3d • General discussion
January at August Awards: A Strong Start & Set Up for a Successful 2026
One month into the new year already, and we’re off to a strong start!
January is always the perfect opportunity for a strategic reset and to set the tone for the year ahead. And this year is no different.
Our focus over the last month was all about working with our clients, new and existing, to strategise for the 2026 awards season. Ensuring each and every one has a clear plan, with complete clarity on the award programmes and categories to enter that align with their wider business goals. And it looks like this may well be our busiest year yet!
Take a look at what else we got up to in January;
Celebrating Team Milestones
At the start of every new quarter, we come together as a team for our quarterly team meeting. It’s a day to reflect on our results from the previous quarter and plan for the months ahead.
But it’s not just about analysis and strategy, we also dedicate this time to celebrate the achievements of the team.
Last quarter marked the anniversaries for Brooke our Sales and Partnership Manager, celebrating 2 years at August, and Senior Awards Writer Ben celebrating a milestone 5 years with us! We always like to take the time to recognise these anniversaries and reflect on the true depth of expertise within the team.
Also last quarter, we were thrilled to welcome University of Chichester students James and Luke to the team to complete their work placements. We believe supporting emerging talent is so important to develop future strategic thinkers. We’re so impressed with the work they’ve completed so far, and can’t wait to see how they develop over the next few months!
Achieving Outstanding Client Results
One of the most exciting things we reflect on in January is our shortlist and win rate for the previous year, which we’re so proud to share continues to set us apart in the awards industry:
88% Shortlist Rate
69% Win Rate
These figures demonstrate the strength of our strategic approach and the consistency of outcomes we deliver for all clients, no matter their business size, industry and goals.
As always, a huge congratulations to each and every one of our winning clients, we love seeing great teams and people getting the recognition they deserve, and it's an honour to help tell those winning stories.
Supporting Women in Business with Partner Enterprise Vision Awards
We’re so proud to be continuing our role as Application Partner for the Enterprise Vision Awards (EVAs) for another year.
To support the awards, last month Donna co-hosted the EVAs Application Masterclass alongside EVAs Founder Coral Horn, supporting entrants as they prepare submissions that confidently reflect their achievements.
The EVAs are a fantastic awards programme, championing women who are building, growing and leading businesses across every sector. Entries are now open, and deadline Tuesday 5th May, learn more about the awards here.
Turn Your Business Success Into an Award-Winning Story with ActionCOACH
We’re so pleased to also be continuing our partnership with ActionCOACH into 2026, supporting their community and their BizX Awards programme to achieve success.
Alongside Neil Martin, Director of Marketing and Edu-tainment at ActionCOACH, Donna featured as a guest speaker on their latest webinar, sharing her expert insight on how businesses can translate success into compelling award entries.
The BizX Awards are a celebration of the businesses, leaders, and teams who are actually doing it, building something real, creating impact, and refusing to settle for average. The awards are open now and deadline 1 March, learn more about the awards here.
Helping Businesses to build a Strategic Roadmap for Growth
We also delivered our own free Awards Strategy Masterclass in January.
Hosted by Donna, the session brought together businesses looking to take a more structured, strategic approach to awards over the year ahead. The masterclass focused on planning, alignment, and long-term thinking.
If you missed out, our next masterclass How to Win Awards: What Judges Love (and What They Don’t) takes place Thursday 5th March where we will be sharing how to structure your entries to score high points, how to use evidence and storytelling to stand out, plus real-life examples of entries that judges LOVE.
Supporting Future Talent with The University of Chichester
Rounding out the month, Donna joined the University of Chichester Entrepreneurship Panel as part of their Employability Week.
Hosted by Moitree Banerjee, Head of the School of Law, Business and Psychology, the “Question Time”-style panel created an engaging forum for students to hear directly from industry professionals.
Contributing to these conversations is part of our wider commitment to supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs and business leaders.
Looking Ahead
January was a strong, purposeful start to 2026.
From exceptional client results and long-standing partnerships, to industry collaboration and community contribution, the month reflected the breadth of impact we’re proud to be delivering across the awards landscape.
As we move through February and into March, more and more awards programmes open for entries as we head into peak awards season.
So if you’re still not sure which awards you could be entering this year, the time to take action is now.
If you’re thinking about how awards could support your business this year:
Why not join our next free Awards Masterclass, or get in touch with our team to explore how we can support your awards strategy and applications in 2026.
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January at August Awards: A Strong Start & Set Up for a Successful 2026
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