Top Ten Tips:
- Tailor your entry to the specific criteria for your category
- Communicate what is different about your project
- Ensure your slides are engaging (be creative with colour and graphics!) and tell a story.
- Write in a clear, concise style that an outsider could understand. Make sure your slides are legible. Use plain English and avoid jargon.
- Include specific details as far as possible*
- Make sure your visuals illustrate your points. Charts should have clearly labelled axes, not be misleading and reference the source data.
- Incorporate feedback or comments from key stakeholders. If the individual cannot be named, i.e. they are a main entrant, attribute them to a job title or role.
- Check for spelling and grammar – errors create a poor impression.
- Don’t include loads of data – focus on the interpretation
- Ask a colleague not involved in the project to critique your entry
- Communicate what is different about your project
- Make sure your slides are engaging (be creative with colour and graphics!) and that they tell a story
- Write in clear, concise style that an outsider could understand, making sure your slides are legible. Use plain English and avoid jargon
- Include specific details as far as possible*
- Make sure your visuals illustrate your points, and that charts have axes that are clearly labelled/not misleading and reference the source data
- Incorporate feedback or comments from key stakeholders - make sure they are attributed to an individual, or a clear job title or role, if the individual can’t be named
- Check for spelling and grammar – errors create a poor impression
- Don’t include loads of data – focus on the interpretation
- Ask a colleague not involved in the project to critique your entry
* It’s understandable that you don’t want to give away a differential advantage but if you hold back vital information it may make the project less compelling. Remember that only a small group of judges will be reviewing your entry, they will treat it in the strictest confidence, and you can specify any companies (both pharma and agencies) that should not see your entry.
You may like to use a typical STARS format to structure your presentation:
Situation
- What was the problem / issue you were trying to resolve?
- What outcomes were sought?
Task
- What was the project brief?
Actions
- What methodology did you employ?
- How did you analyse the results?
- Include details of any innovative approaches or novel methodologies if applicable.
Results
- What were the outcomes?
- Include supporting evidence, charts, data etc.
So what?
- What happened as a result of the project?
- What did you or the client do differently?
- How did this impact business / patients / the NHS?
Definition of 'Impact'
All entries are expected to demonstrate the positive impact or outcomes for the UK. Pay careful attention to the type of impact and outcomes included in the category description.
If you are demonstrating impact on the business, this could be shown in several ways; you do not necessarily have to show an increase in sales/share. Examples might be a change in brand or field force strategy, an improvement in organisational or commercial effectiveness, a contribution to a market access strategy, a change in attitudes/practices within an organisation or even a decision not to do something
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Work can be up to three years old as of 31st December in the year before the entry deadline. It may be easier to demonstrate business impact with older projects and it could also be easier to get sign-off from senior management.
You will need to decide which category to enter based on a combination of which category you would most like to win and which category you believe you have the best chance of success in. We can provide advice here, so please get in touch with the BHBIA (admin@bhbia.org.uk), and a member of the BOBI Committee will be in touch. A programme/project can only be entered in one category.
No. A programme/project may only be entered in one category.
Yes. The impact will be assessed relative to expectations so that a small UK-only project with modest objectives can compete fairly with a far-reaching global programme. Please don’t be put off by the need to demonstrate impact. It’s just one element of the assessment, and there are many ways to demonstrate it.
All entries are expected to demonstrate the positive impact or outcomes of the project on the UK. Pay careful attention to the type of impact and outcomes included in the category description.
If you are demonstrating impact on the business, this could be shown in several ways; you do not necessarily have to show an increase in sales/share. Examples might be a change in brand or field force strategy, an improvement in organisational or commercial effectiveness, a contribution to a market access strategy, a change in attitudes/practices within an organisation or even a decision not to do something. For Best Business Impact, you must show the impact on the client’s UK business.
It doesn’t matter where the office or people who conducted the work are based as long as their work impacted the UK. It is possible to enter a multi-country project as long as there is evidence that some of the impact is in the UK.
Yes. We recognise that sponsors are likely to choose to sponsor a category that aligns with their areas of expertise so it’s not surprising that they may have projects that could form the basis of a strong entry in that category. It is very important that the judging process is impartial and the way we manage this is to ensure that sponsors are completely excluded from any part of the judging process so there is no conflict of interest.
If new supporting evidence has become available, you may submit programmes/projects entered for previous BOBI Awards (and did not win!). This can be either the same category entered previously or a different category. Perhaps new evidence of impact has come to light, or you may have completed an additional phase of the research project or some supplementary analysis that makes it more compelling. Remember work must have been completed in the last 3 years, as of 31st December.
Yes. You should not discount a project because you think it is too 'ordinary'. The BOBIs are about celebrating and rewarding excellence in business intelligence and judges are looking for excellent execution, clear findings and tangible evidence that your project made a difference. Of course, demonstration of innovation is essential if you are entering the 'Best Use of Innovation' category!
No, there is no limit to the number of entries any individual or company may submit - as long as each entry relates to a different programme/project. However, the judges reserve the right to limit the number of shortlisted entries from the same organisation if that organisation submits multiple high-quality entries in a given category (though, in practice, this is very unlikely to arise). The judges also reserve the right to shortlist an entry in a different category from the one entered and to disqualify entries that do not meet the stipulated requirements.
It’s a fact that some people and some teams are regularly successful, and once you have the knack for writing a winning entry, you have a formula to call on for the future. However, encouraging new people to enter is a key objective for the BOBI committee. Everyone had to start somewhere - so why not take that first step? There are lots of resources on the website to help you. Remember, the most significant factor determining your likelihood to win is whether or not you enter! We ensure the judging process is scrupulously fair by carefully selecting the judges for each category and judging each category independently. Their task is to pick the best entry, not to consider what other awards those entrants might have won.
Judging panels for each category are carefully selected to avoid any conflicts of interest. All judges will have signed a confidentiality undertaking and are bound by this undertaking not to use or discuss any information contained in the entries outside of the process. Judges will not see the names of individuals who have entered, i.e. they won’t have access to the personal details on the entry form, they will only review the PowerPoint submission. You also have an opportunity on the entry form to specify any organisations whose employees you do not wish to view your entry, and judges from those companies will be excluded from your category. Judging panels are drawn from across the BHBIA membership. Please try not to exclude companies unless it's essential as this can make it difficult for us to appoint a balanced panel.
No, we do not require you to involve a client in the submission, though generally, there will be an end client and you’d likely need their permission to submit an entry referring to the work they commissioned. In cases where work was done for a client company, the judges look for evidence of successful teamwork/collaboration, so joint entries are likely to be favoured. Entrants are also encouraged to involve subcontractors, e.g., the fieldwork/data collection agency, in the submission and the credits.
Yes, this is fine. We welcome submissions involving any client company manufacturing or marketing pharmaceuticals or other products in the healthcare field. Submissions with NHS or charity partners are also welcome. The key is that the business intelligence programme or project should have a demonstrable positive impact on UK businesses, patients or the NHS.
The phrase ‘research project or analytical approach’ is intended to be very broad. Essentially, we want to reflect the fact that a wide range of business intelligence projects/programmes are welcome but without making the award descriptions too wordy. Entries need to be based on EITHER a market research project OR an analytical approach to some data; you don't have to include both, though it's not a problem if your entry does happen to span both areas.
Yes, please follow the specifications. We need the texts to be within this limit for inclusion in the publicity for the shortlisted entries and winners. If your executive summary is longer, we will cut it down for publication and important content could be lost.
If your entry is shortlisted or wins, all or part of the executive summary may be used, so you need to ensure you are happy for the content of this section to be made public. You can choose not to name the product and/or disease area in the executive summary, but this is entirely up to you. Historically, we have found that most entrants do name the product/disease area (if applicable) in the executive summary.
Yes, this is acceptable. The main reason for having the product/therapy area field on the form is to help us quickly identify any conflicts of interest amongst the judging panel that the entrant may not have already mentioned. That’s not an issue in this case, as the therapy area will be blinded. So you can generalise the information for this field, i.e. give a broad idea of the type of therapy area without being specific. However, if you can convince your client to agree to the therapy area being shared, it will help you to make the entry more specific and, therefore, potentially more compelling, so that would always be our recommendation if it's possible.
Not if you have clearly made an effort to adhere to the overall format. However, there may be penalty points. Refer to the Submission Guidelines - How are Entries Judged? Section. We want to make entry straightforward and the specified framework is intended to help, not hinder.
No, the deadline day has a strict cut-off time of 5 p.m. If you have not obtained the final sign-off, you may submit your entry by the deadline and have the option to withdraw it within two business days by notifying us at admin@bhbia.org.uk. However, you cannot make any changes to your entry once it has been submitted.
You will receive an automated notification email when you submit your entry form. If you do not receive this notification or have any concerns over whether your entry has been uploaded, please contact us immediately. Please do not wait until the deadline has passed.
Yes. All Entrants will receive constructive feedback. If your entry is not shortlisted, you will receive feedback by the end of April. Once the winners have been announced, feedback on shortlisted entries and winners will be provided in May.
Please contact admin@bhbia.org.uk.