Why Awards Belong In Your PR Calendar

Nicola Le Lievre | PR Manager & Business Development Manager

If there's one PR tactic in the beauty and skin industry that consistently punches above its weight, it's awards. Not because a trophy on the shelf looks nice, but because the entire journey works in your favour from entering, being named a finalist, winning, and then leveraging that win. If done well, it can give you a year's worth of content, credibility, and connection in one hit.

Here's why awards deserve a permanent spot in your PR calendar, and how to get the most out of every stage.

The Entry Itself is Free Strategy Work

Before you've even submitted anything, the awards process forces you to do something most businesses never make time for: sit down and articulate exactly what you've achieved and why it matters.

Pulling together your sales data, client results, media coverage, and testimonials into a single entry is a mini brand audit. It sharpens your story, highlights gaps you didn't know you had, and gives you a clear-eyed view of how far you've come.

That reflection alone is worth the entry fee. It's also the raw material for months of future content, press releases, social posts and case studies, regardless of whether you take home the award or not.

 

Practical Pointers Upon Entry:

• Choose the award and category most relevant to your brand's strengths right now. Check past winners to gauge fit.
• Write your entry in a separate document first, then edit down to the word count, rather than drafting straight into the portal.
• Treat supporting evidence, testimonials, results, images, as essential, not optional. It's what makes an entry credible to judges.
• Note the award's assessment period and focus your evidence within that window.

Being a Finalist is Already a Win

It's easy to fixate on the trophy, but finalist status carries real weight on its own.

It's third-party validation, proof from an independent panel that your brand is doing something right. That matters enormously in an industry built on trust, where consumers are choosing who gets to put products on their skin.

Finalist announcements are also genuinely good PR content. They give you a legitimate reason to post, to email your database and to pitch media, all without needing to have won anything yet.

Winning Multiplies Your Credibility & Content Calendar

An actual win is where the PR value compounds. Recognition from a respected industry program like the ABIAs tells prospective stockists, salon partners and customers that your brand has been benchmarked against the best and come out on top.

But the win itself is only the start. The real leverage comes from what you do with it afterwards.

• Update every digital touchpoint. Add the award to your website, email signature, LinkedIn profile and social bios, anywhere a prospective partner or customer might land.
• Write the story, not just the announcement. The "why" behind the win performs far better than a simple "we won" post.
• Involve your team. Photos from the ceremony, behind-the-scenes moments and team shout-outs humanise the win and boost internal morale.
• Turn it into an ongoing content series. One award win can realistically fuel a dozen pieces of content: the announcement, the acceptance speech recap, a thank-you post to your community, a reflection piece months later, and mentions woven into unrelated media pitches as instant credibility.
• Use it in conversations, not just posts. Mention the win when talking to clients, at business events, or when introducing your brand to a new audience. It's a natural, low-effort credibility signal.

Don't Underestimate the Community Angle

Awards nights are also, quietly, one of the best networking environments the industry offers. You're in a room with the peers, judges and media who shape the conversation in your category. Those relationships often lead to further coverage, collaborations and referrals long after the ceremony ends, PR value that never shows up on an entry form.

It's also worth cheering on others in your category. Supporting fellow finalists and winners builds goodwill and keeps you visible in the community year-round, not just during awards season.

 

Final Thoughts

Entering awards isn't just about the trophy. It's a PR strategy that generates content, credibility and connections at every stage of the process. Whether you're announced as a finalist or you win, there's genuine value to extract and share.

The brands that get the most out of awards aren't necessarily the ones that win the most. They're the ones that consistently show up, tell the story well, and keep leveraging the recognition long after the ceremony lights go down.

For Extra PR Support:

To learn more about entering industry awards, or how you can work towards a Circadia Elevate Award, feel free to contact PR Manager Nicola: nicola@circadia.com.au