Thinkbox
The new Chair of Judges for the Thinkbox TV Planning Awards, Elliott Millard, shares some hopes for this year’s award entries.
Roughly, roughly, I reckon I have read over a thousand award papers in my career so far. All of that was excellent, subconscious preparation for one day maybe having the honour of becoming the Chair of Judges for the Thinkbox TV Planning Awards.
And that day has arrived.
At the back of my mind as I read all those award entries was a sneaking hope. If I did become Chair of Judges for the Thinkbox TV Planning Awards – which is what I now am, right now, as you read this – I might be given the opportunity to share some accumulated wisdom on award entry writing. This could perhaps then be used to promote the Thinkbox TV Planning Awards, of which I am now the Chair of Judges.
That day, too, has arrived.
As the new Chair of Judges, and armed with over two decades of scrutinising award entries and either punching the air at their quality or punching my face at their eminently fixable shortcomings, here are some pointers on what to aim for in an award entry and what to avoid. My face begs you pay attention.
Please do…
Make sure there's a red thread running through it. We want to see fresh insight become smart strategy become flawless activation become jaw-dropping results.
Tell a story. A narrative without data lacks rigour, but data without a narrative is just boring.
Don't underestimate the power of humour. Or tears, but that's harder. Just make it human, make it memorable.
Remember that less is more. Strip out the neutral content. If it doesn't add value or make the story more enticing, kill it.
Please do not…
Over rely on the black box. I'm sure your data-driven planning tech is world-beating, but maybe at least make it sound like the machines didn't do all the work. We want to see the craft.
Just chuck it into AI. This isn't just lazy, it's obvious. Avoid cliches as well. Cliches like “less is more”. Oh.
Overclaim TV. We get it, TV's great. But even we have a threshold. Showing how TV has worked alongside other channels is vital.
Shout at me if you haven't won. At least have the decency to buy me a drink first so I can sip it while you tell me about your black box and the peerless brilliance of TV.
The Thinkbox TV Planning Awards 2026, in partnership with Campaign, are now open for entries – with the extended deadline of Friday 13th March rapidly approaching.