Entering awards can sometimes feel like a “nice to have” rather than a priority — especially when budgets, deadlines, and client work take centre stage. 

As we near the last few days of the competition, here’s how to make a strong, practical case for entering the Pentawards Competition this year.

Start with Impact

Put simply, winning an award is a tool for business growth and credibility.

• Winning an award or even being shortlisted helps build credibility with your clients, giving you an edge against the competition 
• It strengthens pitches and new business conversations, you’re an award-winning design team, after all
• It provides third-party validation of your work, with a jury of 55+ international design experts judging your projects

Global exposure in a milestone year

With an international following and entries coming from 60+ countries, it’s the opportunity to get your work in front of a global audience, helping to reach new client beyond your local market.

Here's how we encourage that global exposure:

• Global press release send outs during the competition, for shortlisted and winner announcements
• Weekly feature articles and daily social inspiration posts to our 300k+ followers
• Promotion on emails, website and socials for shortlist and winner announcements
• With the winners' package, winners get a social media post, feature in our winners' porta l and are published in the Taschen Package Design Book
• Opportunity for winners and shortlist packs to feature in our Trends Report and physical Gallery displays across the globe (so far this year we’ve taken projects to China, Paris and New York!)

With the 20th year, there’s more eyes on Pentawards and more opportunities for coverage than ever before, it really is THE year to enter.

It supports team growth & value

Entering (and winning) is a powerful way to recognise your team, boost morale and curate a culture that people want to be part of.

It shows that:

• As a business you recognise and invest in people and their work
• Helps to position you as a company that celebrates creativity and achievement
• Helps attract and retain top talent

It makes the most of existing work

We know your teams are busy working on projects and client pitches. But the beauty of entering Pentawards is that you’re using and making the most of existing work.

• It’s not extra work - No need to create something new
• Entries can be repurposed from case studies or presentations
• There’s lots of content for creating the best entry yet, including previous entry copy, tips from the jury and the winners gallery for inspiration

Entering is quicker than you’d expect with the right materials.

Address the “we won’t win” mindset

We sometimes hear ‘we won’t win’ as a blocker for entering the competition. But you don’t always need the most high-profile or high-budget work to win. Often, it’s the smart, well-executed, functional ideas that stand out with judges.

Here’s a few things to consider:

• It’s not always about the trophy, being shortlisted carries significant value and visibility
• Even if you aren’t shortlist, you’ll get value from the written feedback provided by the jury
• The jury aren’t always looking for the most ‘out-there’ designs, low-key work also takes home trophies
• There's changes to the jury members each year, with new eyes and fresh perspectives looking at your work

Now it's time to get your entries over the line! If you need any advice or questions on your entries, please do get in touch with the team on info@pentawards.org – we’re happy to help.

Enter by 10 April. After all, you’ve got to be in it to win it.