Uncategorized
The Definitive Guide to the Search Awards Entry Form
In our webinar, The Definitive Guide to Entering the Search Awards, a panel of seasoned judges, David Edmundson-Bird, Jim Banks, Dawn Anderson and Neville Hobson, walk through every section of the entry form and explain the dos and don’ts in simple terms. If you’re planning to enter any of our Search Awards this year, it’s essential […]
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Awards, Entry Tips
How Award-Winning Campaigns Are Shaped in the First Two Weeks
The Brief Before the Brief – Guest Blog from David Pagatto, SIXGUN Sun Tzu wrote that every battle is won before it is fought. Most agency owners nod at that and move on. But if you take it seriously, really seriously, it changes how you run your first two weeks with a new client. The […]
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Uncategorized, sponsorship
How International Awards Sponsorship Builds Brands
When I started Don’t Panic Events in 2005, I had one ambition: to run awards that genuinely meant something. Not just a party with trophies, but a credible, rigorously judged celebration of outstanding work. Twenty years on, we now deliver over 20 prestigious programmes a year, and increasingly, we’re delivering them across the globe. That […]
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Don't Panic, sponsorship, Judging, Awards, News
Behind the Scenes with an Awards Judge
We take the judging process seriously and so do our judges. To find out exactly what happens behind the scenes, we asked first-time Search Awards judge Sara Vordermeier to share her experience of the judging process from receiving your entries to deciding on winners. Who are you, and what’s your background in search/digital marketing? I’m […]
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Uncategorized
What makes a winning award entry and why would you bother?
With resources more stretched than ever and the never-ending pressure to deliver more with less, it would be reasonable to wonder why you’d spend time and resource on award entries. It’s even harder to commit that resource if you don’t have a clear framework for putting your entry together that gives you confidence you will be successful. But if you can requisition the resource and formalise your framework, winning awards […]
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Awards, News
Award Recognition: The Authority Signal AI Search Is Looking For
As AI-powered search and generative engines evolve, traditional SEO signals alone are no longer enough. Large language models (LLMs) and Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) now evaluate trust, authority and verified expertise when deciding which brands to surface in AI-driven results. One of the strongest ways to build those signals? Industry awards. Award nominations and wins […]
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Uncategorized
Why Smart CEOs & CFOs Are Obsessed with Awards
Awards are one of the most powerful, low-cost strategic tools in the boardroom arsenal, and the sharpest leaders know exactly how to use them. In a world where every brand, agency, and business claims to be innovative, trustworthy, and brilliant, how do you actually prove it? Independent validation. And that’s exactly what a well-chosen award […]
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Judge Tips
How to Make Your Awards Entry Stand Out
Written by Judge Montserrat Cano Winning an award is rarely just about doing great work. It is about communicating that work clearly, credibly, and consistently on the entry form. Over the years, both as a practitioner and as a judge across several award categories, I have seen strong campaigns and excellent ideas getting lower scores. […]
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Uncategorized
The Power of Showing Up: Why Entering Awards Matter
Entering industry awards is one of those strategic moves that feels risky on the surface but pays off in far more ways than just “winning a trophy.” The fear of entering and not winning is completely normal, but it’s also the least important part of the whole equation. Why entering awards is worth it, even […]
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