With just over a week to go to get your entries in for the 2023 Prolific North Tech Awards our judging panel have been sharing their top tips and pearls of wisdom on how to craft that winning entry.
The Tech Awards will return to Manchester United FC on November 9, celebrating the teams, projects and individuals putting the Northern Tech sector on the map.
We’ve 25 categories to choose from, and our judges have revealed exactly what they’ll be looking for in a stand-out entry.
Impact and outcomes…
For Bella Copland, Senior Strategy Consultant at Kin + Carta, it’s all about clearly defining the impact and the outcomes your project achieved.
“I love to see entries that make it so easy to understand the outcomes they have delivered. Yes the technology, or innovation, or business model may be exciting and unique, but in reality it’s the impact on clients, society, communities or users that makes it the easiest to engage with and really visualise what has been created.”
“I know that entries want to dazzle with jargon, or technical detail, but those entries that are the most successful are those that can make it clear how that jargon, or that technology, has done something truly exciting.”
“I love projects that understand the ‘big picture’ when it comes to either creating or generating change. What this means is a product with unique features is one thing, but it’s the consideration for this can be adopted by a team, or by customers that really shows how teams or businesses have understood the big picture. In the context of campaigns it’s the same – the message is one thing, but what’s the experience?”
“From my experience entries that are jargon-filled are a nightmare – explain clearly what you’ve done, what impact it’s made, and why you are proud of it.”
Strong Foundations
CEO of Baltic Ventures Claire Lewis is looking for strong founder teams that use past experiences to solve real world problems.
“I am really looking forward to judging the Prolific North Tech Awards knowing what incredible founder talent we have in the region. I will be looking for strong founder teams with a compelling founder-problem fit, where the founders have unique insights into the problem they are solving, usually because of past experiences. Following from that I’ll be looking for evidence in the entry form of the teams’ deep understanding of their problem area and how they are addressing this, and to see how this forms the foundation of their value proposition and how they are using technology in their solution.”
“As someone deeply interested in impact, I also love to see evidence of founder passion and to understand the purpose that drives them to do what they do.”
“Finally I would love to see great focus on customers or end users and a deep understanding of the market the team are seeking to address, including its size.”
So there you have it, some key tips from our incredible judges!
Getting started
For everything you need to know about categories and entry criteria click on the link below. Remember, you’ve got until September 1 to get those entries in!
For any questions about your entry or to get in touch with the team – email us on hello@prolificnorth.co.uk
