Awards credibility: Why are ours worth your time?

How can wind companies stand out from the competition? Well, you should know by now that a valuable way to establish yourself as a top leader or company is by applying to — and winning! — an award. However, not all awards are equal. Why should you trust ours?

I know a fund manager whose investment approach developed earlier than most.

As a child he was careful to select fun, honest friends who would be friends for life. He only treated himself to items which he thought would appreciate in value – like the Rolex he bought in 1967 for £71/4s.

Today, as a seasoned investor, he spends his time researching AI and investing in cleantech – things he believes will pay off, both for himself and generations to come.

You probably have similar tendencies. You want know that when you spend your time, effort or money on something, it’ll be worthwhile. We get that. That’s why we think you should consider entering the European Wind Investment Awards.

Why are these awards credible?

We know that’ll be your first question. The second will probably be ‘what makes these awards different?’

There are two answers: our expertise and our expert community.

A Word About Wind was set up in 2012 because we wanted to help those on the financial and technical sides of the wind sector to be able to meet up and share knowledge. We still believe this is vital if we want to build a cleaner world.

Seven years on, we have a community of 2,500 people and a wealth of insight about the sector. We think it’s time to bring together the best people in the industry and to celebrate their fantastic achievements – all at a swanky black tie event in London.

We believe that our track record in following the industry’s biggest deals – for our newsletters three times each week and our special reports – and in running events mean that we are credible in a way that many other players in the industry aren’t.

We’ve written before about how winning a credible industry award can be a big boost for an individual, team or organisation. Complex deals, outstanding contributions and innovative thinking are often considered ‘just part of the job’, but to be recognised by industry experts really validates that hard work.

Click here to read our top ten reasons for entering these awards.

In addition, wind is a growing sector and, when a sector grows, it does become harder to stand out. You might be a younger company that hasn’t quite got the budget to advertise on a 30ft digital screen at Leicester Square. By entering, being shortlisted and winning, you can receive just as much coverage as the giants in the sector – and, if you are one of those major players, winning can help you stay there!

How will the judging process work?

We believe that credibility is built on transparency and so we’ve put a lot of thought into selecting our judges and creating a robust judging process.

Our panel of judges is made up of industry leaders and experts from the investment, consultancy and legal professions. Their involvement isn’t reliant on sponsorship. Most are experts we know from the market and current or former AWAW members.

We’re confident that our judges will provide the challenge and candour needed to recognise an award-winner. You can see who is on the European Wind Investment awards judging panel here. This isn’t the final list so keep an eye on the website.

We’ve established a rigorous two-step process comprising a pre-scoring stage to determine shortlists and then a judging meeting where entries are discussed and evaluated in detail. We’d be happy to talk you through this – or, if you need help in applying, please contact one of our team at membership@awordaboutwind.com

The European Wind Investment Awards are open for entries. The shortlist will be announced on 26th July and the awards ceremony will take place on 31st October 2019 in London. If there’s some outstanding work that deserves to be celebrated, take a look at the awards categories and get applying!