5 Top Tips for choosing your category

There are 18 Awards Categories to choose from in the 2019 European Business Awards, however, you can only enter your company into ONE category. Here are some top tips to help you choose your category:

1. Start off by considering what it is that makes your company exceptional

With 18 categories to choose from – from environmental awareness to employee development, entrepreneurship to innovation – there will be one that allows you to showcase how unique and outstanding your company is.

When trying to decide which category will be right for your company, try answering these questions:

• Is there a specific area of your company that has particularly excelled in the past 12 months?
• Is there a person or project which stands out from your other parts of the business?
• Has your business delivered excellent growth over the past year?

2. Make sure you check the judging criteria for your category carefully

Once you’ve picked a category that you think is suitable for your company – make sure that you check the judging criteria carefully! The judging criteria are the specific conditions that judges will be using to assess your company in the competition. You can find a brief checklist for each category here, and a more detailed description of each of the categories on pages 12-13 of the Awards Brochure.

3. Remember that your company will also be judged on the European Business Awards’ core principles

Alongside the specific criteria for each category, remember that the judges will be looking closely at all of the companies for the European Business Awards’ core principles, success, innovation and ethics. They will also be looking for evidence of the following criteria in your entry forms, no matter which category you enter:

• Leadership
• Real Customer Focus
• Engaging People
• Creativity & Innovation
• Ethics
• Results & Growth

4. Take a look at who has previously won in the category that you are entering 

When considering if your company is suitable for a category, it will be useful to look at some of our past Winners. You can find out why the judges chose that company as a Category Winner and what it was that made them stand out by watching footage from our gala ceremony: https://www.businessawardseurope.com/TV/year/2017

5. Try to think about how you would represent your company in your entry form for this category

To show that you meet the Awards criteria, you should be able to use examples of evidence in terms of the results and successes your business has demonstrated in within this area. Remember you can write passionately about your business too!

It might also help to keep some of these questions in mind when choosing your category, as you may have to refer to them in your entry form:

• Who has been responsible for leading the achievements described?
• What major barriers had to be overcome?
• How progress and success has been measured and monitored?
• How employees have been engaged in the achievements?
• How customers and supplier relationships have been improved?

Enter your company in the 2020 European Business Awards.