Chapter 9: Overcoming Common Challenges in Award Submissions
Turning Barriers Into Bridges for Regular Recognition
Public relations professionals understand how to craft compelling narratives, build strong relationships, and manage brand perception with precision. Yet, when it comes to submitting their own work for public recognition, many in-house teams and agencies hesitate. Not because their work isn’t deserving—but because of the perceived barriers that stand in the way.
Whether it’s uncertainty about what’s award-worthy, limited time, or concern about being “too small” to win, these challenges often prevent teams from submitting their achievements regularly. And that’s a missed opportunity—not just for a trophy, but for building a public track record of credibility, consistency, and impact.
Chapter 9 addresses the most common obstacles that prevent PR professionals from nominating their work—and offers practical, mindset-shifting solutions to overcome them. The goal is to help you move from hesitation to habit, so recognition becomes a regular and rewarding part of your PR roadmap.
The Hesitations Are Real—But So Are the Solutions
Let’s start with the truth: most PR professionals do not lack achievements. They lack a system, a mindset, or support to pursue recognition regularly. Many talented teams do award-worthy work throughout the year and never submit it—either because they don’t realize its value or feel blocked by internal and external pressures.
Below are the nine most common challenges teams face in the award nomination process, along with ways to navigate through each.
Challenge 1: “Our Work Isn’t Big Enough”
The Barrier:
One of the most frequent misconceptions is that only large-scale campaigns with huge budgets and national reach are worthy of recognition.
The Reality:
Awards programs often recognize excellence across a spectrum of work—local, niche, small-team, low-budget, internal communications, and more. What matters most is impact, creativity, and strategic execution—not scale.
How to Overcome It:
- Focus on results within your context. Did you exceed your goals, reach a hard-to-access audience, or solve a difficult communication challenge?
- Frame the uniqueness of your situation. A small team delivering outsized results is compelling.
- Look for categories designed for small teams, startups, nonprofits, or internal communications.
New Mindset:
Size doesn’t define significance. Impact does.
Challenge 2: “We Don’t Have Time to Submit”
The Barrier:
PR professionals are busy. Between managing campaigns, handling crises, engaging with media, and supporting internal stakeholders, it’s hard to carve out time for awards.
The Reality:
Submissions do take time, but with a system in place, the process becomes manageable. The investment in time pays off by increasing visibility, validating work, and building long-term reputation.
How to Overcome It:
- Integrate award submissions into your annual or quarterly planning cycles.
- Use templates and trackers to speed up the process (see Chapter 4).
- Designate a “recognition coordinator” who leads the charge with support from others.
- Start small: aim for one well-prepared nomination each quarter.
New Mindset:
Recognition isn’t extra—it’s part of how we show our value and grow our impact.
Challenge 3: “We’re Not Sure What’s Worth Submitting”
The Barrier:
PR teams are often so close to their work that they struggle to recognize what’s unique or impactful. Familiarity makes achievements feel routine.
The Reality:
Many high-impact efforts are overlooked simply because they don’t “feel” special anymore to the team that delivered them.
How to Overcome It:
- Use a monthly review process to reflect on accomplishments.
- Train team members to spot success signals: high engagement, positive stakeholder feedback, problem-solving under pressure, strategic innovation, etc.
- Use a checklist to evaluate each campaign for recognition potential:
- Were the goals clear?
- Was the execution thoughtful?
- Are results measurable or observable?
- Did the work contribute meaningfully to the organization?
New Mindset:
If it moved the needle—internally or externally—it may be worth submitting.
Challenge 4: “We’ve Submitted Before and Didn’t Win”
The Barrier:
Past disappointment can lead to hesitation. Teams may feel that submitting again won’t be worth the effort if recognition isn’t guaranteed.
The Reality:
Not every nomination results in a win, but each submission is a valuable learning experience and a step toward eventual recognition. Some campaigns simply face tough competition in a given cycle.
How to Overcome It:
- Review past submissions and improve clarity, storytelling, and evidence.
- Seek feedback when available (some awards provide scoring or commentary).
- Submit to different categories or programs that may be a better fit.
- Celebrate being shortlisted or nominated—those are achievements too.
New Mindset:
Recognition is a journey. Submitting regularly builds skill, confidence, and momentum.
Challenge 5: “We Don’t Have Enough Data or Metrics”
The Barrier:
Some PR teams avoid nominations because they believe their campaign lacked hard numbers, like impressions, media reach, or conversions.
The Reality:
While data helps, not every success is easily quantified. Many awards accept a combination of qualitative and quantitative results.
How to Overcome It:
- Use proxy metrics: internal feedback, sentiment shifts, stakeholder support, anecdotal evidence, etc.
- Collect testimonials from leadership or audience members.
- Document outcomes such as message clarity, audience trust, or narrative shift.
- Make a plan to track more metrics moving forward.
New Mindset:
Data supports your story—but it doesn’t have to be the only proof.
Challenge 6: “We’re Not a Well-Known Brand”
The Barrier:
Smaller organizations and agencies often feel that awards are dominated by well-known brands with large teams and flashy campaigns.
The Reality:
Reputable awards programs are judged on merit, not popularity. Lesser-known organizations often win because their work is thoughtful, effective, and inspiring.
How to Overcome It:
- Focus on telling your story clearly and confidently.
- Highlight resourcefulness, agility, or unique challenges overcome.
- Show passion, purpose, and authenticity.
- Choose categories that welcome entries from small and mid-sized organizations.
New Mindset:
You don’t need fame to earn recognition—just impact and integrity.
Challenge 7: “We Don’t Know How to Write a Strong Nomination”
The Barrier:
The writing process feels intimidating, especially for teams that haven’t submitted before or don’t have a content writer on staff.
The Reality:
A well-written nomination doesn’t require fancy language—it requires clarity, structure, and honest storytelling.
How to Overcome It:
- Use a proven framework (see Chapter 6) that includes goals, strategy, execution, and results.
- Break the task into small parts—assign research, writing, and editing to different team members.
- Use past submissions as templates for structure.
- Focus on authenticity and coherence, not perfection.
New Mindset:
You already know how to tell great stories. This is just one more—about your own work.
Challenge 8: “Leadership Doesn’t See the Value”
The Barrier:
In-house teams may struggle to secure approval, budget, or support for award submissions if leadership sees them as low-priority or self-promotional.
The Reality:
Recognition is a form of strategic communication. It validates the team’s value, supports recruitment, improves morale, and increases external visibility.
How to Overcome It:
- Present award submissions as a visibility and credibility initiative.
- Share examples of how recognition has helped other departments or competitors.
- Link recognition to team performance, brand reputation, and leadership perception.
- Propose a low-cost pilot: one submission per quarter with measurable ROI (e.g., media mentions, engagement, recruitment interest).
New Mindset:
Recognition isn’t self-promotion—it’s reputation-building.
Challenge 9: “We’re Afraid of Looking Like We’re Bragging”
The Barrier:
Some teams hesitate to promote their work publicly—even after receiving recognition—for fear of appearing boastful.
The Reality:
When done with authenticity and gratitude, sharing recognition is not arrogance—it’s leadership. It sets an example of pride, excellence, and transparency.
How to Overcome It:
- Highlight the team effort and impact rather than focusing solely on the win.
- Include stakeholders, clients, or collaborators in the celebration.
- Use recognition posts to offer insights or lessons learned—not just announcements.
- Encourage humility and sincerity in tone, not self-congratulation.
New Mindset:
You’re not bragging—you’re modeling excellence and making your profession visible.
Final Encouragement: Normalize the Practice, Not the Perfection
Submitting to business awards regularly shouldn’t be seen as a rare, perfect endeavor that must wait for flawless campaigns. It should be a normal part of how you recognize work, reflect on progress, and share your journey.
By overcoming the mental and logistical blocks that stop your team from submitting achievements, you unlock a new layer of professional growth and credibility. The longer you wait for the “right” time or project, the more recognition opportunities slip away.
Create the habit. Submit often. Celebrate consistently. Win when you can—but grow regardless.
The path to recognition isn’t reserved for the loudest voices or the biggest brands. It’s for teams and individuals willing to show up, share their work, and build an achievement roadmap—step by step, story by story.