Tips for Submitting a Winning Award Nomination
Exceptional leaders come from all walks of life. Whether a board member, philanthropist, corporate partner, or volunteer, we can all play a role in fostering the arts within our communities. Through the Business / Arts Awards, we celebrate contributions made by local leaders and showcase stories from individuals and organizations, just like yours!
With the deadline to nominate an individual, a company or a partnership coming up on December 15th, 2023, we have assembled a few key tips and tricks to help you create an impactful nomination that highlights your nominee’s commitment to the arts sector.
How to create a compelling nomination:
Before you begin, be sure to review the eligibility criteria and required materials.
Give yourself adequate time to assemble all of the nomination materials. Each nomination requires:
- A nominating letter
- A C.V. and/or company profile
- Up to three letters of endorsement
- Up to five accompanying photographs to illustrate community impact
Consider who is well-positioned to write a letter in support of the nominee, highlighting their specific contributions to the arts sector. This could include a colleague or supervisor, a program partner or beneficiary, a board member or business executive, or an artist or arts worker.
When writing a nominating letter or letter of endorsement, don’t just say a nominee is exceptional – prove it! Use specific and concrete examples to illustrate how the nominee meets the award criteria. Show how they have:
- Demonstrated ongoing initiative, leadership and dedication
- Cultivated long-term and successful relationships and partnerships within the community
- Significantly improved an organization, community or area within the sector with measurable results
- Realized their specific vision, and demonstrated innovation or creativity in delivering lasting results
- Earned the respect of their peers and became a role model in their field
Be sure to include a headshot and up to five (5) photos that showcase the nominee’s community involvement and/or impact.
Do not hesitate to reach out to Business / Arts throughout this process. Please contact us at info@businessforthearts.org and someone from our team would be happy to answer any questions you might have.
You can also visit businessandarts.org/nominate to learn more about the Business / Arts Awards program, the eligibility criteria for each award and how to nominate yourself or another champion of the arts.
Have you submitted a nomination in the past?
Did you know that many of our award recipients have been nominated multiple times? Each year our jury takes into consideration the current state of the sector when evaluating nominations. If you have made a nomination that was unsuccessful in previous years, be sure to update your package and resubmit!
