What makes an Award-winning entry at LCL Awards - ‘The Awards’?
08 May 2026
LCL Awards - ‘The Awards’ offers more than just a shiny trophy - it provides valuable recognition, boosts credibility and can open doors to exciting new opportunities. Whether you're entering our Awards for the first time or aiming to add another win to your list, here are some tried-and-tested tips to help you submit a standout entry.
1. Play to your strengths
Focus your efforts on categories that genuinely align with your expertise and strengths. You can enter multiple categories, so take some time to identify which are most relevant. Be strategic - don’t enter just for the sake of it. A well-matched category increases your chances of standing out.
2. Allow plenty of time for entries
The entry deadline for ‘The Awards’ is 5th June 2026. Mark the date clearly in your calendar or set reminders, and most importantly, remember a strong entry takes more than a few rushed paragraphs, so consider starting your entry now. It can be helpful to take breaks and return to your submission with a fresh pair of eyes. Make sure to allow time for reviewing your entry as you go.
‘The Awards’ are free to enter for approved centres, so don’t miss out simply because of poor planning.
3. Provide strong supporting evidence
The devil is in the details. The strongest entries often include detailed examples that clearly demonstrate impact - for example, real learner success stories, measurable business improvements, employer feedback or testimonials from trainees and partners. Specific examples help judges understand not just what you did, but why it mattered.
When submitting your entry, you have the option to upload photos, videos and other supporting information.
New for 2026, entrants also have the option to upload an additional PDF document to support their submission. This could be a short case study, project summary, before-and-after evidence, customer journey, or a collection of testimonials that helps bring your answers to life.
However, it’s important to remember that judging is primarily based on the answers to the entry questions themselves. Any supporting PDF should strengthen your submission, not replace the need for clear, detailed responses within the main entry form.
We strongly encourage you to make use of visuals and real-life examples that showcase your work, project or initiative.
Top tip: Make sure that images are relevant and high-quality. This helps the judges to understand the full impact of your work - and makes your entry more memorable.
You can read more about our 2025 winners and what impressed judges most here.
4. Proof-read thoroughly
Take time to polish your entry before submission. Read it through for clarity, spelling and grammar. It can be helpful to ask someone you trust to review it as well. Pay attention to our word count and avoid industry jargon where possible.
Making the effort to submit a clear, well-written entry goes a long way - not least so the judges can easily understand your story, it also shows professionalism and effort.
5. Make it a collaborative effort
Consider bringing in colleagues and business partners to help build a compelling case. Sometimes, an outside perspective can help highlight achievements you may have overlooked. If your submission involves multiple contributors, make sure everyone has enough time to gather the necessary information and approvals.
Some of this year’s categories lend themselves to shouting about collaborations, such as our Community Engagement Award. Including other people and organisations in your award entries is a great way to celebrate teamwork and boost visibility - plus, your collaborators will likely share and promote the success too, increasing PR reach and strengthening relationships.
What do the experts say?
As the Awards continue to build momentum year after year, the standard of entries across each category keeps getting stronger. The submissions that stand out most are those that tell a clear story, provide strong evidence, and clearly demonstrate genuine impact for learners, businesses and the wider community.
We caught up with Charlotte Lee, founder of the Heat Pump Association and one of the expert judging panel last year, to see what she’s looking forward to most this year:
"It was a privilege to be part of the judging panel for LCL Awards – ‘The Awards’, and I'm delighted to return for 2026. What stood out to me in last year's submissions were the personalised entries - projects that were brought to life with real examples that showed evidence of impact supported by strong visuals.
"Whether it's a training initiative, an installer project or a community scheme, make sure your entry tells the full story - where you started, what challenges you faced, and the outcomes you achieved."
It really is “the taking part that counts”
Not every entry can lead to a win - but the process of putting together a submission is still highly valuable and worthwhile. If your entry doesn’t win, make use of feedback as a tool to improve and come back stronger next time.
Don’t feel you need to create something overly complicated: clear, honest and well-evidenced entries are often far stronger than overly polished submissions that lack detail. Focus on telling your story well and showing genuine impact.
Every entry helps you refine your approach and share your work with industry leaders. There’s no better way to receive recognition than an industry Award - you’ve got to be in it to win it.
Ready to enter? You can read more about our 2026 categories and start your award entry here.
LCL Awards - ‘The Awards’ offers more than just a shiny trophy - it provides valuable recognition, boosts credibility and can open doors to exciting new opportunities. Whether you're entering our Awards for the first time or aiming to add another win to your list, here are some tried-and-tested tips to help you submit a standout entry.
1. Play to your strengths
Focus your efforts on categories that genuinely align with your expertise and strengths. You can enter multiple categories, so take some time to identify which are most relevant. Be strategic - don’t enter just for the sake of it. A well-matched category increases your chances of standing out.
2. Allow plenty of time for entries
The entry deadline for ‘The Awards’ is 5th June 2026. Mark the date clearly in your calendar or set reminders, and most importantly, remember a strong entry takes more than a few rushed paragraphs, so consider starting your entry now. It can be helpful to take breaks and return to your submission with a fresh pair of eyes. Make sure to allow time for reviewing your entry as you go.
‘The Awards’ are free to enter for approved centres, so don’t miss out simply because of poor planning.
3. Provide strong supporting evidence
The devil is in the details. The strongest entries often include detailed examples that clearly demonstrate impact - for example, real learner success stories, measurable business improvements, employer feedback or testimonials from trainees and partners. Specific examples help judges understand not just what you did, but why it mattered.
When submitting your entry, you have the option to upload photos, videos and other supporting information.
New for 2026, entrants also have the option to upload an additional PDF document to support their submission. This could be a short case study, project summary, before-and-after evidence, customer journey, or a collection of testimonials that helps bring your answers to life.
However, it’s important to remember that judging is primarily based on the answers to the entry questions themselves. Any supporting PDF should strengthen your submission, not replace the need for clear, detailed responses within the main entry form.
We strongly encourage you to make use of visuals and real-life examples that showcase your work, project or initiative.
Top tip: Make sure that images are relevant and high-quality. This helps the judges to understand the full impact of your work - and makes your entry more memorable.
You can read more about our 2025 winners and what impressed judges most here.
4. Proof-read thoroughly
Take time to polish your entry before submission. Read it through for clarity, spelling and grammar. It can be helpful to ask someone you trust to review it as well. Pay attention to our word count and avoid industry jargon where possible.
Making the effort to submit a clear, well-written entry goes a long way - not least so the judges can easily understand your story, it also shows professionalism and effort.
5. Make it a collaborative effort
Consider bringing in colleagues and business partners to help build a compelling case. Sometimes, an outside perspective can help highlight achievements you may have overlooked. If your submission involves multiple contributors, make sure everyone has enough time to gather the necessary information and approvals.
Some of this year’s categories lend themselves to shouting about collaborations, such as our Community Engagement Award. Including other people and organisations in your award entries is a great way to celebrate teamwork and boost visibility - plus, your collaborators will likely share and promote the success too, increasing PR reach and strengthening relationships.
What do the experts say?
As the Awards continue to build momentum year after year, the standard of entries across each category keeps getting stronger. The submissions that stand out most are those that tell a clear story, provide strong evidence, and clearly demonstrate genuine impact for learners, businesses and the wider community.
We caught up with Charlotte Lee, founder of the Heat Pump Association and one of the expert judging panel last year, to see what she’s looking forward to most this year:
"It was a privilege to be part of the judging panel for LCL Awards – ‘The Awards’, and I'm delighted to return for 2026. What stood out to me in last year's submissions were the personalised entries - projects that were brought to life with real examples that showed evidence of impact supported by strong visuals.
"Whether it's a training initiative, an installer project or a community scheme, make sure your entry tells the full story - where you started, what challenges you faced, and the outcomes you achieved."
It really is “the taking part that counts”
Not every entry can lead to a win - but the process of putting together a submission is still highly valuable and worthwhile. If your entry doesn’t win, make use of feedback as a tool to improve and come back stronger next time.
Don’t feel you need to create something overly complicated: clear, honest and well-evidenced entries are often far stronger than overly polished submissions that lack detail. Focus on telling your story well and showing genuine impact.
Every entry helps you refine your approach and share your work with industry leaders. There’s no better way to receive recognition than an industry Award - you’ve got to be in it to win it.
Ready to enter? You can read more about our 2026 categories and start your award entry here.