Plain English Awards

celebrate New Zealand's clearest communicators

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Put your compelling annual report into the limelight


Have you joined the wave of change? Does your annual report tick off all the statutory stipulations and hum with life? Does it tell a compelling story of what matters to you and your stakeholders? Is it clear and concise?

If you’re twitching with pride right now, jump up and give your report the razzle dazzle it deserves.

Enter this year’s Plain English Awards and your report can leap into the limelight and take a bow. Entries close at midnight on Monday, 3 September 2018.

Fabulous feedback is waiting in the wings

Imagine you and your report basking in this kind of feedback. Here’s what the judges had to say about last year’s winners:

Overall, this is a great example of how you can appease regulatory requirements and appeal to a general reader — a true plain English experience with the audience in mind. Well done!

Great use of visual storytelling and pared-down messaging. The colours are vibrant and engaging.

This report has very little jargon, which is always great to see. The vocabulary is straightforward and clear.

More than just compliance

Gone are the days of an impenetrable collection of numbers and words, prepared for compliance purposes. Shareholders and stakeholders have switched their attention to companies with timely and relevant information shared in a compelling way.

Is this you? If it is, enter this year’s awards today — you need the fabulous feedback, and the world needs excellent examples.

Here’s what winners Z Energy said last year:

We knew making the report highly readable would help readers connect with what Z has achieved and its vision for the future.

A winning report is clear, easy to read, timely, and relevant

Judges will focus on the body of the report and will be checking that:

  • all readers (not just the financial wizards) will find it easy to read and use
  • readers can use the report to make useful decisions and comparisons.

What makes a clear annual report?

If your report has these elements, the judges will give it the thumbs up.

  • Main messages that are clear and obvious
  • Clear, concise and jargon free
  • Technical terms explained
  • Figures presented in an easy-to-understand format
  • Graphs, tables and photos that support main messages.

Enter your report for the 2018 Plain English Awards.

Meet last year’s winners

 

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Ever had that 'feel good' feeling from transforming a piece of text into really clear, readable content?


It’s 10am on a workday morning and a bunch of us are, accidentally and animatedly, tweaking some text on a neglected webpage we administer. ‘Too long!’ ‘It’s so long-winded.’ ‘Uggh, it sounds stodgy and dull’. ‘Look at that next sentence – why, just why?’

We’d intended to check on only a small detail but quickly ended up editing with a passion. Honestly, we didn’t mean to! But, oh, the satisfaction at the glorious transformation. It felt good. Very, very good! The world was now a better place. Instructions were clear. Readers would breeze through it. Job done!

If you too get a happy burst of dopamine from turning around bad writing, you’ll totally get this and probably be nodding in agreement. And if you’ve been on top of the world after some of your own transformations, you’d better share! Enter them in the Turnaround category of the annual Plain English Awards

We’ll be cheering you on, every step of the way!

The Turnaround award recognises the best plain English rewrite of a document or website that was originally difficult to read.

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More carrot than stick at the 2017 Plain English Awards.

More carrot than stick at the 2017 Plain English Awards. Image by Mali Maeder / CC0 License


Government agencies and commercial firms are again vying for honours in the annual Plain English Awards. Organisations are turning their back on corporate jargon, bureaucratic writing, and legalese.

Now in their 12th year, the Awards have an impressive track record. They encourage New Zealand organisations to favour clarity over complexity and celebrate those who choose to be clear.

The Awards are the premier benchmark for high standards and achievement in plain English. Success in the Awards shows we’re not only doing it [plain English], but doing it well and our expertise is being recognised.

Entries are open until August

Entries are open across nine categories. Awards are available for everything from superb sentence rewrites and document transformations, to recognition for people who campaign for clarity and their projects.

Entries are open now and will close on 31 August 2017.

Choose your category and enter the Awards

 

Posted In: Communications

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