You have thought of the perfect person to put forward for the Tees Valley EDI Awards. Now comes the part that decides whether they make the shortlist: the words you write. A winning nomination is not about clever writing or big claims. It is about painting a clear, honest picture of the difference someone has made. Here is how to write a nomination that does your nominee justice.
What makes a winning nomination
The judging panel reads every nomination in full, but they have never met your nominee. They know only what you tell them. A winning nomination gives them a vivid sense of who this person or organisation is and why their impact matters. That means specifics over generalities, stories over job titles, and heart over hype. You have up to 500 words, so make each one count for your nominee across Tees Valley.
Be specific
General praise washes over a reader. Concrete examples stick. Rather than saying someone is “a great community leader”, describe what they actually did: the group they started, the people they helped, the problem they refused to walk past. One real, specific story is worth a paragraph of adjectives.
Show the impact
Judges are looking for difference made, not just effort spent. Who benefited from your nominee’s work, and how are things better because of them? Numbers help if you have them, but so do human outcomes: a young person who found a path, a community that came together, a workplace that changed. Make the impact impossible to miss.
Make it personal
The best nominations sound like they were written by someone who genuinely cares. Do not be afraid to say why this person matters to you and to others. A heartfelt, honest nomination lands far better than a formal list of achievements. Let your admiration show, then back it up with the facts.
If you are nominating an organisation rather than a person, the same rules apply. Show the people behind the work, name the change they created, and explain why it matters to the community they serve. Judges respond to real difference made, whoever or whatever is making it, so bring the story to life either way.
Avoid these common mistakes
A few habits quietly weaken an otherwise strong entry. The most common is staying vague: a nomination full of warm words but no real examples gives the panel nothing to hold on to. Another is writing about the category rather than the person, or listing achievements without ever explaining their impact. Some nominators run out of steam and leave half the word count unused, when those extra sentences are exactly where a winning nomination is made. And a surprising number forget to say, simply and clearly, why this person deserves to win. Avoid those, and you are already ahead.
A quick checklist before you submit
- Have you given at least one specific, real example?
- Have you shown who benefited and how?
- Would someone who has never met your nominee understand why they deserve to win?
- Have you chosen the closest category, knowing the panel can move a nominee if needed?
- Have you read it back to check it sounds like you mean it?
Ready to nominate?
If your nominee is clear in your mind, the words will follow. Take ten minutes, tell their story, and put them forward before nominations close on 2 October. Explore the award categories, read more about the awards, or start your nomination now. Someone you know deserves to hear that they were seen.
