Useful advice

What do you need to do to enter the awards?

First, you need to read through the category list and decide which categories you wish to enter. Remember, you can enter as many categories as you wish, and you only pay for your first entry.

Next, assemble the information you need to make your entry. There may be subtle differences between what you may need to present for each category, so please make sure you prepare to draft your submission with a specific category in mind, retuning the words if you need to enter the same entry in another category. This is especially important for the 100-word summary you provide for each entry, which you need to make relevant to the category.

Then, you will need to write your submission. There is a limit on the number of words in any one submission. While 1,500 words seems a lengthy essay, a complex submission will quickly chew through that number. But be aware, the judges will mark down over-length submissions, so please watch the word count. Similarly, the judges will vote higher any paper that is concisely written with no unnecessary hyperbole or self-promotion. You can supply additional information to support your submission (see below).

Please pay particular attention to any specific criteria for the category you wish to enter, though we have avoided being overly prescriptive about criteria in this first year of the Awards. The judges will appreciate your extra effort, even if it is simply to provide an introductory sentence or two as evidence that you have addressed the category’s criteria.

 

Will you need to provide additional support material?

Printed material, marketing material, branded items, photographs and video can all be used to great effect in helping the judges to understand the case you are making. Please think about how you can support your entry, bearing in mind that any picture or branded material will help to make the presentation of your case more visually interesting.

At the very least, even if you have nothing else to show, please submit a high resolution file of your company’s logo and an electronic version of a photograph that best illustrates your entry. It helps to think of your image reproducing perfectly at 300 dpi at A4 size, portait or landscape format.

 

How should you submit the information?

The whole of your entry – entry form, submission paper, payment, support documents, picture or video material, promotional literature or giveaways – can be submitted online. If you prefer, you can provide a URL to a microsite containing the visual material, that the judges can access.

You need to supply only one copy of your support material, even if you enter the same or a revised submission into more than one category. However, if your entries are for different products, brands or projects, or are in very different categories, or you make several diverse entries in a single category, then you will need to provide support material for each entry you make.

 

Will the information you provide be kept safe and confidential?

All entries are stored safely in a secure environment, accessed only by the Awards’ organising team. The judges each have to sign a confidentiality/non-disclosure letter in advance of the judging and the Awards’ organisers undertake to keep securely any information marked as “not for publication”.

 

Eligibility


Except where indicated, submissions should relate to the eighteen-month period November 1 2023 – April 30 2025.
The organisers reserve the right to retain entries for subsequent publication, both on- and offline in ways that enhance the standing of entrants, supporting partners and the Sustainable Future Awards themselves. Descriptions of submissions from winners and runners-up will be published in connection with the Awards. Entrants may mark certain sensitive parts of their entry ‘not for publication’ (such as exact data, etc.), provided such restrictions are not used unreasonably.

 

General entry information

Entries into the Sustainable Future Awards must be submitted online. Your written entry should not exceed 1,500 words (12 point type, single line spacing) saved in PDF format (10MB maximum file size), uploaded from your desktop to the Sustainable Future Awards’ website. All entries should be uploaded following the template sections listed below. The Judges will automatically vote lower any entries exceeding the stipulated word count. Please adhere to these basic rules of entry, together with any other specific criteria described below.

 

Template guide



Your URL and your written entry are the basis on which the judges will vote for and short-list your entry. They should show how your company met its aims, employed innovative techniques, developed new products or services, employed effective marketing to promote products or expertise, was of real benefit to customers/users, and, when relevant, delivered client satisfaction and a return on investment. At the beginning of your submission the following information must be listed:

The Judges will need to access your business website. (Please note that the website must remain live or be accessible in an archive for the judges to access until July 31 2025.)



Within your submission document please use the following as sub-headings under which you clearly enter your information, depending on the type of category you are entering:

Category entries

Overall Achievement categories


(Entrants must have entered at least one other category)

Failure to include these details may result in your project being marked lower by the Judges.

 

Support material

Entries into the Sustainable Future Awards must be submitted online. Your URL to your website is one item of support you need to provide. If you wish to provide additional support material please provide a URL to a supporting micro site in your submission paper, as well as the primary URL to the business site. The judges will want to feel fully informed about your activities, so please include whatever you feel is appropriate and relevant for your entry. 

If an entry is entered into more than one category, please indicate this clearly, but remember you need to upload only one support URL and set of supporting material, irrespective of how many times a submission is entered. If each entry is about a different product, project or campaign, however, you will need to provide supporting material for each one.

 

Disqualifications

Any website that breaks national or international laws or offends public, religious, national or gender-specific sensitivities will be disqualified. If an entry is disqualified for any reason the entry fees will not be refunded.