Entries are judged on what you write, so the entry is worth an afternoon's care. Here's how to give it the best chance.
Before you start
Read the questions first. Open the entry form and read every question in your category before you write anything. Each answer is scored separately, so knowing the full set stops you spending your best material on the wrong one.
Pick the category that fits. Read the category descriptions and choose the one that best matches what you've done. The judges can move an entry to a better category, but an answer written for the right one is always stronger.
Start early and save as you go. The platform saves your entry so you can come back to it. Use that time to gather figures, customer feedback and photos. An entry written in one sitting the night before reads like it.
Customer Experience entrants: plan for a visit. Finalists in the seven Customer Experience categories are assessed by mystery guest researchers who visit in October and November. If you're closed, on reduced hours or refurbishing in that window, tell us at entry so we can schedule around it.
Writing your entry
Answer the question you were asked. Every question is scored on its own. If a question asks what changed, describe what changed, not what you did to get there. Off-topic detail earns nothing.
Show the evidence. Judges can't score what you assert, only what you show. Numbers beat adjectives: revenue, footfall, review scores, staff retained, energy saved, money raised. Say how you measured it.
Know what judges are scoring. For the written categories, generally the panels assess four things:
- Strategy - clear goals and a plan to reach them
- Innovation and engagement - a fresh approach, and who you worked with
- Impact - results measured against what you set out to do
- Review and reflection - what you learned and what you'll do next
The form follows the same shape: context, what you did, what changed, what's next. Write to it.
Write to the point, not to the limit. Each answer has a word limit, usually between 100 and 250 words. A full entry runs from about 450 words for Customer Experience to 1,000 for Business Person of the Year.
Write in your own words. Judges read a lot of entries and can tell when they're reading a template. Plain language, real examples, and your own voice. Don't paste in AI-generated text.
Supporting material helps, but it doesn't replace the answers. You can attach documents and images. Use them to prove a point you've already made in the text, not to make it for you.
Entering more than one category
You can enter up to four categories. Write each entry for its own category - the same 900 words pasted four times will score poorly in all four, because each panel is looking for something different.
After you submit
You'll get a confirmation email. If it doesn't arrive, check your spam folder, then contact us.
Every finalist gets feedback. After the awards, log back into the platform to read the judges' comments on your entry. Whether you win or not, it's the most useful thing you'll take from entering.
If you're shortlisted, you need to be there. At least one representative of the finalist must attend the Gala Awards Presentation Evening to be eligible to receive an Award. Tickets are purchased through Fingal Chamber and are not complimentary.
Questions about the entry process: events@fingalchamber.ie or 01 223 9947, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.