Do you want to WIN Business Awards?

“This book is a must-have for anyone wanting to win awards.”

– Debbie Gilbert, Founder of the Best Business Women Awards

Create Positive PR

Gain Peer Recognition

Attract New Clients

Recruit Talent

Winner: How to Win Business Awards

The Book

The first edition of WINNER became an Amazon No.1 Best Seller and an award-winning business book. This fully revised second edition brings the process up to date for a judging landscape that has changed completely.

Denise O’Leary MBE shares her proven step-by-step system, showing you how to find the right awards to enter, what evidence to gather and how to make an entry stand out. The book explains what judges are actually looking for, how to maximise the PR from a win, and how to turn recognition into lasting business growth – so you can celebrate at the winner’s table.

What's new in the second edition

A brand-new chapter on using AI well in award writing. Why polished writing is now the baseline rather than the advantage, how AI quietly strips out the specific evidence that earns marks, and how to use it without weakening your entry.

Scoreability – the single idea that changes how you write. Winning entries aren’t just well written; they’re easy for a judge to score.

WINNER AI® – an introduction to the UK’s first purpose-built AI award entry coach, developed from the methodology in this book. Not a text generator, but a structured, evidence-led process built around how judges assess.

A new chapter of insight from award organisers, covering how judging integrity is protected, the constraints organisers face, category fit and positioning, and the most common errors that cost entrants a place on the shortlist.

What judges are seeing now, including how AI-assisted and templated entries are becoming obvious – and what to do instead.

‘Awards Night – What Actually Matters’, a practical guide to the evening itself: the media wall, working your table, what strong and weak behaviour looks like, and how to use the moment properly whether you win or not.

Fresh contributions from more than fifteen judges, organisers and award winners, alongside expert insight from a business psychologist and a PR journalist.

Denise O’Leary

The Author

Denise O’Leary MBE founded Purpol Marketing in 2014 as a brand, marketing and bid strategy consultancy. A multi-award-winning entrepreneur and professional bid writer, she has won over 100 awards with Purpol and helped clients secure opportunities worth more than £4.8 billion. She is an award judge and business awards host, and the founder of WINNER AI®. In 2022 she was awarded an MBE for services to business and entrepreneurship. She develops marketing strategies, delivers bid training and speaks internationally on how to win.

‘A must-read for anyone wanting to win awards.’

Debbie Gilbert, Founder, Best Businesswomen Awards and Best SME Awards

‘I only wish every entrant had read this book first. It shows not just how to win, but why recognition matters, and it’s the book I’ll be recommending for years to come.’

Alec Jones-Hall, Founder, The Great British Business and Community Awards

“This book is a must-have for anyone wanting to win awards.”

Debbie Gilbert, Founder, Best Businesswomen Awards and Best SME Awards

“I only wish every entrant had read this book first. It shows not just how to win, but why recognition matters, and it’s the book I’ll be recommending for years to come.”

Alec Jones-Hall, Founder, The Great British Business and Community Awards; Thames Valley/South West Business and Community Awards

“Want to win? Read this! I’m a fan and judge of business awards and know the benefits they bring – this book will help you become an award winner.”

Tony Robinson, OBE, The Micro Business Champion; and Founder, The Micro Business Alliance

“Entering awards should form part of your marketing budget.”

Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones, MBE, Founder, The Black Farmer