In this episode of Marketing Espresso, I’m joined again by Heather from Green Door Co., and we dive into a question so many business owners are asking right now: Should I use AI to write my award submissions?
With everyone leaning heavily on AI for content, it’s natural to assume it could also take care of something as time-consuming as award entries. But as Heather explains, award submissions are a completely different beast — and relying on AI without understanding what it can and can’t do could cost you valuable opportunities.
Heather shares what she’s seeing across the awards landscape: a huge wave of AI-generated entries that are generic, flat and immediately obvious to judges. And while judges won’t outright reject an entry just because AI was involved, they can see when the submission lacks depth, nuance and genuine personality. The result? Those entries rarely make it to finalist stage, let alone win.
We talk about why award submissions require a very particular kind of writing — part storytelling, part evidence-based persuasion — and why AI struggles with that structure on its own. Heather breaks down the reality that if you want AI to help, you still need to provide extensive detail, emotional context, examples, statistics and a clear narrative. It won’t magically create that for you.
We also unpack the misconception that AI saves time. What actually happens is the time simply shifts: instead of writing, you’re spending hours crafting detailed prompts and then editing the output to make it sound human, consistent and aligned with the award criteria. In many cases, it’s the same amount of work — sometimes more — and if you’re entering an award with an entry fee attached, taking shortcuts becomes an expensive gamble.
Where AI can be helpful is in refining your writing once you’ve done the heavy lifting. You can use it to tidy your tone, help with structure or polish your clarity — but only if your storytelling, emotion and evidence are solid to begin with.
At the heart of this conversation is a reminder that award submissions are more than just a form you fill out. They’re one of the most public expressions of your brand. Even if the submission isn’t published, influential judges are reading it. Industry leaders are evaluating it. Your brand is being held to a high standard. And if the quality isn’t something you’d proudly share, it’s probably not something that will win.
Heather also gives us a sneak peek into the custom AI tool she and her team are building — one trained specifically on award-writing methodology — designed to support DIYers without sacrificing quality. It blends the efficiency of AI with the nuance of expert award strategy, and it’s set to launch later this year.
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