With the deadline for The Furniture Awards 2025 fast approaching, awards co-ordinator Paul Farley (editor-in-chief of Furniture News) shares a few tips for any January Furniture Show exhibitor hoping to put their best foot forward in this year’s competition …
Since we launched The Furniture Awards back in 2015, we’ve seen many a January Furniture Show exhibitor crowned king of their category – and perhaps it’s your turn to join them.
Taking first place in The Furniture Awards is a great achievement, and a mark of an industry leader. Yet the winners are not always the big brand names you might expect – the awards present opportunities for businesses large and small, new and old.
The award categories have evolved over time into the themed, business-focused areas presented today: Sustainability; Design Innovation; Superior Service; Best of British; and Global Player. The awards aren’t trying to second-guess the product of the show (not that a great offer doesn’t help), but about singling out the businesses taking the lead in imports, sustainability, services, design, local manufacture, and a host of related fields – and the entry process therefore means writing a clear and compelling summary of your credentials in a given area.
Have you installed solar panels across your factory roof this year, while working towards net-zero goals and reducing waste? Then the Sustainability category might be for you. Have you developed a hard-hitting delivery or tech solution that’s streamlined and enhanced customers’ operations? Perhaps look at the Superior Service category.
The submissions are assessed by a panel of experts in furniture buying and selling, who are looking for exemplars in each category. Entries are submitted on this webform on the January Furniture Show website, and each show exhibitor is invited to submit one entry. With the deadline looming – Wednesday 4th December, by midnight – here’s a few tips for making your entry stand out:
Pick your category wisely. You only have one shot, so it’s crucial you enter your strongest category. Read the briefs carefully – we’ve included a list of keywords that might help guide you on what you should mention. And do note that some categories will need to draw from achievements right across the board
Do your research. Odds are, you won’t have all information you’ll need immediately to hand, so gather as much detail as you can to support your pitch. Start by listing relevant points, then group them, and structure your case
Be specific. The judges like to see figures to substantiate claims where possible. Rather than just saying ‘we achieved growth’, try to provide some evidence of it (and don’t try to be creative with the figures, the judges will see through it!), Your case needn’t be restricted to the past year alone, but recent successes are more compelling than historic ones
See the previous winners. Furniture News’ website and back issues are full of information on each year’s winners, so take a look through our archives (the March issues in particular) to see what made each winner stand out, and the judges’ response to their entry
Consider the judges. We try to ensure the panel boasts a good mix of retailers, manufacturers and industry specialists, so why not check out this year’s line-up and see if put can put forward a case that might really resonate with one or more of them?
Pictures tell a story. Would your entry benefit from visuals? The Design Innovation category in particular asks that visual evidence is provided to support your case – but a photo or two might support your argument in other categories too, and they can be uploaded with the entry form
Get writing. Of course, a well-written entry has a better chance of standing out, but not everyone has access to PR or copywriting professionals. If that’s you, keep it simple (bullet points are fine), run it past your colleagues, and cut it down. Just don’t copy and paste it from your website’s ‘about us’ page!
I hope that helps get you started. Writing awards entries isn’t easy, but every business has a story to tell in one or more of these categories, and, win or lose, chronicling your achievements is a useful part of any marketing activity, so I urge you to give it a try this year.
Once we’ve received your entry, just sit back and wait to see if you’ve been shortlisted in January. The winners will be announced in JFS’ Social Studio (Hall 2) at 17.30 on the show’s opening day, Sunday 19th January – I hope to see you there!
Find the entry form, and further details, here.
