Making the Most of Your Call for Entry

Your call for entry is one of the most important parts of your awards program. After all, if people don’t know your awards are open for entries, how are they going to apply?

Your call for entry is one of the most important parts of your awards program. After all, if people don’t know your awards are open for entries, how are they going to apply? The question then is: why do so many awards programs offer a lackluster call for entry (CFE) on their awards website that includes only the bare minimum information?

Maybe they're too busy to spend a lot of time on it.

Maybe they're too busy to spend a lot of time on it. Or maybe they just don't think it's necessary to develop an expanded CFE.

As tempting as it may be to spend your time and resources elsewhere, ignoring your CFE can negatively impact your program.

As tempting as it may be to spend your time and resources elsewhere, ignoring your CFE can negatively impact your program. Besides causing confusion and an influx of emails from entrants, an uninformative CFE can actually discourage potential entrants from submitting an entry at all, because it can make your program appear less reputable.

Basically: having a bare bones CFE can not only overload your super busy awards staff with follow up and support questions, but it could also deter people from submitting altogether.

Basically: having a bare bones CFE can not only overload your super busy awards staff with follow up and support questions, but it could also deter people from submitting altogether. Yikes.

But this can be easily avoided! With a few elements you can build out a comprehensive and impressive CFE, giving entrants all of the information they need, confirming your program’s standing in your industry, and encouraging submissions.

9 Elements to Include in Your Call for Entry

Your CFE is meant to excite people! By including information about your program’s history and tenure, you can generate interest and establish legitimacy.

1. About the Awards

Listing out your categories will let interested entrants know whether or not their submission would be a fit for your program.

2. Categories

Showing how entries will be judged will help entrants structure their submissions and heighten the quality of the entry.

3. Judging Criteria

Be sure to tell entrants all of the information they’ll need to submit when entering! This will help them prepare and evaluate eligibility requirements.

4. Entry Criteria

Judges are typically industry experts, meaning that they can attract potential entrants too. Be sure to show off your judges for additional publicity.

5. Judges

Let entrants know when your CFE begins and ends so they can prepare their submission in time.

6. Relevant Dates

7. Fees

You don’t want entrants to get to the end of your program and then be surprised at the cost. Detail different costs (like general entry fees, early bird discounts, and late fees) explicitly.

Don’t forget to include a link to the application to simplify the submission process for those who are interested.

8. How to Submit

9. Contact Information

Contact information makes it simple for those with questions or who want additional information to get it quickly and efficiently.

To get your call for entry started today…

To get your call for entry started today… Download our toolkit!

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