...how to be a winner

An entry form is now available. Don't lose it - use it! And on 3 October you could be collecting a Contract Journal Construction Industry Award in front of more than 1,000 of your colleagues and rivals.

Now in their seventh year, the Contract Journal Construction Industry Awards are the most prestigious in the construction industry.

Developed with the industry for the industry, they reward innovation and excellence in British construction.

As you'd expect, it's not easy to win a Contract Journal Construction Industry Award - that's what makes them so coveted. But it's not impossible - just ask any of the past winners, which include Alfred McAlpine, Amec, Amey, Birse and Bovis (and those are just some of the As and Bs).

Immediately the Contract Journal Construction Industry Awards are over, people ask questions. Why did 'so and so' win? Why didn't we win? These are hard questions to answer.

To start with, the winners are chosen by a specialist judging panel of industry experts. Their decisions depend on the content and the quality of the rival entries as well as your own. Yet it is possible to identify a number of factors and say why some people do and some don't make it up there on stage at the Grosvenor House.

Successful entries follow the Awards' criteria. For each category you enter, please read carefully and follow closely the brief as outlined in the entry form. The judges will evaluate your entry according to these criteria, so the closer your entry relates to these points the more favourably it will be viewed.

But, whatever the criteria, at a basic level this is what the judges want to see:
What you set out to do and why
What you actually did.
What the result was and how you measured it
Why it stands out from the rest of the industry.

If you can explain this in 750 words on single-sided, loose-leaf, A4 paper, and add some independent evidence, the judges will be grateful. Particular attention needs to be paid to the last two points. Sometimes entries go into great detail about what was done, but ignore what the effects and benefits were.

And don't get lulled into the common mistake of describing technological marvels and complicated equipment - it doesn't impress.

There are a number of other misconceptions about the Awards, which can be laid to rest here and now...

Misconception 1: Only the big firms have a chance of winning.
Wrong! The reason big firms appear to do so well at award ceremonies is simply because they enter them more often and with more entries. They know the Awards procedure inside out and they can more easily allocate resources to the entry process. Put simply, the Awards judges are looking for evidence of how innovation and excellence have improved company performance beyond what might be expected. And innovation and excellence have never been the sole preserve of large companies.

Misconception 2: Professionally compiled entries are more successful. False. While it's true that a PR company or dedicated marketing department is likely to be more experienced in putting together an attractive Awards entry, the judges are directed to downplay presentation and concentrate on content.
More important than the use of colour printing and fancy graphics is meeting the basic entry criteria and supporting your claims with tangible evidence. To level the playing field, we are again asking that all entries be supplied on single-sided, loose-leaf, A4 paper.

Misconception 3: Companies cannot win in consecutive years. Not true. They can and they have. Each entry is judged on its own merits. While judges may be aware of the identity of previous years' winners, they are directed not to take that information into account in the judging process. In that respect, this year's Awards will, as ever, be judged in isolation.

Misconception 4: It's okay if my entry is a few days late. Alas, no. The timing of the judging process is tight. So, entries submitted after 17 May will be disqualified. This year's Awards will be for work completed in the 15 months to 31 March, 2001, so you can begin work on your entry right away!

Misconception 5: The biggest misconception of all is also the commonest. "We'll never win." You can. But there is one vital thing you must do before you can win a Contract Journal Construction Industry Award. Enter!

Start compiling your entry now so you have plenty of time to produce a real contender. See you on stage to collect your Award.