Think before using AI to write your award entry

Artificial intelligence is changing the way businesses write, from emails and blogs to reports and proposals – but here’s why you should think before using AI to write your award entry.  

Unsurprisingly, many organisations are now asking whether AI can write a strong award entry. The short answer? AI can help, but only if it’s used thoughtfully, strategically, and with human expertise firmly in control.  

Award entries are not just about good writing. They’re about storytelling, credibility, and persuasion. Before handing the task over to AI, it’s worth pausing to consider what judges are really looking for, and where technology fits into that process. 

The specifics of award writing  

Award entries are a unique form of writing. They need to meet strict criteria, demonstrate measurable impact, and tell a compelling story, often within a very tight word limit. Judges read dozens, sometimes hundreds, of entries. Anything that feels generic, vague, or formulaic will quickly fade into the background. 

This is where AI can struggle. While it has developed the skills to produce fluent sentences, it doesn’t truly understand context, ambition, or the subtle details that make a project award-worthy. Without careful guidance, AI-generated entries can sound polished but hollow, writing a lot, without really saying anything at all. 

AI as a tool, not the author 

The most effective way to use AI in award writing is to treat it like a sous chef. A good sous-chef preps ingredients, supports the process, and saves time, but they don’t decide the menu or plate the final dish. That responsibility belongs to the head chef. 

Used correctly, AI can: 

• Help organise ideas and structure responses 

• Summarise background information 

• Highlight spelling and grammar mistakes (but watch out for that American/English spelling difference) 

But the direction, insight, and final judgement must remain human. You need to decide what story to tell, which achievements matter most, and how success should be framed for judges. 

What judges want 

AI-written award entries are becoming increasingly common. Research carried out in late 2025 by the Independent Awards Standards Council suggests that judges and organisers believe around one third of submissions they reviewed over the past year were generated using AI. These figures are consistent with findings from 2024, yet there is strong agreement about what lies ahead, with 92% expecting the use of AI in award entries to grow further. 

Are those judges happy about this? In short, no. Because let’s face it, if you can’t be bothered to write it, why should they be bothered to read it? In awards, credibility matters, and using AI heightens the issue of originality. Judges value authenticity and lived experience. An entry that feels “machine-written” may technically answer the questions but fail to connect emotionally or stand out from the competition. AI can assist the process, but it shouldn’t replace strategic thinking or professional judgement. 

Why human expertise wins awards 

Great award entries are built on insight. Their writers understand what judges care about, how scoring works, and where evidence will have the greatest impact. This is something AI simply can’t replicate. 

Experienced award writers know how to: 

• Pull at threads to tease out the elements of a story the client didn’t realise were important 

• Interpret complex criteria 

• Shape a narrative that flows naturally 

• Balance data with storytelling 

• Highlight impact without sounding boastful 

• You can’t just feed a load of data points into a large language model and expect it to churn out a compelling story. Doing that takes many more skills that AI models simply don’t have. Rubbish in = rubbish out, so the real skill of a successful award writer is knowing what to explore, what to include, and what to cut, then knitting that all together into an irresistible story.  

How Awards Writers Use AI 

The simple answer, we don’t. At Awards Writers, we love writing. The creativity behind each award is what drives us and has kept us at an over 80% shortlisting success rate for over 14 years.  

We also know that when it comes to writing awards, we’re handling confidential and sensitive data and don’t want to hand that over to AI to use, learn from and potentially spread across the internet. You can read more about our AI policy here. 

Want to give your entry the best chance of winning? 

If you’re serious about awards, you’ll need experts on your side. We can help shape your story, strengthen your evidence, and ensure your entry stands out.  

So yes, AI can support award entry writing, but it shouldn’t take control. Think before using AI to write your award entry, and if you want the help of an award writing expert, you can book a free discovery call with us here.