Award deadlines coming up (scroll down below text for a list of awards organised by industry) 

Hello from all the team here at Boost Awards – let’s take a look at some upcoming awards with deadlines in March and April and see which might be suitable for you and your team to enter.

As ever, contact our team here at Boost if you need help with your entries or guidance on which awards to enter. It is the perfect time to get a date in your diary to begin planning which awards to enter in 2021 – our amazing new digital planning sessions are a great way to get teams together from across your organisation to identify which are your strongest stories. We can then match them to awards that would provide most benefit to you. Okay, let’s get started with the awards to look out for…

Workplace awards, HR awards and training awards

For a more comprehensive overview, please read our guides to ‘Great Employer Schemes‘, ‘Which are the best HR Awards to enter?’ and ‘Which training awards should I enter?‘

First mention goes to the highly prestigious Princess Royal Training Awards that are now open for entry. They are superbly-run awards recognising the best training initiatives in the UK – read our comprehensive guide to entering before 31st March, or read about previous recipients and how they are investing in training for post-Covid recovery.  

The UK Employee Experience Awards are now very well established in the HR space, and have now opened for 2021, but it’s worth noting that their previous January deadline has now moved to 5th March, so one to include when building your annual awards strategy. 

The Inspiring Workplace Awards are open to entry across the EMEA region, and frankly, have a great name to associate with your brand. The deadline has also extended, now listed as 24th March, so you have time to prepare your entry and show everyone you are a great place to work. A new award that similarly has a great-sounding name, The Company Culture Awards, are open to UK companies that put working culture at the foundation of the business, with culture key to vision, productivity, innovation and growth – the deadline here is 5th March. 

Finally, two very popular schemes with April deadlines to keep an eye on – The Brandon Hall Excellence in Capital Management Program (16th April), and slightly further on the horizon, The CIPD People Management Awards (29th April).  

Leadership awards

The second round of entries for The Leadership Excellence Awards by GDS Group has now opened. The awards recognise great leadership in a variety of industries and positions in both Europe and the USA, such as CIO Leader of the Year and Supply Chain Leader of the Year. The deadlines are spread throughout March, so check the website for further details. 

Health sector awards

 The highly prestigious BMJ Awards cover all areas of medicine, including dermatology, primary care and mental health care, and are now open until 19th April. 

Financial services awards and pensions awards

Two key schemes in the pensions industry are coming up. As we saw during the turbulent 2020, many schemes were forced to adapt and move their timelines – The Pensions Age Awards are an example, and their usual end of Oct deadline has now moved to 10th March. Highly credible with their association to the Pensions Age magazine, these are suitable for both pension and benefits providers as they have awards for both schemes and providers, which is fairly unique. Another deadline to keep an eye on is 5th March, which is the cut off for entries for The Pension and Investment Provider Awards (PIPA) – with over 40 categories to choose from it is a really broad scheme for those in the UK.   

The British Insurance Awards, organised by the very credible Insurance Post, close on 19th March. There is a very comprehensive 27 categories available, with the event planned at Batersea Evolution for 15th September.

Marketing awards

Some credible marketing and creative awards that should be on your radar include The Hermes Creative Awards (18th March). Also a special mention to The Internal Communications and Engagement Awards. Arguably covering both marketing and HR aspects, these are European-wide awards and open until 26th March. The very credible Drum Awards for Marketing include lots of categories to choose from, be sure to enter by 31st March.  

Sustainability awards, social impact and responsible business awards

Finally, I would like to mention The Global Good Awards, a truly ethical scheme for social and environmental sustainability, that is also run sustainably. The deadline for entering is 23rd April.   

Hopefully these highlights will have provided some insights to help you plan which awards to enter in 2021. Below you will find all the awards with deadlines occurring within the next two months, organised by industry sector. Remember, do please contact Boost if you need a helping hand entering any of these – our in-house team of experienced award writers have won over 1,500 awards, and can increase your chances of a win significantly. Now is the best time to get a planning session arranged so you can develop your awards strategy for the year ahead. 

You can also sign up for our email deadline reminder service, so that the next two months of deadlines arrive in your inbox – completely free of charge. Handy, I think you will agree!  

Good luck winning awards in 2021! 

Chris.