Your event has award-winnerwritten all over it: gorgeous décor, a definite purpose, and innovations galore. Now it’s time to get the recognition you deserve; you are ready to enter either the ACE Awards, which are more geared towards caterers, or the Gala Awards, which feature categories for all types of events.
But, for some reason, the deadline comes and goes and so does another year for your chance to win an award.
What’s stopping you from gaining some of the best team-building opportunities, third-party endorsements, and promotional content available for all the hard work you've put in?
Winning an award, or even just receiving a nomination (yes, it’s an honor to be nominated, as everyone says!), offers numerous benefits. But first, let’s address some common questions and concerns that catering and event professionals have about entering awards.
Number one: I’m not sure which event to enter
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If you had a banner year, try to enter as many events as possible. It’s a numbers game.
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Pick the strongest events you have that match up to the most categories. This sounds obvious but you’d be surprised to learn that people try to shoehorn an event to fit a category. This doesn’t apply that much to ACE Awards which are broken into broad categories; however in the Gala Awards, categories are broken down by specific elements such as entertainment and décor. (Note: If you are a vendor and don’t see a category for you, reach out to the event planner or caterer and suggest a joint entry.)
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Enter what you love. You never know what has (or hasn’t) been entered. There might be only a few entries in a category you want to enter, giving you a better chance.
Number two: The entire process takes too long
As someone who has written a lot of these entries, I understand! There used to be a lot of questions and a lot of writing. But the entry process has become much more streamlined. For instance, the Gala awards are now very photo driven which is why it’s important to have the best images possible. And even if you spend a little time on the write ups, be sure to repurpose that content on social media, newsletters, and blogs. It doesn’t count against you if you have used descriptions or photos of these events elsewhere.
Number three: How do I determine if my event, or my company, is special enough to enter?
While this is a very subjective question, you probably have an inkling that your event–or you–are special just by what your clients are saying. Were they thrilled with the work you did? Yes. Did you push yourself to go that extra mile? Of course. Then you can also feel confident that these events, and your company, are worthy.
To determine if you are ready to go for the big categories such as National Caterer of the Year or the Gala awards’ Designer of the Year, take a good look at what you accomplished last year. Sometimes we forget all the work we do. Look back month by month, make notes of what you did, check the photos on file for those events. Surprised at how great a year it was? Then get your entry ready!
How to write a better entry
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Write to one person—the judge. Judges are looking at hundreds of entries. Like any of us reading a lot of material, they want to get to the bottom line fast. Why should this event win an award? What makes it unique? Put this information upfront.
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Start with the biggest challenge of the event and highlight it often. Challenges are the most significant reason events win awards, but they don’t always have to be epic.
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The judge could be tired of all this reading. Wake them up with a conversational tone and a question. Why a question? Because it activates the brain and engages it again in the entry.
Five reasons why awards matter
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Team morale. There is nothing better than making everyone feel better about the work they have done.
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Third-party testimonial. An award (and even a nomination) from a prestigious publication is a big plus for getting the attention of new clients and the media.
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Bragging rights. It’s a legit reason to brag on social media and to your family (who always wonder just a little about what you really do).
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Vendor love. Awards enable you to give back on many levels.
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Content creation and repurposing. With all that content now in one place, creating new social media, blogs, and newsletters will be easier.
Now that you are armed with some solid objections to your objections, don’t let another year go by without an award!
Get your submissions in now
The categories for 2025 are:
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National Caterer of the Year
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International Caterer of the Year
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Catered Social Event of the Year
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Catered Fundraising Event of the Year
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Catered Wedding of the Year
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Catered Micro Event of the Year
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Product or Technological Innovation of the Year
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Sustainability in Catering
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Best Off-Premise Catering
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Best On-Premise Catering
To submit an entry to this year's ACE awards, please visit our awards portal at https://ace-gala.awardsplatform.com/
Important Dates
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Monday, February 19, 2024 | ACE Award Submissions Open
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September 1, 2023-August 31, 2024 | Eligibility Period for Entries
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Sunday, September 15, 2024 | Regular submission deadline ($125 fee)
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Tuesday, September 30, 2024 | Late Bird submission deadline ($175 fee)
If you are interested in entering in the Gala awards instead, you can enter the Special Event 2025 Gala awards in the same online portal as the ACE awards. Catersource + The Special Event will run February 24-27 in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Both the ACE and Gala awards will be presented during the conference at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale.
