by Katia Ernst | Nov 10, 2026 | Articles
‘Congratulations, you’ve been nominated!’ You may recognise emails like this: a competition you’ve never heard of has supposedly given your company an award. The category sounds promising, the jury remains anonymous and hidden fees suddenly appear in the small print.
Most of us have received messages like this at some point. Your prospective entrants probably have too. That’s why even a well-run competition now has to show its award is genuinely worth something. If you know what people look for, you can shape your communication and processes accordingly.
One term that comes up more and more in this context is award washing. It describes award programs that mainly serve as a marketing tool for the organiser and whose awards carry little real value.
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA), for example, warns its community about disreputable awards that put commercial interests first. By contrast, it names open communication about entry fees and judging criteria as a good sign.
Prospective entrants have therefore learned to look more closely. An entry costs time, often money and internal sign-off. Before they decide, they want to know:
If your award program gives no clear answers, prospective entrants may decide against taking part.
Credibility builds from many small signals that together form a coherent picture. Most of them are already in your hands. We have covered the fundamentals in our article on building transparency and trust in your awards program. In this article, we look at the specific signals that prospective entrants check before they take part.
1. A clearly identifiable organiser
Reputable programs make it clear who is behind the competition. That includes full legal details, a named contact person and a clear statement of what the award is for. Whether it is an industry association, a media company or an established business, an organiser with a traceable track record builds trust from the start. Funding should also be transparent. If sponsors or entry fees play a role, say so openly.
2. Clear criteria published in advance
Entrants want to understand how they will be judged. Publish the judging criteria, any weighting and the scoring scale before the entry period opens. You benefit too: when entrants know what matters, they submit more targeted entries and make your judges’ work easier.
A good example is the Architecture Firm Award of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), which runs on Award Force. The page sets out eligibility requirements, judging criteria and deadlines. The fee and the timeline up to the announcement are also stated clearly.
3. A transparent judging process
Who evaluates the entries should be no secret. Name your judgesand their roles on your website and state the rules for the judging process. You should also consider disclosing how you handle conflicts of interest and what happens if a judge has a personal or professional connection to an entering organisation. It shows that independence and fairness are not just promises but a fixed part of your competition.
Transparency around conflicts of interest is still relatively uncommon. A 2024 study of 222 science awards across 27 fields found that only nine percent publicly explain how they handle potential conflicts within their jury. Making this information accessible is a simple way for your program to demonstrate its commitment to fair and independent judging.
4. Reliable data handling
A submission often involves sensitive information: financial figures, project details or personal data. Entrants therefore want to know who can see their details, how the data is protected and how long it is kept. In Europe, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) also applies and sets out clear obligations. A clear privacy notice right in the entry process gives clarity and shows that you handle entrants’ information responsibly.
5. Success stories and genuine feedback
Nothing makes an award more tangible than the people and organisations that have already won it. So publish success stories from past years and show which projects or achievements were recognised. Add numbers, such as how many entries you received or where entrants came from. Testimonials from past entrants help too, as long as they sound authentic.
Tip: If your program calls for visual or creative entries, a gallery is worth considering. The World Press Photo Contest, also an Award Force customer, arranges its winning images by regions and categories. It also gives the photographers’ names and a statement from the jury. That makes the award immediately tangible.
With Award Force you can easily create such galleries. They can be used for public voting during the judging phase or, afterwards, as a showcase of past winners.
6. A professional, consistent appearance
First impressions count. A program whose website, entry form and emails all look different comes across as improvised. A consistent look, by contrast, signals care and reliability. Our guide to theming your awards program in Award Force shows how this works in practice.
How trustworthy does your program look to outsiders? Go through this list once from the perspective of someone who does not know your competition yet. Wherever you have to hunt for information yourself, prospective entrants may get stuck too.
Much can be achieved with clear processes and good documentation. For recurring competitions with many entries, a suitable platform helps you maintain these standards over time.
With Award Force you can configure criteria, scoring scales and judging workflows flexibly. Roles and permissions control who sees which entries. Data protection and security meet the highest standards. For fields that hold personal data you can set additional protection levels, and users’ consent can be traced. With branding features, you can adapt the entry portal and communications to your organisation’s look.
That ‘nomination’ email with the hidden fee will keep landing in inboxes. All the more reason for your competition to show at first glance what it stands for: transparent criteria, a credible judging panel, responsible data handling and a professional appearance. If you shape these signals deliberately, you stand out from disreputable offers and attract entrants who feel safe and empowered to apply.
At Award Force we pursue one clear goal: to promote excellence in awards management. A credible award not only honours outstanding achievement but also strengthens trust in the whole industry.
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