomination letter.
Whether you were asked to write an award nomination letter or chose to submit one on your own, following these four tips will help you craft a compelling nomination that will impress any selection committee.
Showcase What Makes your Nominee Unique
Naturally, most people who are nominated for an award are qualified in some way to receive it. So, to ensure your nominee stands out from the rest, try to include interesting details about their career and experiences that will help sway the person or panel who will be selecting the award winner. While your nominee may have similar professional achievements to others in their category, the unique combination of their personal and professional accomplishments could give them the edge over their competition.
Of course, you’ll need to include some key points from their work experience, but try to provide additional detail that goes beyond their resume. For instance, your nominee might have an impressive history of community contributions or they may have spent time on a mission trip abroad. These are details that could make them a more attractive candidate to receive the award.
Include Personal Anecdotes
When you’ve spent an extended amount of time with someone, whether they’re a personal friend or colleague, you are bound to have firsthand experiences that you can share in your award nomination letter. Because decision makers are typically tasked with taking a wholistic view of each nominee when choosing a recipient, it’s helpful to include personal anecdotes about your nominee to give additional evidence of their qualifications. This will not only make your nomination more credible, but also more compelling.
Research the History of the Award
Before you begin writing your nomination, take some time to research the history of the award and previous award recipients. While there’s typically a list of qualifying criteria available to help you better determine if your nominee would even be eligible, doing some additional research on past winners will help you better determine the type of information you should include about the person you’re nominating. If the award has historically been given to people who are involved in the community, you’ll know to put more emphasis on your nominee’s volunteer contributions.
Focus on the Impact of Their Contributions
When writing the nomination, highlight your nominee’s accomplishments by not only stating what they did, but also showcasing why it matters. For example, your nominee may have implemented an impressive new program or process at work. Rather than just including that simple statement, dive deeper into the ways that the program has saved the company time, money or manpower. If they volunteer on a nonprofit board, go into detail about the ways the organization impacts the lives of the people it serves and how your nominee’s service has contributed to the mission.
Though there can never be a guarantee that your nominee will win an award you’ve submitted them for, ensuring that you present a complete profile of the person’s professional and personal achievements is the best way to set them apart in a pool of qualified applicants.
For more helpful information about awards and recognition, check out our blog or call 850-659-0860 to learn about all of the recognition items Awards4U has to offer.
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