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Planning Guide

The Complete
Award Program Planning Guide

The Step-by-Step PDF Guide for Every Phase

The planning frameworks, checklists, and templates you need to launch and manage a professional award program, from program design through winner announcements.

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8-Section Framework

Every phase of the award program lifecycle covered, from designing categories to announcing winners.

Printable Checklists

Checklists for program design, budgets, judging setup, communication, technical setup, and more.

Templates & Benchmarks

Entry fee benchmarks, scoring rubrics, judge outreach templates, and call-for-entries email templates.

What's Inside the PDF

  • Complete 8-section guide: From program design to post-program follow-up, with guidance for each phase
  • 8-12 week timeline: A realistic program lifecycle with week-by-week breakdown and key milestones
  • Printable master checklists: Program design, budget, judges, criteria, communication, technical setup, evaluation, and post-program
  • Templates and benchmarks: Entry fee benchmarks ($50-850), scoring rubrics, and email templates
  • Ready to print: Offline-friendly format you can reference throughout your planning
Free PDF Guide

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The complete planning companion that makes launching award programs manageable, predictable, and repeatable year after year.

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