Let’s be clear upfront: The eLearning Company won’t be winning any industry awards.
Would you like to know why?
We’re not going to apply for them.
And if you don’t apply for them, you don’t win.
The Real Cost of Awards
Most people don’t realise that entering industry awards usually requires an application fee. Sometimes hundreds of dollars per entry. Some awards charge even more.
Every dollar we spend on award applications is a dollar that gets passed on to clients through higher prices. Why would we do that?
Time Is Money Too
Writing award proposals takes hours. Preparing case studies in the specific format judges want. Creating those polished submission documents. Following up. Attending ceremonies. That’s billable time we’re spending on marketing ourselves instead of delivering value to clients.
What Awards Actually Measure
Some awards are basically “pay to win” - the more categories you enter, the better your odds. What’s the point?
Others go to whoever writes the best proposal or follows the latest design trends. They reward people who are good at applying for awards, not necessarily people who solve real training problems effectively.
Remember that “this’ll win us an award” tax we talked about? This is where it comes from. Agencies add features that look impressive to judges, not features that work better for learners.
Aren’t Some Awards Legitimate?
Sure. Recognition from genuine industry peers can be meaningful.
But here’s the thing: they’re all unnecessary.
Your training either works or it doesn’t. Your team either learns what they need to learn or they don’t. Your compliance gaps either get filled or they don’t.
No award certificate changes those outcomes.
The Bottom Line
We’d rather spend our money and time on being really good at what we do - not on being really good at telling people we’re good at what we do.
You get the benefit of that choice through lower prices and faster delivery.
We’re fine with that trade-off.