Episode 170: Enter to learn - what the DWG Awards reveal about great digital workplaces

Speaker A: They're easier to enter than people might imagine that they are. If you delivered something that you're proud of, you've probably got 80% of what you need anyway in order to answer the five questions. It's about pulling together the story. It's a little bit of effort, but it shouldn't feel like a whole separate project. And winning an award is a great way, uh, of internally recognizing your own team, but also your team being recognised throughout the organization. Because the minute award is awarded, everybody's suddenly interested.

Speaker B: Welcome to Digital Workplace Impact. In this episode, we turn our attention to another milestone that says a great deal about where the digital workplace industry is heading. That's the DWG 2026 awards program. These awards are not simply about polished entries or headline grabbing launches. They recognize the teams, the leaders and the organizations making thoughtful, practical progress in building digital workplaces that genuinely work better for people and for organizations. And if you've ever wondered what makes a strong entry, why entering this year matters, or whether your own work might be worthy of putting forward an entry, this episode is just for you. My colleague Sarah Escott, director of technology and operations at dwg, joins me in the studio to unpack what is new for 2026, what the judges are looking for, and, um, why entering can be valuable whether or not you take home one of DWG's coveted awards. This is your host, Nancy Goble, DWG's chief executive. And as always, Digital Workplace Impact is brought to you by Digital Workplace Group. Join me now in conversation with Sarah. Happy listening. Sarah, I am always smiling when I'm in conversation with you. I think you've noticed that and this conversation is no exception. By day, you are our director of technology and operations, but you have taken on a special mission for the last number of years and that has been to team up with Elizabeth Marsh to run the DWG Awards. And I just thought it would be wonderful for us to talk a little bit about what's special about this year's program. But first, let me officially welcome you back to the studio and say hello.

Speaker A: Hi, Nancy. Thank you for having me. It's been a while.

Speaker B: Yes, it has been. For those who may not have had firsthand exposure to our awards program, what would you say is the reason that DWG sponsors them? Number one. And maybe number two, what makes them unique?

Speaker A: Yeah, this is my seventh year now. Can you believe? Seventh year in working on the awards with, um, Elizabeth. Next year they will be 10 years old, so we'll have to remember that and celebrate those. The awards they've evolved over the last few years as the world has moved and changed and people are time poor, et cetera. So we've changed quite a lot. Moving, uh, what works. Uh, we've gone from quite a structured and LED entry process, um, into something a bit more fluid and a bit more creative. The awards are about celebrating excellent organisations who've created well executed, high performing digital workplaces. That's our catchphrase. They're about recognizing organizations that are genuinely moving the needle in the digital workplace and doing it in a way that's grounded, uh, in reality really. And we're not looking for shiny perfection. Uh, I'm not sure that really exists. But uh, we're looking for impact, we're looking for intent and learning. The entries that really stand out are the ones that say that this is what we tried, this is what worked and this is what we would do differently. So it's more about substance than show. And we've gone from the quite strict categories to probably five or six awards that are, uh, we kind of have an overall winner and then we have other awards that fit what the entries have been, which makes it much more creative because it becomes too prescriptive, if you have it very detailed. So they've massively evolved and we've made them much easier to enter this year as well.

Speaker B: So I guess that would be one of the notables or differences for 2026. Um, any other observations that would add to that picture of what's new or different?

Speaker A: So yes, we've been intentional about lowering, uh, the barrier to entry in terms of how easy it is to enter. So there's only five questions to answer. I say only. But if you already have some work that you're proud of, you will have done presentations on this and you can hopefully engineer those into the entry process, making it easy to tell the story and for us to understand the journey. But as I say, it all depends. The fact that they're easier to enter is the main difference this year. And what awards there will be will depend on what entries we get.

Speaker B: Okay, well, all will be revealed in the end, as they say. And so I'm sure that our listeners want to understand what the timeline looks like this year. Can you share some date milestones that people should put in their calendars?

Speaker A: Absolutely. So, well, the awards are open already. They uh, have been for a few weeks, uh, and they will close on 22 June, although that might be extended, but you didn't hear that from me. But it will only be a short window, probably towards the end of June. And then we will announce the winners, uh, will be in September, on the 1st of September, 4pm UK time, which is 11 Eastern. That is quite a big window. But, uh, there's quite a lot of reading and judging process to happen. So 22nd of June, maybe a bit longer to enter. And then the awards event is on the 1st of September. We update the dates on our website, we keep everything up to date on the website. So do have a look at our website. The form to enter is also on our website as well as previous year's winners, what they won, how they won, podcasts are out from winners. There's a wealth of information on our website about the awards. Hints and tips and tricks, what the judges are looking for, all that sort of stuff. So our website is the place to go.

Speaker B: And you know, I'm just thinking about how you described what feels notable about the awards. And I know as someone who's been a, uh, long standing judge in the process, it always strikes me that when I look at the hall of Fame and the generations of winners year by year, one of the things that stands out most for me about this new approach is that it has become a window into the playbook for driving towards what good looks like. Um, you think about the 2025 awards. We recognized data driven approaches, we recognized organizations that achieved a level of change, agility in embracing AI as part of their ways of working, et cetera. Right. And of course, you know, the parade of winners from, you know, Campbell's to Adobe, the list goes on. It's as much a learning journey for all of us as industry practitioners, as it is an opportunity to recognize what good looks like in our industry. And I often think about the fact that it's a microcosm of what's happening in our industry as a whole, because maturity varies from one company to the next. And often people will say, well, tell us an example of one company that just has got it all. And often it takes a portfolio, a, uh, patchwork of those individual bits of goodness that in combination give you that window into what good looks like. And so I'm always excited as a judge for the entries to start coming in and then to go through and look at them and try to pull out what are the learnings that we'll be able to share on the other side of the award ceremony. So that as evergreen students of the craft, we all have a chance to raise the level of not only impact, because that's ultimately what we're all about, but also innovation, because we can riff off of each other in the world of practitioners to, uh, get farther, faster, ultimately and take the straightest line to get there. I know that you and Elizabeth have put time and care into making sure that the stories that get told are powerful ones, but that also there's a chance to break down how best to prepare for submission. And since we're still in that entry window, for the teams that are considering entering, is there anything else you'd like to add to the preparation process? Or maybe those that are not sure if they should enter because maybe they don't know if they're award worthy.

Speaker A: That's interesting. Well, I would say that I think they're easier to enter than people might imagine that they are. If you delivered something that you're proud of, you've probably got 80% of what you need anyway in order to, um, answer the five questions to pull. It's about pulling together the story. It's a little bit of effort, but it shouldn't feel like a whole separate project. I would also say screenshots. Screenshots, screenshots or video, if you have a video. We absolutely love seeing images moving or otherwise, uh, of the digital workplace that you're entering. And I would say that we have also seen people who have entered in previous years and haven't won an award re enter the following year with what has iterated and then go on to win. We've had people win in sort of the subcategories and then go on to win the main Digital workplace of the year award. So I would encourage anyone who's already entered to enter again. And I would also say if you're even thinking, I wonder if I could do this. You're exactly the type of organization, uh, that we would like to hear from and that we would like to see. It can be daunting. But yes, absolutely, you probably are worthy of entry. Please send in your entries.

Speaker B: I think that's uh, a great way to think about it. And it also serves as a community building exercise because it brings people together as these stories start to go into the sharing window of time. And so to my mind, that's one example of the benefits, um, beyond winning per se, anything else stand out for you about the process?

Speaker A: Yeah. So obviously it's great to win an award. And you're absolutely right. The whole, the sharing, uh, with your peers. One of the things that we notice a lot at DWG, at member meetings and the events that we do is that because of the very nature of a digital workplace and IT departments Et cetera. You're kind of working on your own in your own organization and seeing the challenges and the wins and opportunities and how other organizations are working. It's quite nice. It's like digital workplace therapy to be able to see, oh well, other people are having these challenges or they didn't get it right either, or we've all got it right together. It's kind of like great communal pat on the back, which is great. But also this is often the case within an organization itself. So it's a kind of almost sometimes thankless world of working in it in digital workplace. And winning an award is a great way, uh, of internally recognizing your own team, but also your team being recognised throughout the organization because the minute award is awarded, everybody's suddenly interested. So that's really good. And we've seen it proven very beneficial to people and their teams to enter and win these awards. So, um, it's definitely something to do. And sharing one story is always great for everyone.

Speaker B: So I'm thinking about the essence of what you've shared as part of this conversation. And so it's enter to win, which is a great way to get external validation.

Speaker A: Mhm.

Speaker B: Enter to connect. Because there are the benefits of bringing people together to share their learnings and their stories. And invariably for those that are shortlisted or end up, um, with the top awards, there's a whole new world of connections that open up that can help seed your next stage thinking. I know that from the work that I do as a member advisor, working closely with lots of organizations and particularly previous winners like Fidelity or Adobe or Verizon, et cetera. I've often said enter to sharpen your story. Not only because the art of storytelling is something that has gotten more challenging over time, because the stakes are greater. With the digital workplace having emerged to strategic asset digital headquarters of the enterprise at large, but also because the table stakes are higher. And I think digital workplace leaders now more than ever need to be skilled at telling the impact stories around the work that's been achieved to justify the ongoing existence of the team and investment in the digital headquarters. And then I guess the last thing is to enter to learn. And that's something that always stands out for me because of the challenges that it creates. When you are starting to build your story based on those five key questions that you talked about and suddenly there can be connection points that you've made about innovation or impact or uniqueness in the story that sometimes doesn't surface on its own when you're working your internal channels. But Suddenly, if you put a new lens on it and you're trying to tell your story to the outside world, you command a different presence, you command a different story. That's just another benefit that may not be obvious at the start m but becomes an aha moment in the course of the discovery that happens in crystallizing that new story.

Speaker A: Storytelling is so important now.

Speaker B: Absolutely. And so what have we missed? Sarah, this is your chance to share a final thought, a call to action. This is your free space in Bingo.

Speaker A: We're still talking about the awards, right? Absolute. Uh, so. Well, yes. So remember the date. So 22nd of June is the closing date. Our website is the place to go for everything awards. I would say if I. One thing I would say is don't self select out. If you think in any way there's a little part of you I wonder, go for it. And then I would say that the awards are at their best when they reflect the full spectrum of what's happening across the digital workplace community. So that only works if you bring your story to us. So please do enter. And an example of one of those stories, There was a blog post released yesterday again on the DWG website. Dyson won an award last year and there's a great blog post. So, uh, make sure you look at that as well.

Speaker B: And of course we'll make sure that we include that new blog post about the Dyson story in the show notes. And um, Elizabeth also put out, ah, another piece a couple of weeks ago that really honed in on what was distinctive about our 2025 entries as a way to help offer suggestions for framing stories for this year's pool of applicants. And so I'm certainly looking forward to the judging process over the summer and of course the crowning moment, um, in September when we have the awards ceremony. And so, Sarah, thank you for stepping out of your busy day to come in and chat about all things awards today. You're welcome.

Speaker A: Thank you.

Speaker B: Always a pleasure to have you in the studio. Thank you, Nancy. Digital Workplace Impact is brought to you by the Digital Workplace Group. DWG is a strategic partner covering all aspects of the evolving digital workplace industry, not only through membership, but also benchmarking and boutique consulting services. For more information, visit digitalworkplacegroup.com.

Speaker A: I would also say screenshots. Screenshots. Screenshots or videos.