Our first 'How to Win' Evening for the APG 2015 Creative Strategy Awards in association with Google.
We heard from Craig Mawdsley, Joint CSO at AMVBBDO and Chair of short-listers as well as Tom White, the winner of the 2013 Best-Written Paper.
Top tips from Craig on how to write a winning paper:
1. 'Read a lot, write a lot' - Stephen King
2. Read past APG winning papers to know how to write a good one
3. Being Interesting is really important
4. Don't worry too much on how its presented. We are only interested in your words.
5. The papers are marked for their degree of difficulty, like competitive diving
6. Context Matters. Why is it interesting? Why should we know about it?
Tom White on the APG 2013 Awards
1. Be clear about your motivation (which is to take out other planners, Hunger Games style and make them green with envy)
2. APG Awards are different from others because there is no template.
3. Writing APG awards papers is fun
4. Treat your paper like telling a short story
5. Be able to tell your story in a TWEET
6. Be selective with your words, but don't make anything up
7. Make it personal. You are a character in the story. Get the judges to root for you
8. Talk about your mistakes
9. What was your lesson?
10. Don't waffle. Be matter of fact and straight forward
11. Find the drama and identify those moments
12. Mention what could have happened if you didn't interfere
13. Get some help from your pupils
14. Get away from your desk