There’s something timeless about celebrating excellence. But even excellence evolvesand so should your association’s awards program.
As association professionals, we often rely on awards programs to showcase leadership, innovation, and outstanding contributions within our industries. It also helps to fuel healthy competition and illuminate a vibrant industry’s path of excellence. But as formats grow stale or categories become outdated, even the most well-intentioned recognition risks becoming routine. Even complacent. And when that happens, engagement drops. Nominations slow. Audiences tune out.
The good news? With a thoughtful review and a forward-thinking mindset, your awards program can remain a coveted and relevant part of your association’s brand and member experience.
The Importance of a Program Refresh
An outdated awards program not only reflects poorly on the association, but it can also alienate emerging leaders or underrepresent newer facets of the industry. If your last major review was more than five years ago, it’s time for a refresh.
Things to consider:
• Are the award categories still aligned with your industry’s priorities?
• Do the nomination criteria reflect current standards?
• Are the current nomination, entry and submission processes outdated and tedious?
• Are you recognizing innovation and inclusion, not just tenure or tradition?
What’s New? Spotlighting Change
Associations across the board are modernizing their programs to keep pace with change. From digital submission platforms such as Award Force to social media-friendly recognition formats, technology is making it easier.
Key spotlights include:
• Rising Star, Emerging Leader, or One’s to Watch categories to recognize up-and-coming talent.
• Modernized legacy awards like Hall of Fame or Humanitarian
• Top 50 or 100 award recognitions for larger associations that recognize industry players and their ability to grow and have a positive impact in the industry year-over-year
• Sustainability trailblazers with a nod to ESG (environment, social and governance)to reflect evolving industry values.
• People’s Choice Awards or Member Voted awards to drive member engagement, peer recognition, and online visibility.
• Innovation Awards to highlight product, technology and other innovative or campaign-centre member initiatives.
Tips to Keep Awards Programs Fresh
Here are a few key ways to ensure your recognition efforts remain inspiring not stagnant:
• Schedule regular reviews annually or bi-annually to review your current award categories, processes, and judging criteria.
• Look at establishing an Awards Task Force for short term updates or a Committee that will be responsible for reviewing the awards annually and making recommendations to the association Board to keep the program fresh and relevant. Check out this Strauss article that provides a comprehensive guide for better understanding task force vs. committee.
• Post-awards ask for feedback by surveying past nominees, judges, and members to understand what’s working and what’s not.
• Introduce rotating categories and feature one or two new awards annually that spotlight current trends or challenges.
• Simplify the submission process and make it easy to nominate and apply. Clear guidelines and digital submissions go a long way.
• Celebrate creatively and go beyond plaques and podiums. Use videos, spotlights, and storytelling to share winners’ impact.
What to Avoid
• Complacency – If your awards program looks exactly the same year after year, it may be time to innovate.
• Overcomplication – Too many categories or a lengthy process can deter participation.
• Tokenism – New categories must be implemented with sincerity and not just to tick a box to satisfy what’s trending that year, etc.
Awards programs are more than a pat on the back. They’re a powerful way to amplify excellence, inspire progress, and define what your association values. But relevance doesn’t happen by accident. It takes intention, reflection, and a willingness to evolve.
So take a moment, take a look, and take the lead in keeping recognition relevant. Your members will thank you for it.
