Writing a good award nomination is an exercise in persuasive writing. The awards committee isn’t grading your writing, but they do need to know what makes the nominee so special. The more clearly you can paint that picture, the stronger your nomination will be.
Read on for tips and best practices for making your nomination shine.
Want to nominate someone, but don’t want to write a narrative? There are other ways to submit a nomination! Scroll down to find alternatives.
Tips for writing a strong nomination
- Take your time. Start your nomination in a Word doc, rather than directly in the nomination form. In a Word doc, you may find it’s easier to be thoughtful about the nomination as you compose it. You can scroll up more easily, save and come back to it, and invite others to review before submitting.
- Be descriptive and specific. Paint the picture as well as you can, with as much specific detail as possible. Whether you write a narrative in paragraph form or use a bulleted list, the committee reviewing the award wants to know exactly what makes the nominee’s work extraordinary.
Did they start something new or transform an outdated system? Present a clear before-and-after to demonstrate why their work went above and beyond. Explain, for example, the outdated processes they sought to change, how the person changed them, the challenges they faced, and the specific results – using data if it’s relevant. Tell the committee how the nominee’s efforts made an impact.
- Avoid general statements. Saying a nominee “regularly goes above and beyond their assigned duties” is a nice sentiment, but it doesn’t give the committee much to consider.
- Be collaborative. Working with others can result in a stronger nomination. Collaborating means drawing on multiple people’s communication strengths. It also may give you a wider view of the nominee’s role and experience.
For more tips, you can review these resources from other organizations:
- Tips for writing quality award nominations from the Colorado Federal Executive Board
- Tips for writing a winning nomination from Texas A&M University
Alternatives to writing a nomination
For the nomination period ending November 10, 2023, the awards committee is offering alternatives to written nominations. You can:
Submit a video or audio nomination. To use this option, record yourself on your smartphone and upload the file using the attachment field in the nomination form.
Schedule a Zoom nomination session. One or more members of the awards committee will meet with you (alone or with others) and you can talk through your nomination. We’ll record the session and share it with the awards committee members. To use this option, send an email to committee chair Deseree Stukes.
