Why Awards Are Important

In some ways, awards are more politically correct nowadays than they were when I was growing up. In some families, it was essential to try your best and enjoy your education and play (sport). In other families, there was pressure to win awards no matter what. 

Fortunately for me, I was never too fantastic at sport and the academic competition at school always kept me free from winning a prize for the top 3. Many times I was close to a 3rd, but never cracked it. So, I never really experienced the pressure of winning and having to hold my ground. Either way, it never really worried me, because I did the best I could at the time, many times life just got in the way.

I played for a cricket team and in the second year, we were premiers. Everyone was excited. I was excited because everyone else was.

How things have changed. Now I understand the importance of awards and recognition.

I work for a company that wins awards. This is why it’s important:

1. Recognition by your peers in your industry
2. Recognition by the government
3. Confirmation that we’re doing a great job

It’s not just customers who say our products are excellent. It’s our peers in the industry, in government or universities who recognise what we do, how difficult it is and how we compete on a global stage and punch above our weight.

Our staff are recognised within the company on all company calls for cool things they have done, or how they helped a customer or generally saved the day. Pre Covid-19, staff, would attend the awards nights and have a blast. For those nights, invitations are always extended to wives and partners. As our families support us and enable us to do the work we do, they should also experience the awards night with us.

While we’ve won National Awards in Australia, it’s the local awards that excite me the most. Being nominated for a local award and getting recognition from people within your local region is fantastic. It gives you a proper reason to drive yourself and be the best you can and set the example.

Every year we give back to the community through the Opmantek Innovation Award that we do with Griffith University. We give students a sense of what it is like to win an industry award and hope they get as inspired as we do. Awards and recognition are more important than ever.