Tips for entrants 

The following questions are for guidance only but may help you structure your entry.
• What was the occupational health challenge you faced?
• What interventions or other actions did you take in response to this challenge?
• How did you or your team take a leadership role?
• How did you get commitment from managers?
• How did you acquire the time and resources needed?
• How did you work effectively with other professionals?
• What benefits can you demonstrate for employees and for the organisation?
• What do you think was exceptional and/or innovative about your achievement?

The judges can award up to a maximum of 100 points for each entrant, including up to 25 points for the entry statement and 15 points against each of the awards criteria:

• Innovation
• Teamwork (including communication with partners outside the department)
• Leadership
• Effective use of resources
• Impact on employees and the business/organisation

The judges can use any material supplied here as guidance and may want to talk to the shortlisted teams when choosing a category winner. 

There will also be a separate judging panel to select the overall winner from all the category winners. 

Be clear: While you aren’t judged on the design of your entry, something that is well-presented and well-laid out will make it easier for the judges to extract the relevant information. Clear and simple should be your watchwords.

Provide evidence: If the entry criteria ask for evidence of success – be it financial or operational – then you need to show it clearly. The judges need to see the hard facts that back up your claims.

Be concise: Remember that for some awards the judges will have to read through a large number of entries in a limited period of time. Therefore, while encyclopaedia-thick entries are very worthy, it’s unlikely they will get the attention they deserve.

Be current: Don’t be tempted to dwell on the past. Your company may well have been running since 1896, but devoting a large chunk of your entry to explaining over a 100 years of history will not help you win.
Size isn’t important: Judges take into account the relative size of each company involved and make their decision on the basis of the evidence in front of them. 

Appendices: If you are going to include appendices, then some guidance and context as to what they contain and why they are relevant is important.

Never assume: While the judges all have relevant experience, they won’t necessarily know the intricacies of your operation or sector. If it’s relevant to your entry, then describe the particular challenges you face.