BANKSIA Small to Medium business Sustainability Leadership award
Banksia Sustainability Awards 2015 Entry Kit BANKSIA Small to Medium business Sustainability Leadership award All enquiries to: Address: Telephone: Email: Banksia Environmental Foundation Level 1, 40 Albert Road, South Melbourne VIC 3205 03 9684 4667 [email protected] Banksia Small to Medium business Sustainability Leadership Award TABLE OF CONTENTS: Who can enter? ................................................ 3 What’s Involved? .............................................. 4 Criteria and Prompts ...................................... 5-‐6 Hints and Tips ................................................ 7-‐8 Entry Fees ......................................................... 9 Important Dates ............................................. 10 How to submit ................................................ 11 FAQ’s ......................................................... 12-‐14 Sponsor Information ....................................... 15 Terms and Conditions ..................................... 16 Contact Us ...................................................... 16 Banksia small to medium business sustainability leadership award Who Can Enter? ü Initiatives and organisations with recent significance and with results shown over the last two years. ü The initiative must be primarily undertaken in Australia, or must be shown to have a substantial environmental impact in Australia. ü The organisation or individual must not have been prosecuted for a violation of any environmental, social or commercial law in Australia or overseas in the past 12 months. Can I re-‐enter? If you have entered the Banksia Sustainability Awards previously, you are welcome to enter again. As previous finalists and winners, judges may refer to your most recent entry to see that there has been considerable progress made since your last entry. Before re-‐entering please make sure you have reviewed any feedback you may have received. Can I enter more than one category? If your project is eligible under other Awards criteria then yes you can enter multiple categories. However, your submission may need to be re-‐written depending on what differences exist between different awards and what focus is required of your submission for any given award. WHAT’S INVOLVED? 3 Banksia small to medium business sustainability leadership award Submissions open In entering these Awards you are required to adhere to the following format and instructions when preparing your submission in order for your submission to be considered eligible. SUBMISSION Required; • 1 x 2000 word report in PDF Format • 1 x 250 word summary • min. 1 high quality image for PR purposes • Completed entry form • Payment made REPORT REQUIREMENTS • • • • • • • Name of Submission and Entrant Name of Category Table of Contents Report should be structured according to the criteria provided Photos and graphs are encouraged Save report as PDF 1500 word max Optional • Other attachments to support your report • Additional photos • Videos 250 WORD SUMMARY • • • For PR purposes. A snapshot of the best bits of your report 250 word max. IMAGES • • • To be used for PR purposes, print and online Must be high quality/high resolution Save pictures as jpeg or png format SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION • Must be named and numbered • Must be listed in your report’s Table of Contents • Include evidence / statistics / media coverage • Include graphs and other images that support your report • Can include videos • Try and make reference to these documents in the body of your report. EXTRA REQUIREMENTS FROM FINALISTS In the event that you are listed as a finalist, we will require; • A 750 word case study on your project/organisation to publish online and in our Events Program. • A representative from your organisation to give a 5 minute talk to a live audience as part of the “ON THE SPOT” presentations at the Banksia’s Award Ceremony. 4 Banksia small to medium business sustainability leadership award Small t o me dium BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY LEADERSHIP AW ARD CRITERIA The Small to Medium Business Sustainability Award recognises a business that demonstrates leadership by fully integrating sustainability principles and practices into operational business activities and reducing the organisation’s footprint. Also demonstrating societal value adds through its practices. Entries are encouraged from: Businesses employing less than 200 employees CRITERIA 1. Overview and Background a) About your organisation b) Where does sustainability fit in your organisation? c) Key people and partners involved (pre, during and post project) PROMPT -‐ -‐ -‐ -‐ CRITERIA Is sustainability embedded in your business culture? Are all your employees engaged in your sustainability strategy? Have you received any financial assistance (donations, grants, subsidies etc.) with respect to sustainability initiatives? Does your sustainability strategy actively engage your contractors, suppliers and/or customers? 2. Objectives (What did you set out to do and why?) a) What was the environmental, social and economic rationale for undertaking this project? b) What is the significance, scale and potential benefits of this project? c) What are the KPI’s for the project? PROMPT -‐ -‐ -‐ CRITERIA Does being actively sustainable attract customers/consumers to your business? How important is your commitment to sustainability to your customers? Does sustainability equate to an additional cost (or financial loss) for your business? Outcomes a) What did you do? How did you do it? b) Provide the quantitative and qualitative results c) Provide details of any independent review, validation and verification of results. 5 Banksia small to medium business sustainability leadership award PROMPT -‐ -‐ -‐ How are you measuring your environmental and social impacts? Have you been accredited or audited by an external body? Have you identified a peer/competitor/large organisation to which you aspire to and/or established as a benchmark? If so, who are they? Provide graphs, tables and charts (where appropriate) to demonstrate continual improvement (Make sure you back up and support all claims made.) CRITERIA Innovation -‐ -‐ -‐ PROMPT -‐ -‐ -‐ CRITERIA Detail the innovative techniques and technologies utilised. How does this project stand out/differ from other projects your business (or peers) has undertaken? Describe the level of engagement with community and other stakeholders in the development and implementation of your project Are you considered a leader in your industry sector? What are the differentiators from your peer organisations with respect to sustainability? Demonstrate a significant involvement and outreach to the local community Future Prospects a) Could your project be replicated? Could the knowledge be shared with peer organisations or stakeholders? b) What are the possible ramifications of your project; locally, nationally and internationally (benefits, risks, challenges? c) What is your long-‐term plan/strategy? PROMPT -‐ -‐ -‐ -‐ Provide details of your commitment so far. How long has the business been working towards these goals? What is the next focus area/issue for your business? Are you sharing your methods/initiatives with other organisations? 6 Banksia small to medium business sustainability leadership award TIPS FOR WRITING A WINNING ENTRY ü ü ü ü ü ü ü ü ü ü ü ü ü ü Enter the category that best reflects your achievement. Be clear, concise and reader friendly Report is structured according to the criteria Report addresses criteria. Your report should highlight your achievements. Back up your claims Spell it out. Assume the reader has no prior knowledge of your project. Don’t waffle. Results, Results, Results. Use tables and graphs if that makes it clearer. State in no uncertain terms why you should win Make your passion and commitment evident Proof read your work Cross reference your supporting documentation in the body of the report Use graphics including photos, graphs and tables. In 2015, we will be inviting entrants to take part in live webinars with Banksia staff members. These webinars have been introduced to help entrants write high quality submissions, which reflect the significance and achievements of an initiative or organisation. Please contact Banksia for more information. A helpful insight into entering the Banksia Awards-‐ from a Judge’s Perspective Key components of a good entry – what stands out? “Using the criteria as obvious headings in the entry really helps, especially with scoring. It draws our attention to how the project/initiative/entrant really nailed what Banksia is looking for.” Fiona Baxter, ERM “Highlighting at the start of the entry what is unique/innovative about it? As judges in a particular category, it is not unusual to receive a number of similar entries in a year. There may be a “flavour of the month” out there. So it really counts in your favour to spell out what makes yours the best out there, shout it from the rooftops. Provide context by telling us what makes your entry different at the start of your entry and remind us again at the end – leave us with your key message.” Geoff Byrne, ERM What are the obviously poor things that you have found in an entry? “Endless text with no headings to break it up, in particular no reference to the category criteria. This makes it difficult to read and a challenge for us judges to draw out the strengths of the entry.” Fiona Baxter, ERM “Inclusion of lots of clearly valuable “extras”, such as videos, CDs, brochures, but with no cross-‐ 7 Banksia small to medium business sustainability leadership award referencing from the entry. Our time as judges is limited, effectively with a certain amount of time allowed to review each entry. Hence, we can only look at “extras” if the entrant points us to the specific page number in the report or the specific time point in the video. We would love to have the time to look at it all, but in reality its not achievable.” Geoff Byrne, ERM What surprised you in a good way? Good visual presentation of an entry is always a pleasant surprise, drawing you in, as a judge. Photographs, charts, diagrams, anything to visually depict what the entry is all about is always a bonus. And remember that “a picture is as good as a thousand words”, so if you’re struggling to keep within the word limit….: Fiona Baxter, ERM When a small organisation puts in a substantially better presented and written entry than a large corporate – that is always a nice surprise. That even with clearly limited resources, they have put the effort in and come up with something great.” Geoff Byrne, ERM What are the recurring mistakes that you see? “Ignoring the category criteria has to be the most regular obvious mistake – where an entry describes the project/initiative but without reference to what Banksia is looking for.” Fiona Baxter, ERM “Missing out the good stuff – as judges, we are well connected and know a lot of the good work that is going on out there. We will often be reading an entry thinking – did they talk to all of the key people involved in this project in putting their entry together, because there are so many distinguishing points that they have missed out. Its disappointing to see them not putting their best foot forward.” Geoff Byrne, ERM 8 Banksia small to medium business sustainability leadership award FEES AND OTHER INFORMATION The following Submission Fees only relate to Submission into the Banksia Category Awards. Please note: Submissions are not regarded as submitted until payment has been received in full Entrant Fees include GST Early Bird Fee discount Early Bird Close 17 July 2015 Full Fee All Submission Close 4 September 2015 Community Groups *** $65 $100 • • • Individuals Primary Schools Secondary Schools $165 $250 • • Non-‐profit organisations Small Business (<5 full time employees) $220 $350 Local Government Tertiary Institutions Medium Business (5-‐100 full time employees) $520 $720 $850 $980 • • • • • • Medium to Large Businesses (over 100 full time employees) • Government bodies ALL BANKSIA MEMBERS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR A 10% DISCOUNT ON THE ENTRY FEE BECOME A MEMBER TODAY-‐ See website for more information ***Communities please gain prior clarification, from the Banksia office, on your eligibility to pay this rate when (non community) partners have taken a major role in your submission or payment is being made by your (non community) partner. A Submission fee is applicable for each Category Award entered. Submission fees must be received with your submission Payment Instructions > To complete your submission, you will be directed to the online payment page to pay your submission fee. > You will receive an email and tax receipt confirming your payment has been received. > Submissions are not valid until full payment is received. 9 Banksia small to medium business sustainability leadership award IMPORTANT DATES C A LL FO R E N TRIE S 21 A pril 2015 E A RLY BIRD E N TRIE S C LO S E 17 July 2015 E N TRIE S C LO S E D 4 S eptember 2015 ROUND 1 JUDGING & AUDIT 14-‐22 September 2015 FINALISTS ANNOUNCED 24 September 2015 RO U N D 2 JU D G IN G 5-9 O c tober 2015 RO U N D 2 A U D IT 14 O c tober 2015 BANKSIA AWARDS PRESENTATION November 2015 10 Banksia Small to Medium business Sustainability Leadership Award How to Submit your Entry 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. Go the Banksia website Click Apply Now, You should be taken to an online Entry portal. Register on this portal, by creating a username and password Record user, Company, Organisation or Individuals Name Select New Entry Tab 1. Details Fill in all applicable boxes Click Save and Next Tab 2. Criteria Enter the 250 word summary into the box provided Click Save and Next Tab 3. Attachments Upload your Submission, Image and supporting documentation by clicking Add Attachment, Choose File. Once uploaded please name the file and select file type from the drop-‐down box. Click Save and Next Tab 4. Team Enter additional team members or partnering organisations names here. Click Save and Next Tab 5. Contact Information. Fill in all applicable boxes. Click Save Click Submit and Pay Select your entry type Review Check-‐out and Total Price Enter payment details Click proceed to payment Receive email confirming entry and payment. If you encounter difficulties, please do not hesitate to contact Asher in the Banksia Office, 03 9684 4677 or [email protected] I’ve submitted my entry, what happens next? • Once your submission is registered, an email will be sent confirming receipt of entry and receipt of payment. • We will keep you up to date with Award information through the contact details supplied upon registering with our Online Awards System. • You will automatically be sent our email newsletter that you have the option of unsubscribing to at any time • Judging will take place in September 2015. Round 1 Judges will shorlist the Finalists and Round 2 Judges will select the winner. All of the category winners are then eligible for the Gold Award,. • Finalists will be announced on 24 September 2015. All finalists will be invited to the Banksia Awards Presentation and supplied with a digital Finalist logo and marketing kit. • All finalists will be asked to provide a 750 word summary on their initiative/organisation as well as nominate a spokesperson to deliver a 5 minute speech at the Banksia Awards Presentation event in Sydney. • Winners will be announced and presented with their trophy at the Awards Presentation in Sydney in Early November Banksia small to medium business sustainability leadership award • Winners will then be supplied with their Winners logo and marketing kit and an invitation to attend a winners seminar • Feedback from the judging process is available on request after the awards period is complete. FAQ's • What entry fee applies to my entry? Entry fees are only applicable to the Banksia Category Awards only. An entry fee breakdown is included in this Award Entry Kit and can also be viewed on this website. If you are still unsure after viewing the schedule please call the office on 03 9684 4667 to discuss. • Can I email my entry? No -‐ all entries are to be uploaded online through Award Force. Contact us if you have any problems. • Do I receive confirmation of receipt of my entry? Once registered, a confirmation will be emailed to you and will advise you of your registration and receipt of payment. All entries require an email address for this purpose. • I have been a previous winner can I re-‐enter? Yes, however your entry must provide substantially more information than your previous winning entry. If you are a finalist, judges may refer to your previous recent entry to see that there has been considerable progress. • Can I re-‐enter the same entry the following year if I have been unsuccessful the previous year? Yes of course. You would also be advised to review your previous submission if it has already been unsuccessful -‐ look at the feedback you received and how you can improve upon your initial submission. • At what stage of the project should I put an entry in -‐ for instance -‐ the planning stage; execution stage; results stage? If any of these stages present you with a measurable outcome, then you could enter at both the execution and results stages. We have found that entries based on projects still in the planning stage are not as strong and would suggest applying when your project is further down the track. • Should we employ/outsource someone to compose our entry for us? You are the best judge of the resources you have at your disposal to put together an entry into the Banksia Awards. If you elect to outsource this task then we recommend that you make sure that you are working closely with this person/organisation to make certain that all the relevant areas are covered and the entry truly conveys the innovation and excellence that you wish the Banksia judges to acknowledge. It is important to ensure that your commitment and passion is evident in the entry. • Can I enter the same project for the Banksia Category Awards into other awards? If your project is eligible under another award criteria then yes. Your submission may however need to be rewritten depending on what differences exist between different awards and what focus is required of your submission for any given award. • Can previous entries be viewed? 12 Banksia small to medium business sustainability leadership award All entries are treated as commercial in confidence and therefore are unavailable for viewing. Summaries of the winners and finalists from previous years can be found on this website. Not all initiatives can afford to invest a significant amount in research to obtain results. • What is Banksia looking for when referring to results? The key is that the initiative has set some measurable objectives and reports on the results against these measurements. If the entrant can identify an outcome that is innovative or groundbreaking, or has provided information that would influence future direction, this is a result that would be seen as influential and worthy. • Are winners notified prior to the awards presentation? No. All winners will be announced at the Banksia Awards presentation. • When can I book for the presentation dinner? The Banksia Awards presentation for 2015 will be held in Sydney in November *A Banksia Enewsletter will be sent when bookings become open and a link will be available from the home page. • If I am a finalist will I be provided with a ticket to the Awards Presentation? No. Tickets will not be provided. All finalists will receive an invitation to attend the Presentation and those who would like to attend will need to purchase tickets. • How many people can attend the Banksia Award dinner presentation from my organisation? There is no restriction in how many people you would like to attend if you book early. Tables usually seat 8 or 10 people. You can book by table or by seat. • How many people can represent our entry on stage at the presentation if we are the winner? Banksia's preference is that only one representative of any organisation stated on the official Entry Form be represented. Please make sure that when you complete the official award entry form that you have stated the relevant organisations in your entry. If you need a variation on this please contact Banksia to discuss your particular situation. In the event that you are a winner, someone will need to accept the award and make an acceptance speech at the Presentation. HINT: Once finalists are announced, we will be contacting all finalists to collect names and positions of representatives. Plan early so that those people required to attend know in advance and can make the appropriate decisions and arrangements. • Do I have to stick to the word limits for each award? Yes. The details are contained in each Category Entry Kit. If you are having difficulty, we suggest you initially generate as comprehensive an entry as possible and then fine tune to the required number of words. Editing content to be more "to the point" will be beneficial in focusing the Judges attention on the most important aspects of your project. You can provide additional information of a technical, diagrammatic or in report form, in your attachments. • How many criteria do I have to address? It is strongly recommended that all criteria is addressed. The aim of the criteria is to direct you to present your project as comprehensively as possible. The judges use these criteria to judge the entries in each category. 13 Banksia small to medium business sustainability leadership award Additional tips to assist you in addressing each criterion are in the relevant Award Entry Kit. It is also very useful to attend the awards webinars where additional information may be covered. • Which of the Category Awards should I enter? It is recommended that you focus on the specific strengths of your project -‐ your objectives and outcomes. Choose the category which best represents your projects success and impact. If you find that it fits more than one category definition then consider entering r one or more category awards but remember to tailor each submission to address the relevant criteria as outlined in the specific entry kits (available via the electronic entry system). If you need assistance in deciding on the appropriate category for your project, give us a call at Banksia to discuss 03 9684 4667. 14 Banksia small to medium business sustainability leadership award Sponsor information This Award Category is proudly sponsored by Australia Post. 15 Banksia small to medium business sustainability leadership award TERMS AND CONDITIONS IMPORTANT • Submissions remain the property of Banksia Environmental Foundation and are not returned. • Judges’ decisions are final. • Submissions that have been misleading may be withdrawn from the judging process or have the award revoked. • The organisation or individual must not have been prosecuted for a violation of any environmental, social or commercial law in Australia or overseas in the past 12 months. CONTACT US All enquiries to: Banksia Environmental Foundation Address: Level 1, 40 Albert Road, South Melbourne VIC 3205 Telephone: 03 9684 4667 Email: [email protected] 16
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