7 ways to push your New Blood Awards brief

We are on the home stretch until the New Blood Awards deadline. Have you got it sussed or are you in need of a checklist? Whatever stage you are at, Copywriter and former New Blood awards judge, Vikki Ross, shares seven ways to push a creative brief further, and get you on the road to Pencil-worthy work. 

Do get to know the brand and category behind the brief. Look at the brand and its competitors — read every page of their website, and as many of their social posts as you can. See how they talk to their followers, and sign up to their newsletter.

Don't think you've got an original idea until you've Googled the hell out of it. Chances are it already exists. If it does, steal like an artist (I stole that from Austin Kleon). Or start again.

Don't reference anything that's relevant today, unless you're sure it'll still be relevant tomorrow. Judging happens a month after the entry deadline, so topical ideas may be out of date by then. 

Don't forget your audience. It's the consumer, not the judge. Don't try to get a judge's attention with an in-joke or personal reference. If they don't spot it or get it, it will look odd. Even worse they may need to pull out of judging so they won't see it anyway.

Don't think you're done when you're done. You're not. The people who really want to win push and push and push until they've got nothing left. 

Don't go for quantity over quality. Work your hardest on one entry. If you have time and energy left after that, work on another. And then another. 

Don't skip the technical bits. If you have the same idea as someone else but they execute it to perfection, they'll win. 

You don't get advice like that everyday. If that's got you eager to polish your briefs to perfection, then head to our emerging creatives page  for more tips and tricks like this, or straight over to New Blood Awards to look at the briefs. And remember the entry deadline is 4 May 2020 at 5pm GMT. Good luck.