The OpenWater Blog

The 4 Most Important Emails You’ll Send to Your Awards Judges

Communication is key throughout your awards program, regardless of whether you’re speaking to your own team, potential and current entrants, or, of course, your awards judges! Keeping connected through email is simple and offers you the ability to juggle the multiple aspects of your program without having to be disorganized.

But, when you conduct your awards program review, do you know the most important emails you’ll send to your awards judges? If not, there’s no need to panic because we’ve got you covered.

Asking Them to Judge

Initiating contact is the first email you’ll send to any potential judge, making it one of the most important messages you’ll create. The key idea is to keep things simple by briefly introducing your awards program, dates, what the program is about, and give a small glimpse as to what is expected of judges.

Of course, each judge that you email should be a prestigious, relevant choice. While mass mailing can be tempting, especially if you haven’t left yourself a lot of time to choose your awards judges, you don’t want to sacrifice the personal touch that can persuade some judges to join your panel.

Sample:

Subject: Invitation to Judge at the 2014 Yuppy Puppy Awards

Dear Joe Smith,

I’m writing to invite you to join us as a judge for the 2014 Yuppy Puppy Awards.

The Yuppy Puppy Awards is the world’s most renowned international award competition for dog boutiques. This year’s 10th annual Yuppy Puppy Awards will take place on November 1, 2014. Judges are expected to review all all submissions in person in Washington, DC on October 1, 2014.

I look forward to your response and thank you for your consideration.

Kind Regards,

Jane Doe

(202) 123-4567

Acknowledging Their Acceptance

Once your judges have accepted your invitation, you will be predisposed to celebrate (and by all means, do) but there are other emails waiting for you! Acknowledging their acceptance is the next crucial step, and will involve general training and further details.

Now, you might be wondering, “what kinds of details should I include?” Typically, you’ll set expectations for steps to come, such as training, as well as providing general terms to let them know what is expected from them as a judge. Additionally, you will want to assure them about key details such as what flight and hotel expenses are covered, what time judging is, as well as how to coordinate booking.

Of course, you should also notify them that more details will follow, giving them a more concrete idea of everything to follow:

Sample:

Subject: Thank You for Accepting Your Invitation to Judge at the 2014 Yuppy Puppy Awards

Dear Joe Smith,

I’m delighted to hear of your acceptance to judge at this year’s Yuppy Puppy awards and would like to provide you with further details regarding our program and what to expect.

We’ll cover your flight to Washington, DC as well as your stay at the Park Hyatt hotel on October 1, 2014. Judging is to take place that day from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. To coordinate booking, you can expect to hear from Ryan Green.

More details will follow as the event date approaches. We’re honored to have you at this year’s awards and look forward to meeting you on October 1, 2014.

Kind Regards,

Jane Doe

(202) 123-4567

Reaffirm Important Information Before Judging

Your judges are busy, so it’s important to reaffirm important information as your judging time approaches. For you, this means emailing your judges to let them know about the general timeline of the event, high level judging rules, and the procedure of awards judging.

Specifically, the procedure should cover whether or not judging is online or in person. If online, it can be beneficial to send a video of how the system works so that there is no confusion when judging begins.

Sample:

Subject: Judging Information for the 2014 Yuppy Puppy Awards

Dear Joe Smith,

Below, you’ll find specific judging information regarding the 2014 Yuppy Puppy Awards.

The timeline will be as follows:

[insert your event’s timeline]

Additionally, we would like to provide you with our specific judging rules and criteria, which are as follows:

[insert judging rules and criteria]

We have also developed a specific judging procedure to streamline entry review between our judges. When you arrive on October 1, 2014, judging will proceed as follows:

[insert judging procedures]

If you have any questions, please feel free to let me know. Otherwise, we look forward to your arrival for judging.

Kind Regards,

Jane Doe

(202) 123-4567

Thank You

A short thank you goes a long way, especially when it comes to recognizing your judges for their hard work and time. Of course, a thank you should also include additional information like reminders for your awards gala that specifies dates and other necessary information.

This will not only help celebrate their hard work, but also the ability to include them in on recognizing the winners of your program. Additionally, their presence and your known gratitude can encourage them to participate in following awards programs if you desire, lending itself to the prestige of your program over time.

Sample:

Subject: Thank You for Your Participation in the 2014 Yuppy Puppy Awards

Dear Joe Smith,

Thank you for your dedication, time, and energy in judging the 2014 Yuppy Puppy Awards. We truly appreciate and would like to recognize your sacrifice by inviting you to our Awards Gala which is taking place on November 1, 2014 from 7 to 10 p.m. Flight and hotel accommodations will be provided.

Please let me know if you will be able to attend, and thank you again for your hard work.

Kind Regards,

Jane Doe

(202) 123-4567

Awards planning can be difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. By taking the right steps to choose prestigious judges and organizing your judges with effective, simple email communications, you can rest assured that your program will operate exactly as planned.

How have you used email to organize your judges in the past? Share your own experiences in the comments below!

[button id=”” style=”” color=”orange” type=”large” size=”large” href=”http://www.getopenwater.com/subscribe-to-openwater-blog” align=”center” target=”_self”]Like what you’ve read? Click here to subscribe to this blog![/button]

Miriam Hancock

Miriam Hancock
Miriam is the Marketing Coordinator for OpenWater. When she isn't writing and designing content she paints and cooks for her own personal blog.

The Importance of Linking Organizational Goals & Your Awards Program

Does Everyone Understand Your Call for Entry? If Not, Try a Webinar!