Create Your Best Gala Award Submission 2024-08-15

Editor’s note: Kate Brack is the VP Event Strategy and Design for Haute. Haute won the 2022 Gala Award for Best Event Produced for a Corporation or Association with their event “'Arabian Nights' 2020 Amway China Leadership Seminar and 25th Anniversary."

Submission process 

Intention is the first requirement of submitting your company's work for awards. Tracking deadlines, collecting resources, and preparing a winning entry is a heavy lift, but it doesn't have to be difficult. My best advice is to standardize a process among your team for collecting and organizing assets throughout the year. Think of it as building a library of your company's most significant work and designate a team member from each account as the archivist. The submission process has changed with new technologies. There was a time when entries were arranged in presentation binders. Today's processes are much simpler but require no less attention to detail.  

Why awards are important 

There are so many reasons why entering awards are essential for your business. Participating in industry awards is immensely important in developing brand awareness and is a fantastic opportunity to strengthen partnerships. Most award entries ask for the names of the client, employees, vendors, and suppliers to be included. Effectively, your win is extended to everyone who played a role in your program’s success. Awards are important internally, too, by helping to galvanize your team against all the hard work you put into your events. It lets you recognize the stars on your team contributing to an award-winning program. 

Ours is still a very word-of-mouth industry. The marketing mileage of being selected by a jury of peers has benefits far exceeding the cost of entry. Winning a coveted Gala Award is a calling card of excellence and serves to attract new clients and build existing relationships. 

Tips for successful entry 

To put together a successful entry, start early. Invest in the best photography and video assets you can afford to bring your event to life during the judging process. There is no amount of copy that can tell the story of your entry, like a great photo or video. Have a designated team member be responsible for tracking announcements on the awards circuit. Call a meeting with your team to discuss categories, review entry rules and consider which project is the perfect fit. Are all assets on hand, or do you need to reach out to a client, vendor, or supplier for their help? 

If the opportunity arises for you or a colleague to serve as a judge for an award program, jump at the chance. You’ll gain valuable insight into what makes an entry stand out. Every entity has its own entry rules, and it can't be stressed enough to follow the rules to the letter. Ensure that several sets of eyes review everything before hitting 'submit.' Cross-check it all against the published rules. Remember that there are costs involved in preparing your entry, in addition to the cost of submitting it. You wouldn't want to risk being disqualified for having overlooked a simple requirement. Yes, that happens. 

Good luck with your Gala Award submission!

Gala & ACE Submissions Now Being Accepted Until Sunday, September 15

It’s once again time to celebrate the best of the best! Nominations are now being accepted for the 2025 Special Events Gala and Catersource ACE Awards. We invite you to submit your best work from the past year. Join in the excitement and the spirit of our industry as we celebrate the hard work and exceptional accomplishments of our peers. Eligible events must have occurred between September 1, 2023 and August 31, 2024.

To submit an entry to this year’s Awards, please visit our awards portal.

This article was originally published in the Special Events Blog on Aug 31, 2022