2025 entries open in the new year
Entries for 2025 will be opened in the new year, but you can start planning now for your entries. View below for information on the
Winners for 2024
The Overall Winners in 2024 were Fi Parker and Matt Peacock (Calder Communication Services Limited), Kevin Puryer, Matt Sanders and Joe Duffy (Sandford Tech Limited) with the Dry Dive Virtual Reality App.
We also had one Merit Award Winner with Judges’ Commendation, and four Merit Award Winners.
You can read all about the award winning projects, and see photographs of the overall winner receiving their trophy, on the 2024 Award Winners page.
Purpose
The purpose of the UK Technical Communication Awards is to recognise the value of clear, concise and effective information products. Whether online or printed, the impact of highly effective documentation is felt by industry, commerce, academia and most of all, users. Individuals and teams that develop excellent information products deserve to have their efforts recognised, as do the companies that invest in them.
History
For more than two decades, the ISTC Documentation Awards provided the UK’s annual opportunity for technical communicators to receive this recognition. They gave an international platform for companies, teams and individuals to be rewarded for their achievements by their peers. The new award scheme continues this proud tradition and extends it to encourage even wider participation.
Who can enter?
The UK Technical Communication Awards are open to any individual or team, whether employed, self-employed, contracting, volunteering, permanent, temporary, full-time or part-time. You do NOT have to be a member of the ISTC to enter, and whether you are or are not a member has no bearing on the judging process. The judges’ decisions will be made solely on the merits of the entry.
However, if you are not yet a member of the ISTC, we encourage you to read about the benefits.
What entries are accepted?
We encourage entries across the full range of Technical Communication. This can range from ‘traditional’ product and process documentation to entries that reflect the diversity of technical communication today, such as: information portals, blog posts, podcasts, books and e-books, training material, e-learning, embedded help, micro-content, and augmented reality. Anything that demonstrates, displays, encourages or helps the production of high-quality technical communication will be considered.
We also invite nominations for two other awards: ISTC Nominated – Excellence in Technical Communication Award and ISTC Communicator Article of the Year Award.
Click for more information about the different awards
UK Technical Communication Award
The UK TC Awards are done on an entry-by-entry basis. You do not need to enter under any category heading. Instead, your entry will be judged and awarded against how well it meets its own brief and industry best-practice. The entry form will guide you so that you are able to describe your entry, and make the case for why it is deserving of an award.
If you have multiple documents that have all used the same approach, templates and styles – that are effectively part of the same ‘story’ – we recommend you enter them as a single entry, and submit a few of the documents as examples of the range, rather than enter each document individually.
ISTC Nominated – Excellence in Technical Communication Award
If you have seen or experienced some excellent technical communication out there in the real world — your everyday life — then let us know by emailing istc@istc.org.uk
It could be about that new kettle you bought, your new printer at work, an online shopping experience, or some information from the government or local council. Just let us know why you admire it from a technical communication perspective and the judges will do the rest.
ISTC Communicator Journal Article of the Year Award
If you enjoy the Communicator journal from the ISTC, give some recognition to the contributors. During the year, as a Communicator subscriber, you will receive a link to an online survey tool to provide your feedback, and you will be able to refresh your memory by reading the list of qualifying articles in the Summer issue. Alternatively, email us at istc@istc.org.uk to nominate your top three main articles from the Autumn – Summer issues of the appropriate year. The judges will do the rest.
How to enter
There are some rules to follow, so take a quick look at them before you start nominating. Then fill out the entry form to nominate yourself, your team or someone else. Go on, you and your team deserve it!
Final date for submissions is usually the end of June the same year.
If you need any help with your online submission, contact us at istc@istc.org.uk.
Click to view rules
Requirements
- Entries can be delivered through any medium, including websites, printed manuals, PDF files, podcasts, and webhelp for mobile and cloud applications.
- Each entry will require a registration fee (£50 for ISTC members, £90 for non-members)
- Entries must be written in English, but can include multi-lingual translations.
- Entries must have been published between 1 April of the previous year and 31 July of the award year.
- Entries must be submitted in the form in which they will be used (paper documents printed and bound, online documents through a website or on CD/DVD etc.).
- Entries on electronic media must be checked for viruses; entries containing viruses may be disqualified.
- Additional information can be supplied, particularly for entries designed to be incorporated into a system or suite that may be difficult to judge in isolation. For example, a webinar or shared-screen demonstration of help embedded within software could be accepted as a way of the judges assessing your entry.
- A section of an information product exceeding 100 pages (printed or online) may be accepted as an entry, provided that it is sufficiently self-contained to judge.
- Your entry will be judged and awarded against how well it meets its own brief (as described in the entry form) and industry best-practice.
- The decision of the judges is final.
Judges
- Are individuals, or representatives from organisations, concerned with promoting high standards of technical communication.
- May be ISTC Council members.
- Can enter the awards in the same year they are a Judge, but cannot be involved in Judging their own entries.
Results
- Your entry will be judged and awarded against how well it meets its own brief (as described in the entry form) and industry best-practice.
- Winners will be notified in August.
- Feedback about your entry will be provided, typically including: Overall feedback, Overall recommendations for improvement, and Samples of Judges’ detailed feedback.
- Results will be published in ISTC publications and through social and other media.
- Awards will be presented at the Gala Dinner of the ISTC’s TCUK Conference in September/October.
- With your specific permission, entries may be displayed at the Gala Dinner and Conference.
Disclaimer
The ISTC, its members, employees or agents, will not accept responsibility for noncompliance with government or industrial security regulations affecting entries, or for loss or damage to any entry. Individuals submitting entries must select the Authorisation check box on the entry form.