I’ve said it before and it bears repeating: applying for awards makes you better.

Why? Here are just three good reasons:

1. You start playing to win. It’s happened with more than one award client. We’re talking about a certain program and applying for an award for that program and someone will say, “well, we really should do X” or “we really should add Y.” The implication is “…so that we have a better chance of winning” but the outcome is that the program will be better because of X or Y.

2. You get third party feedback. Many awards will provide judges’ feedback and comments after an award contest. This can provide invaluable expert perspective.

3. You get your measurement act together. Sometimes it’s simply the process of applying for an award that makes the metrics questions really hit home: What are we measuring? Why? What else could we be measuring? Of course the outcome isn’t just a stronger award application – you also get more compelling measures of your impact. And who doesn’t need that?

Aspiring to win is really just aspiring to greatness, with new inspiration.