Industry Insights & Resources
Browse our collection of expert insights on awards management, creative competitions, and industry advice. Resources for creative professionals and organisers.”
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Hiring the Right Awards Coordinator
Finding the right Awards Coordinator can make or break your programme – the wrong hire leads to stressed staff, disappointed applicants, and damaged relationships. This complete guide includes job description templates, interview questions, and cost analysis to help you make…
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Turning Industry Connections Into Your Most Powerful Awards Marketing Channel
You’ve spent months crafting the perfect awards marketing campaign, yet entries aren’t flooding in. The problem isn’t your messaging – it’s that professionals no longer trust marketing channels for career decisions. Here’s how successful awards programs activate trusted industry voices…
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Getting grilled by an AI (kinda)
I recently tried an experiment. Could I use AI to interview me about the creative industries to surface interesting insights . What emerged was really interesting (and a little uncomfortable).
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Why Public Voting Can Transform Your Awards
“I wanted this to be more of the people and not just from a small group of individuals,” explains one awards organizer who made the switch. The results speak for themselves: increased reach, enhanced credibility, and stories that “go a…
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Your Programme Failed, Now What? (Free Template)
So, your open call didn’t go as planned. Maybe entries were lower than expected, the timeline slipped, or feedback from artists, judges, or partners wasn’t as positive as you’d hoped. But this isn’t the end of your programme. It could…
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A Human-Centered Approach to Audience Data
Traditional audience surveys exclude busy families, young people, and disabled visitors. Here’s how cultural venues can capture every voice.
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Everything that could go wrong with your Award (and how to stop it)
Whether it’s marketing challenges, technical issues, or unresponsive judges, awards rarely go exactly as planned. This article covers solutions to the most pressing problems.
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Being Human in the age of Algorithms
What happens when curated content makes success look effortless? Join me for authentic stories about the messy reality behind achievement.
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How to price your Award using AI: Prompts for every program
Setting the right price for award submissions is a delicate balancing act. Charge too much, you limit applicants; charge too little, you risk overwhelming costs. Discover powerful AI prompts that create pricing strategies perfectly tailored to your awards program.
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Turning Disruption into Growth: A Zealous Roadmap for 2025
Each year I reflect on progress. This year I’m looking differently – at the creative industries today, our shared challenges & Zealous’s role in all of this.
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The Absolute Guide to Running Awards
Download our free guide to master award management! Learn to avoid 5 common mistakes, market effectively, engage judges, optimize pricing, and create a smooth experience for entrants. Perfect for competition hosts looking to elevate their events.
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Online forms vs. Submission management platforms
While many event organizers start with a simple online form, as competitions grow in scale and complexity, a dedicated award management platform can provide a more structured and streamlined experience. Many organizers struggle with resource constraints, needing a solution that…
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From Launch to Selection: The right Competition Schedule for you
Planning an open call is exciting and a great chance to discover new talent. Whether it’s an award, residency, or commission, there are lots of things to consider.
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The Complete Guide to Managing Awards & Competitions
Whether you’re running competitions, grants, or awards, this guide covers the complete award management lifecycle from planning to execution.
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Running Open Calls: Essential Submissions Management Tips
Whether you’re hosting your first open call or looking to refine your process, our guest contributors share expert insights to help you succeed.
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The right venue for your open exhibition in London
Looking for the ideal East London venue to host your awards or exhibition celebration? Discover standout spaces, handpicked by Zealous, that promise to elevate your event and delight your guests.
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How to invite creativity back into your life
When did you last feel truly creative? 75% of us feel we’re not reaching our creative potential. This post explores how to reignite that spark in your life and work.
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Predictions for creative opportunities in 2025
Discover the top creative sector trends and predictions for 2025, from AI innovation to community-driven opportunities.
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Choosing the right awards management platform for staff recognition awards
Managing Employee Recogition Awards can be overwhelming without the right tools. This article introduces 7 tools that simplify submissions, judging, and voting to help you focus on creating meaningful events.
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These 5 metrics will help you grow your Awards
Running a successful competition means knowing what’s working – and what isn’t. Learn the 5 key metrics that will help you understand your candidates’ journey and grow your program effectively.
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Reframing Open Calls: How To Create Non-Competitive Spaces
In this article, we’ll explore how shifting perspectives on creative competitions could make them friendlier, fairer, and more inclusive spaces.
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Real engagement begins when your open call ends
Hosting an open call is truly an enriching experience. It allows for you to discover new talent and support them, create connections, and foster creativity. However, once the opportunity is over, the real challenge—and the true potential for impact—emerges. This…
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How to craft the right awards commiseration email
As uncomfortable as it can be, sending out commiserations emails are part and parcel of running an opportunity. Luckily there are ways of turning disappointment into opportunity
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How to Run a Good Program with Reduced Resources
This article shares practical strategies for organisations to run impactful creative opportunities like open calls and competitions with limited resources.
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How To Check If An Opportunity Is Legitimate
We try our best to ensure opportunities listed through us are legitimate and ethical. We show all previous opportunities held by the organisations and make sure they are transparent with any fees and what you can get in return. However, it…
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The Questionnaire Conundrum: Unraveling the Complexities of Audience Data
Capturing data is vital. It shapes our programming, informs our funders, and, ultimately, determines our impact. Yet, with increasingly stretched resources, it is a time-consuming and expensive endeavour for organisations. In this article, we’ll unpack the purpose behind audience questionnaires,…
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Tools to Manage Submissions – From Forms to Awards Management Platforms
Looking for a robust tool to manage growing submissions? We compare 5 solutions – from basic forms to full awards management platforms that scale with you.
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The Definitive Guide to Monetizing your Award
Making money from your awards is a fine art. This guide shares top tips to get your pricing strategy right, why your process matters to your bottom line, best practice with timings and working out the right price.
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Get the pricing right for your awards/competitions
How to price your awards and competitions is a fine art. Discover best practice when setting your entry price, alternative ways of making money and the impact the wrong price can have on your awards.
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How To Feel Fulfilled Balancing Creative Passions And A Day Job
Creating art and having a job is quite literally a balancing act. From learning how to find time to create, to continuing to find your passion, we have put together a list of some of our top tips to find…
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How To Make Creative Networking Work For You
‘Networking’ is a word that can make introverted creatives feel uneasy. But in the creative industries, connecting with others is really important for building a successful career. Even if you prefer spending time alone, networking can lead to exciting collaborations,…
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Alternatives to Submittable: Why Zealous Has You Covered
If you’re looking into signing up with Submittable or maybe you’re already using them, here are some reasons why you may want to try Zealous as an alternative to Submittable.
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How To Thrive from Rejection In The Creative Industry
You’ve spent hours upon hours applying for Open Calls and careers in the Creative Sector, only to receive a string of dreaded rejection emails back.
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All Things Social Media with Carmela Vienna
Navigating the world of social media and creating an online presence can be tricky. Bethan sits down with marketing coordinator and social media whizz Carmela to get the intel on how to run a social media page successfully and get…
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Find The Best Creative Opportunities
Discover the best online platforms for uncovering creative opportunities, from open call listing sites to creative job boards. Explore our recommendations to jumpstart your creative career journey.
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Founder Update 2024
2023 was another crazy year. Our commitment to the creative industries is unwavering. Discover how we continue to support you in 2024 with a price lock, more features, a commitment to ethical AI and clearer blogging, insights & communications.
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Key sites to list your design awards on
Posting your design competition on a listing site might be a good way of sharing your contest to more people. We share our top directories to post your design competition on to get more entries.
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Is An Opportunity Right For You?
Zealous is full of incredible opportunities. However, before applying to an opportunity, it is important to think of whether what you are applying to is right for you.
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How To Run an Online Photo Contest (& Market It Like a Pro)
Learn the secrets to running an online photo contest with our expert guide to boosting entries and growing your campaign.
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Top listing sites for your Photography Competition
We’re here to help you get the word out for your photography competitions! Here’s a list of photography competition directories to start the process.
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How To Make Your Portfolio Stand Out
Making your portfolio stand out is something important for all creatives. We asked some of the organisations who are part of our community to give us some of their top tips.
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Making A.I. work for the creative industries
A deep exploration into the opportunities and threats A.I. poses for the creative industries, written by someone whose straddled both worlds.
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Increase submissions to your awards through trust
If you are launching an award, it will be essential for you to build trust with anyone who might consider submitting to you. The longer your process and the bigger the submission fee, the more vital it will be to…
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Should you take award entry payments first or last?
Should you take payments upfront when candidates submit your award? The following article breaks down best practices when taking entry fees.
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Celebrating Pride Month: 10 LGBTQIA+ Resources To Inspire Your Creativity
Pride Month is an exciting time to highlight LGBTQIA+ creativity, celebrate spaces of self-expression and proudly continue to fight for equality.
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Guy Meets Michelle, Director at UK New Artists
Our Founder at Zealous, Guy Armitage, had the opportunity to speak to Michelle Bowen at UK New Artists about their exciting programmes and managed to get some invaluable tips for emerging creatives too. You don’t want to miss this. Read…
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Artistic Resources for Working Class Creatives
Working class creatives have been constantly alienated from the arts scene.
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Top 5 Mistakes to Avoid When Organising Awards
Behind the glitz and glamour of an awards ceremony lies a meticulous planning process which, if not executed with precision, can lead to disappointment for all involved.
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Amplify Insights: Marketing Your Opportunity
Looking back at Zealous Amplify: Mental Health and Wellbeing, community manager Bethan and marketing coordinator Carmela talk about all things marketing.
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Writing An Artist Biography
As a creative, having an artist biography is something which becomes increasingly important. Viewers of your work want to know more about you and your journey.
