Accuro Health Insurance comes out tops

The award for the People’s Choice — Best Plain English Communication goes to Accuro Health Insurance for their website.
See the official announcement on the Newsroom website

The person who nominated this website said:

It’s a beautifully clear, simple website. I found it clear and logical.

The international panel of judges said about this entry:

This website is a very good example of plain English used to support a business to communicate clearly and in an engaging way with as many New Zealand residents and citizens as possible. I’d expect it to have a positive impact on sales to new customers and existing customer retention and engagement.

This is a very strong site. It gives a great first impression, drawing the reader in from the start. This is then followed up by concise and engaging content, and a simple-to-navigate layout that makes it easy for readers to find and do what they need to.

[Accuro has] done a good job creating a user experience that is clear and helpful, which is refreshing for an insurance organisation.

Lawyer, comedian and Awards MC James Elliott announced winners on the Newsroom website.

Bad news for Auckland Council

The award for the People’s Choice — Worst Brainstrain Communication goes to Auckland Council for its Proposed Plan Change letter.
See the official announcement on the Newsroom website

The person who nominated this document said:

A good friend of mine came in waving her [copy of this letter] at me, saying she had a Master’s degree in English and couldn’t understand a word of it.

The international panel of judges said about this entry:

This document is very difficult to understand, which disturbs me because it seems very important for landowners. Also, the writer portrays the content as unimportant, but I don’t think it is so, and this makes me suspicious.

The council is trying to bring a planning change to the attention of its ratepayers and residents. But it has failed miserably to think about how to get that message across in plain language. [The letter] appears to be written for people who understand council processes, not for those who will be most affected by the change.

The third component of this communication is already written in plain language, so the skills to write the rest in plain language exist. This is poor performance for a very important matter, and a huge opportunity missed. Many residents were frustrated by this communication.

New Zealanders continue to benefit after 14 years

The People’s Choice Awards are held each year and form part of the Plain English Awards. The full Plain English Awards are held every second year. Entries for the 2020 Plain English Awards will open at the end of March 2020.

After 14 years of Awards, New Zealanders continue to reap the benefits of business and government using clear communication to engage with their clients, consumers, and customers. The Awards reinforce the element of care that lies behind reader-focused communications.

Awards founder (and CE of plain language consultancy Write Limited) Lynda Harris said care is one of the qualities associated with plain English that’s closest to her heart.

People who choose to communicate in plain English do, by definition, care about their readers. They put the needs of their readers first as they think and write. They care about people, impact, and outcomes.

Awards sponsors

Sponsors for this year’s Awards included WriteMark, Write Limited, Wright Family Foundation, Graphic Solutions, Newsroom, printing.com, MoneyHub, and Consumer NZ.

Other sponsors, whose contributions to the Awards were invaluable, are Editor Software (United Kingdom), JUNO Investing Magazine, and Kendons.

Find out more

See Newsroom’s official announcement of this year’s winners

Read what our winners and finalists had to say on our winners page

For more information, contact:
Gregory Fortuin, Chair, WriteMark Plain English Awards Trust
021 465 254

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We can’t wait to find out which of our finalists have come out tops. And we’re very excited to have the support of Newsroom to help us spread the word.
James Elliott — our fabulous and funny MC at Awards presentations for the last 5 years — is continuing his support for plain language by being our star announcer.

All sorts of goodies await the winner of the Best Plain English Communication

We know our judges have been thinking long and hard about which of the top four nominations in their category deserves to win. What can the finalists, all supported by members of the public, look forward to if they win?

First of all, we’re pretty sure they’ll be celebrating their award, knowing that their communication has had a positive impact in the world.

As well, thanks to our wonderful sponsors, the winner will walk away with some fabulous prizes.

They’ll be thrilled to receive the iconic trophy in steel and bronze by Wellington sculptor Campbell Maud. They’ll enjoy using the latest StyleWriter plain English editing software from Editor Software to craft future documents.

And we think they’ll be excited to extend their skills with a place on any of Write Limited’s 1-day open workshops.

A little bit of fun for our Brainstrain winner

Our Brainstrain judges are all industry experts and take their roles very seriously. Even so, we always present the Brainstrain Award with good humour. That’s why the winner of the Worst Brainstrain Communication gets the famous Brainstrain rubbish bin filled with sour worms.

Who’ll win the notorious rubbish bin full of sour worms this year? Photo by Rebecca McMillan.

Winners of our Brainstrain category need serious prizes too! They’ll also get:

• the latest StyleWriter plain English editing software from Editor Software
• 2 hours free consultancy from Write Limited to start transforming the document or webpage into plain English
• a place on any of Write Limited’s 1-day open workshops.

Good luck to all our People’s Choice finalists!

We look forward to finding out our winners on Thursday, 28 November. Why not join us?

The post Brainstrain or Best — prizes for all in the People’s Choice Awards appeared first on Plain English Awards.

So that you’re ready when the time comes, here are the dates you need to know for the 2020 Awards.

• Entries open: Tuesday, 31 March
• Entries close: Friday, 29 May
• Shortlist announced: Thursday, 18 June
• Finalists announced: Thursday, 23 July
• Winners announced: Thursday, 20 August

Find out more about entering the 2020 Plain English Awards
Email us to find out about sponsorship options for next year’s Awards

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What’s making our Brainstrain judges cringe

Initial feedback from our judges in the Brainstrain category hints at a lot of work needed to bring some of the nominations up to par. Judges have even expressed concern that ‘documents of this standard are still being written’.

From what we know so far, our Brainstrain judges have been frustrated by excessive jargon and technical terms, poor flow, and vague and confusing words, among other gripes. One judge hinted that ‘documents like this used to be the norm, but that’s no longer the case as plain language steadily spreads’.

What’s making our Best Communication judges smile

In contrast to what our Brainstrain judges have been grappling with, judges in our Best Communication category have been reporting lots of good news. They’ve been reviewing nominations that are apparently engaging from the outset, sensitive to the reader, easy to navigate, and attractive. Feedback from one of our judges even implied that one of the nominations they’d reviewed was ‘fun to read’!

Make sure you check in to the Newsroom website on Thursday, 28 November. We’ll also direct you to the online announcement through our own website.

The post Not long until our winners are announced! appeared first on Plain English Awards.

The founders of the Awards believe that being able to understand a message on first reading is not only important — sometimes it’s life-saving. This notion played a big part in motivating the three Melbourne professionals to create the Awards. And they were of course partly inspired by our own Plain English Awards!

‘We want to find information quickly and for it to be bite-size. We don’t have the tolerance or desire to work hard, and any difficulty will send us back to Google to find an alternative,’ says Joh Kirby, one of the organisers.

Announcing the winners

The winners of the inaugural 2019 awards have just been announced. You can find out about the winners on the Clear Communication Awards website:
https://clearcommunication.com.au/2019winners/

The fine array of finalists deserves a mention too:
https://clearcommunication.com.au/2019finalists/

Let’s also applaud the organisers

We know that running a successful awards programme takes a lot of commitment from the organisers and volunteers involved. Among those who dedicate their time is a long list of international plain language and communication experts who judge each category. Congratulations on a successful first year!

Read more about the Australian Clear Communication Awards on their website

The post New Australian awards recognise excellence in clear communication appeared first on Plain English Awards.

Who made it to our Best shortlist?

The following nominations have been shortlisted for our People’s Choice — Best Plain English Communication Award:

• Accuro Health Insurance — www.accuro.co.nz
• Commonsense Organics — commonsenseorganics.co.nz
• Simplicity — simplicity.kiwi
• Simplicity Classrooms — simplicity.kiwi/learn/classrooms
• Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment — www.tenancy.govt.nz
• Western Bay of Plenty Primary Health Organisation — www.wboppho.org.nz/why-you-should-enrol

Who made it to our Worst shortlist?

The following nominations have been shortlisted for our People’s Choice — Worst Brainstrain Award:

• Auckland City Council — Proposed Plan Change letter
• Christchurch City Council — Te Wai Ora o Tāne Draft Integrated Water Strategy
• Rabo Capital Securities Limited — Redemption Notice letter

What happens next

Our judges will review all shortlisted entries in greater detail. They’ll then decide on this year’s finalists.
We’ll announce the finalists on Thursday, 17 October.
Our media partner, Newsroom, will announce this year’s winners on their website on Thursday, 28 November.

The post Announcing this year’s shortlists appeared first on Plain English Awards.

The exciting task of deciding who’s best

For our Best Communication category, we’re delighted to announce Deanna Lorianni, communications strategist from Virginia, USA, as panel chair. She’ll be joined by plain language specialists Emma Fossey in Scotland and Paula Shelton in Auckland. Together Deanna, Emma, and Paula will make the tough decision on which of your nominations is this year’s plain language superstar.

The difficult job of sorting bad from worse

For our Brainstrain category, we’re lucky enough to have the expert eye of two judges who’ve been part of this panel for several years: Simon Hertnon from Nakedize, who’ll be chairing the panel, and Sue Chetwin from Consumer — we’re excited to have them back! Simon and Sue will be joined by the equally valuable Paula van Gemen, plain language specialist from the Netherlands.

Read more about who’s on this year’s judging panels

The post Behind the scenes — introducing our 2019 People’s Choice judges appeared first on Plain English Awards.

How often do you ponder a passage of text that you just can’t untangle on one reading? Every day, I expect. Today’s special for me was an email from a software firm that included terms like ‘personalisation’, ‘confidentiality provision’, ‘ecosystem partners’, ‘beta participants’, ‘busywork’ — and more!

One or two of these terms I could manage and, to be fair, the writer was trying to summarise a larger document that was even more complex. But the two very long paragraphs in the email were jam-packed with similar terms. So the overall result was that the email missed its mark. The text was dense and difficult to decipher, so I didn’t really bother to try.

Tell us about giving up on gobbledygook

Gobbledygook hides the main messages. The reader has to struggle to understand. And that makes our busy lives even busier. If they give up, they’ve wasted their time. It’s not okay.

The People’s Choice Awards give you the chance to find examples of gobbledygook in everyday communications and dob them in. Nominate the worst communications you’ve found for the Brainstrain Award. You can nominate documents or webpages from government or business organisations.

We’d love to hear from you so we can help to stamp out gobbledygook. This is your chance to change the way New Zealand communicates!

Find out how to nominate here

Find out about the 2018 Brainstrain winner here

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Are you comfortable shouting from the rooftops about your fabulously clear documents? Or do you keep your clear communications a best-kept secret — just for your customers?

Whether you’re a tall poppy or a shrinking violet, the Plain English Awards are a great way to get recognition for all the great work you’re doing to make New Zealand a country of clarity.

How does your document or webpage get nominated for an Award?

You can’t enter it yourself — it’s up to members of the public to do that. That’s why they’re called the People’s Choice Awards, of course! But you’re more than welcome to point them in the right direction.

Shout from the rooftops

Have you got a great document that you think is worthy of the Best Communication Award? Why not use social media to let the world know. If people think your document is a great example of clear communication, they can nominate it in the Awards.

Encourage your customers

Let your customers know through your newsletters and website that you’d love them to show how much they admire your document by nominating it in the People’s Choice.

It’s free to nominate

Nominations are free of charge for the People’s Choice Awards. Here’s how people can nominate for the Best Communication Award
http://www.plainenglishawards.org.nz/2019-peoples-choice-best-award/

The post Tall poppy or shrinking violet — the People’s Choice Awards are for you appeared first on Plain English Awards.

Your nomination joins the list so experts can decide who’s best and worst

After you submit a nomination, it joins a catalogue of other entries in our professional submission platform Submittable, where it’ll sit until entries officially close. Soon after that, the Awards administrators open up entries for the Best and Worst categories to their respective judging panels.

Our judges then sort through entries to come up with a shortlist, followed by a more in-depth assessment to create a list of finalists.
Finally, the judges decide which entries are our ultimate winners. This year’s winners will be announced on Thursday, 28 November.

The judges assess the entries using plain English criteria

Because our Awards are all about plain English, our judges use specific criteria to decide which entries are best and which are worst. These criteria are based on the following aspects of clear communication:

• Purpose
• Structure
• Usability (for websites)
• Headings and main messages
• Paragraphs
• Sentences
• Words
• Layout and presentation

Read more about our judging criteria
Find out how to nominate communications

Thanks to the Wellington band Fly My Pretties for being the inspiration for our blog title! Visit their website flymypretties.com

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