Let Us Help You To Win Awards 

At this time of year thoughts turn to awards ceremonies – the media loves to chatter and speculate about the Golden Globes, the Baftas and the Oscars. 

But award ceremonies are not just for actors and directors. Whatever industry you’re in, there’s probably an award scheme for you. 

Our long-standing glass packaging client Beatson Clark won a grand total of six industry awards last year, with a little bit of help from Shooting Star! 

Researching and identifying awards, gathering information and writing winning submissions has been an important part of what we do for two decades now. Over the years we’ve helped our clients win a host of awards, from digital performance awards for logistics software firm Orderwise to childcare awards for Mon Ami Nurseries. 

In 2025 we helped Beatson Clark to win six prestigious accolades: 

• Glass Focus Awards – Marketing Impact Award 

• Glass Focus Awards – Rising Star 

• Women in Packaging Excellence Awards – Supply Chain & Logistics Excellence  

• UK Packaging Awards – Investment of the Year  

• UK Packaging Awards – Corporate Social Responsibility 

And to put the icing on the cake, Beatson Clark was also named Company of the Year at the Glass Focus Awards! 

It’s nice to get dressed up, attend a fancy awards ceremony and get up on stage to receive your prize – but what are the other business benefits of being nominated for and winning awards? 

It’s good PR 

Business awards can put your company or organisation into the spotlight for positive reasons; just being shortlisted for an award can improve brand awareness and promote your business to new and existing customers.  

Awards give you the opportunity to highlight your latest achievements and generate local and national media attention, and they also provide plenty of great content for your social media channels. 

Award wins position you as a successful business in your field; they add credibility to sales pitches and can open doors to new contracts. 

It’s important to maximise the positive PR by updating your marketing materials with the award logo including business cards, your website, marketing literature, email and sales material.  

The period both before and after the awards ceremony can generate an increased source of traffic to your website and social media pages as people will become familiar with your business name after seeing you’re up for an award.  

Don’t forget to update your socials and your website as soon as you win an award and send out a news release to target media with a photo if you can. 

Boosts staff morale 

Awards recognise the achievements of your whole company and can act as a big motivator as they present an opportunity for you to acknowledge the contribution of your colleagues to the company’s overall success.  

Being shortlisted for awards often means your business will be invited to attend a prestigious ceremony to celebrate your company’s achievements. Recognising and rewarding staff for their efforts by inviting them to the glamorous event can boost morale and motivate them to continue to strive for success.  

You can also give your employees a well earned pat on the back by entering them for individual awards such as Rising Star or Apprentice of the Year. 

Attracts new employees 

Business awards help to validate your company’s reputation and values among new recruits, which in turn can help you to attract the brightest talent. When looking for jobs, more and more employees want to be associated with award-winning firms. Increasing employee morale not only helps to attract new recruits; it also helps to increase motivation and retention amongst existing staff.  

Increases credibility 

Entering and winning awards instils trust and credibility with both existing and new customers and helps put your business at the forefront of people’s minds. A business award win or nomination can give a seal of approval to your activities and is a sign of quality for potential customers and suppliers.  

Gives you a USP (Unique Selling Point) 

Above all, winning awards is a great way to differentiate your company from competitors and help you to stand out from the crowd. Awards success will send positive signals to your customers and potential clients, and by entering the right categories you can highlight the strengths inherent in your business.  

If you’re still toying with the idea of entering your business into awards, but don’t know where to start, we can help! We can research award schemes for you and recommend the best awards to enter; we can gather information, conduct interviews and write up and submit award entries; and we can help you make the most of your nominations and – with any luck – award wins. 

Still not convinced? Here are some myth busters that might help you see the light. 

We’re never going to win 

You may think your business doesn’t deserve to win an award – too small, too safe, too disorganised – but the good news is you’re probably wrong! 

Every well run business has a great story to tell, real successes to shout about and fantastic colleagues to put in the spotlight. Take the time to think about what your business is great at – or better still, ask your customers, your friends and your family members what they think. 

What’s the point of winning anyway? 

Awards can be a real coup for any business. Displayed at your office, they can be a talking point. Shared with staff, they can be a morale booster. And with a little clever marketing, they can be a great way to promote yourself ahead of your competition. 

Recognition from awards also provides an excellent return on investment. From the initial nomination to the awards night, social media is often buzzing with excitement. Following the evening, a win means a boost in reputation that can still be delivering dividends years later. 

There isn’t an award for my industry! 

The truth is that there might be; a little digging usually reveals that there’s an award for everything. But also think outside the box: could you enter an award that celebrates charity work, equality and diversity, environmental achievements, promising young apprentices or a positive impact on the community? Some of our most award-winning clients are the ones that look outside of their immediate comfort zone.  

If you really can’t find an award or a category that’s a good fit, then why not get involved in other ways? Sponsor a category, offer to host the awards or even supply the catering for the evening. Any involvement gets you free coverage, mentions on social media and the chance to meet like-minded businesses.   

Doesn’t it cost a fortune? 

Some awards make a charge for entry, but not all. Awards organisers make much of their money from sponsorship opportunities and tables sold for the ceremony and dinner.  

A balancing act of sorts is needed here; think of the entire process as a PR investment. Even if you don’t win, a nomination can work wonders in terms of PR, social content and networking opportunities. 

A couple of award entries and a night out for some of the team might cost you £1,000 to £2,000, which is a small price to pay for the potential marketing and PR benefit that could follow. 

Why bother going to the awards ceremony? 

It’s a great way to network, and it’s a chance for your hard-working team to let their hair down while someone else pays. Other businesses like yours will be there, not to mention potential customers, so awards ceremonies are a great place to talk shop and develop new relationships. 

And of course, if you do win the big prize, you most definitely want to be seen on stage collecting your prize! 

So now you want to start entering awards – what’s the next step? Or perhaps you already do enter awards but find that it’s taking too much time, and nobody in house has really got the capacity to do it properly? 

This is where Shooting Star can help. Book an appointment today and let us take the strain of entering awards off your hands.