Most award nominations fail for the same reason: they describe what kind of person the nominee is instead of what the nominee did. “Dedicated, hardworking and always willing to help” could be written about half the people in any organization, and judges read it dozens of times in an afternoon.
A nomination that wins does something simpler. It tells the judges what happened, what changed because of it, and why that fits the award. This guide gives a structure for doing that, three worked examples and the mistakes to avoid. It applies to workplace awards, volunteer and community awards, and industry awards alike.
What judges look for
- A fit with the criteria. Judges score against the award’s stated criteria. A superb nomination for the wrong award loses.
- Specific actions. What the nominee did, in enough detail that the judge can picture it.
- A result. What was different afterward, for a customer, a team, a community or the organization.
- Evidence. A figure from your own records, a named outcome, a comment from someone affected.
- Something beyond the job description. Doing the job well is expected. Awards are for what went past it.
Notice what is not on the list: length, vocabulary and enthusiasm. A plain, short nomination with two solid examples beats a long one full of praise.
Before you write
- Read the criteria twice. Underline the words the award uses, such as “innovation,” “service” or “leadership,” and plan to use the same words.
- Check the rules. Word limit, deadline, eligibility period and whether the nominee has to agree to be nominated.
- Gather facts. Dates, numbers, project names, and who was affected. Check them with someone who was there.
- Ask for a second voice. One sentence from a customer, a colleague or someone the nominee helped is often the strongest line in the nomination.
- Choose two or three examples. Not everything the person has ever done. The best few, told properly.
A five-part structure
| Part | What it does | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Opening line | Names the nominee, the award and the single strongest reason. | One sentence |
| 2. Context | Their role and the situation they faced, briefly. | Two or three sentences |
| 3. What they did | Two or three specific examples, each with an action. | The bulk of the nomination |
| 4. The result | What changed, with evidence, and who benefited. | A short paragraph |
| 5. Closing | Ties the examples back to the award criteria. | One or two sentences |
If the form has separate boxes for each criterion, use the same order inside each box: action, result, link to the criterion.
Worked example: an employee
Award: Customer Service Excellence. Criterion: consistently outstanding service with a measurable effect on customers.
“I am nominating Renee Castillo, senior support specialist, for the Customer Service Excellence Award, because she rebuilt the way we handle delivery complaints and our customers noticed.
Renee has been on the support desk for four years. Last spring, delivery complaints were our largest category of calls, and each one was handled from scratch by whoever picked up.
Renee did three things. She went back through six months of complaint records, on her own initiative, and found that most traced to two address-format errors in the order form. She worked with the web team to fix both. Then she wrote a one-page guide for the rest of the desk, so that any remaining delivery call is resolved on the first contact rather than passed on.
By our own records, delivery complaints fell by more than half over the following quarter, and first-contact resolution on the desk rose for every specialist, not only for Renee. One long-standing customer wrote to say it was the first time a supplier had fixed the cause rather than apologized for the effect.
That is what this award describes: outstanding service whose effect on customers can be seen. Renee’s work improved the experience of people she never spoke to.”
What makes it work: one clear claim at the top, three actions, a result from the organization’s own records, a customer’s voice, and a final line that uses the criterion’s own words.
Worked example: a volunteer
Award: Volunteer of the Year. Criterion: exceptional commitment and impact on the organization’s mission.
“I nominate Harold Benson for Volunteer of the Year. Harold has run our Saturday food pantry intake for three years, and this year he changed how it works for the families who use it.
Until this year, families waited outside in a single line, in all weather, sometimes for more than an hour. Harold proposed an appointment system, built the schedule himself, and spent his own evenings phoning every registered family to explain it. He recruited and trained four new intake volunteers so the system would not depend on him.
Waiting outside has ended. Families now arrive at a set time and are usually on their way home soon after. Two of the volunteers Harold trained now run intake on the Saturdays he is away. A mother of three told our director that she had stopped dreading Saturdays.
Harold has given more hours than anyone this year, but that is not why I am nominating him. I am nominating him because he saw what the wait was costing people and fixed it.”
Volunteer nominations often lean on hours given. Hours show commitment; they do not show impact. Lead with what changed. For more on recognizing volunteers, see volunteer awards and volunteer appreciation ideas.
Worked example: a team
Award: Team of the Year. Criterion: a team whose collaboration produced an outstanding result.
“I nominate the Line 3 changeover crew for Team of the Year: Andre Lewis, Mei Tanaka, Jordan Pruitt, Sofia Marin and Dale Okafor.
Changing Line 3 from one product to another used to take most of a shift, and it was the main limit on what the plant could promise customers.
The crew took this on themselves. Mei filmed a full changeover so the team could watch where time went. Andre and Dale redesigned the tool cart so that everything needed was in reach and in order. Jordan rewrote the checklist from memory into a single laminated sheet. Sofia trained the other two shifts, so the gain was not limited to one crew.
The changeover now takes well under half the time it did, on all three shifts, and it has stayed there for eight months. The plant has taken on two customers it would previously have turned away.
No one person could have done this. Each of the five contributed something specific, and they made sure the other shifts shared the result. That is what this award is for.”
A team nomination should name every member and say what each one contributed. It also tells the organizer how many awards are needed: one each. See team awards.
Common mistakes
- Adjectives instead of actions. Replace “dedicated” with the thing they did that showed it.
- A job description. Listing duties tells judges what the role is, not why this person stands out in it.
- Ignoring the criteria. Every paragraph should point at a criterion.
- No result. If nothing changed, the example is not strong enough. Choose another.
- Unchecked facts. A wrong figure or a misspelled name undermines everything around it.
- Going over the word limit. Some panels stop reading at the limit; some disqualify.
- Leaving it to the deadline. Gathering a customer’s comment or a manager’s confirmation takes time.
A checklist before you submit
- Does the first sentence name the nominee, the award and the main reason?
- Are there at least two specific examples with actions?
- Is there a result, with evidence?
- Have you used the award’s own criteria words?
- Are the nominee’s name and title spelled exactly as they use them?
- Has someone else read it?
- Is it within the word limit?
For shorter workplace nominations, see employee of the month nomination examples. For coworker nominations in an ongoing program, see peer-to-peer recognition.
If you are running the award
Organizers get the nominations they ask for. A form that says “Tell us why this person deserves the award” produces adjectives. A form that asks “What did they do?”, “What changed as a result?” and “Which criterion does this meet?” produces nominations a panel can judge. Publishing one example of a strong nomination alongside the form helps even more.
Keep the winning nomination. Its best line is usually the best wording for the award itself, and it gives the presenter a script. Employee recognition awards shows what we build, employee award wording covers turning a nomination into a reason line, and how to present an award covers the handover. How to build an employee recognition program sets out the structure around all of it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you start an award nomination?
With one sentence that names the nominee, the award and the single strongest reason. For example: “I am nominating Renee Castillo for the Customer Service Excellence Award because she rebuilt the way we handle delivery complaints.”
How long should an award nomination be?
As long as the form allows and no longer. Where there is no limit, three to five short paragraphs is usually enough: an opening line, context, two or three examples, the result and a closing line.
What should you include in an award nomination?
Specific actions the nominee took, the result of those actions with evidence, and a clear link to the award’s criteria. A comment from someone who benefited strengthens it.
What should you avoid in a nomination?
Generic adjectives, a list of job duties, unchecked facts, and anything that does not relate to the award’s criteria. Avoid going over the word limit.
Can part of the nomination be used on the award?
Yes. A short line from the winning nomination often makes the best reason line on a plaque or award. Send it with the name and we will lay it out on a design proof.
Need the awards as well as the plan?
When the winner is chosen, send us the name, the award and the best line from the nomination. We will lay it out and send a proof before anything is produced.
See employee recognition awards
