Industry award example

Press release example for an industry award

Winning an industry award feels like a moment to celebrate, but that is exactly where many award press releases go wrong: for an editor, a win is only news once the reader gets something out of it, not when it reads as a tribute to the company itself. This page walks through a complete press release for an industry award, with an explanation of why each section works, real figures and the five mistakes you want to avoid.

📄 Full example 350-500 words Schema: Article

Press release Example with fictional company

Subject: Ketelbink wins gold medal at the European Beer Challenge with alcohol-free IPA

Rotterdam-based Brouwerij Ketelbink has won a gold medal at the European Beer Challenge with its alcohol-free IPA. The beer is the first Dutch alcohol-free IPA to win this award. An international jury of 100 experts judged the entries on taste, aroma and brewing technique.

Alcohol-free beer is no longer a niche segment on Dutch shelves. Market figures on the growth of alcohol-free beer in the Netherlands show a structural rise, driven by consumers who drink more consciously without wanting to compromise on taste. For specialty brewers, that shift is both an opportunity and a challenge: alcohol-free recipes call for different brewing techniques than a regular beer, and international juries still judge the taste against the same standard as beers with alcohol. Rotterdam-based Brouwerij Ketelbink has focused entirely on alcohol-free specialty beers since its founding and grew 140% over the past two years.

The gold medal is more than a badge on the label: Ketelbink is the first Dutch brewery to win this award at the European Beer Challenge with an alcohol-free IPA. A jury of 100 international experts tasted the entries blind and judged them on the same criteria as beers with alcohol, from bitterness to mouthfeel. "This medal proves you do not have to compromise on taste with alcohol-free beer," says Daan Vermeer, brewmaster and co-founder of Ketelbink. "We spent three years on this recipe, and that effort is now recognised internationally."

For the hospitality sector, the recognition is a signal that alcohol-free beer now genuinely competes with beers with alcohol. "Guests who consciously drink less expect an alcohol-free beer with just as much character as the original. With this medal, that choice for our menu is even easier to justify," says Sven Kuiper, buyer at hospitality wholesaler De Statiegroep. Ketelbink is meanwhile preparing its next step: in 2027, the alcohol-free IPA will go on shelves nationwide through a major supermarket chain, a rollout the brewery is preparing from Rotterdam with an expansion of its production capacity.

About Brouwerij Ketelbink

Brouwerij Ketelbink is a Dutch brewery based in Rotterdam that focuses entirely on alcohol-free specialty beers, from pilsner to IPA. The company grew 140% over the past two years and won a gold medal at the European Beer Challenge for its alcohol-free IPA. Ketelbink was founded by Daan Vermeer and is working toward nationwide availability of its beers. More information at ketelbink.nl.

Press contact

Sanne Reijnders, communications Brouwerij Ketelbink, pers@ketelbink.nl, +31 6 23 45 67 89. Images of the beer and the award ceremony, and interview requests with Daan Vermeer, via ketelbink.nl/pers.

Anatomy of the press release

01 Subject line

Under 80 characters, with the name of the award and the product in a single line. A journalist decides within seconds whether this matters to their readers; vague wording costs you that decision.

02 Lead paragraph

Who, what, when and why in roughly 50 words. The medal, the jury and what the award means are all there immediately, without a warm-up story first.

03 Context & problem

Market figures on the growth of alcohol-free beer in the Netherlands give the journalist an angle for a broader story than just the award itself, and keep the release from reading as self-congratulation.

04 Traction & quotes

The 140% growth and the jury of 100 international experts carry the story. Quotes stay under two sentences and explain what the award means, rather than expressing pride.

05 Boilerplate

A short standard paragraph that editors often reuse word for word. Brouwerij Ketelbink is, incidentally, a fictional company: this example shows the structure, not a real award.

of all Presscloud press releases are about an industry award

15%

average pickup rate among trade media

working days average lead time to publication

200

award press releases sent in 2025

Figures based on press releases sent through Presscloud.

Why this press release works

An award press release works when the prize itself is not the news, but the evidence behind a bigger story about quality and craftsmanship. This example puts the recognition in perspective right away: who made up the jury, what sets the award apart from other honours and what it means for the reader, not just for the brewery itself. The growth figures and the external market context give the editor an angle that goes beyond congratulations. Three elements make the difference.

The award does not stand on its own

The subject line and lead explain right away why the medal matters: the first Dutch alcohol-free IPA to win the European Beer Challenge, judged by 100 international experts.

Market context gives the editor a bigger story

The reference to market figures on alcohol-free beer in the Netherlands lifts the release above a simple celebration and gives a journalist an angle for a broader article.

Quotes add substance instead of pride

Daan Vermeer explains what the medal proves about taste, rather than simply being proud of it; the second quote shows what the recognition means for the hospitality sector.

What not to do

Most award press releases fail not because the prize is unimportant, but because the text never moves past self-congratulation. Editors see companies proudly announce an award every single day, without ever explaining why a reader should actually care about it. These are the five mistakes we see most often in award announcements, and each one is easy to prevent once you know to look for it in your own draft.

Putting the award front and center instead of its meaning

A medal is only news once you explain what it means for the sector or the reader; without that context, the release stays a compliment to yourself.

Leaving out the jury and the criteria

Without naming the jury and the judging criteria, an editor cannot gauge the award's value and is quicker to skip the release.

No images of the product or the ceremony

A photo of the winning product or the moment of the award ceremony noticeably increases the odds of pickup; without an image, the release gets passed over more often.

Approaching only national media

Trade press and regional titles pick up award news more often than national media; contacting only the big names leaves most of the pickup on the table.

Waiting until weeks after the ceremony

News value fades fast after an award ceremony; send the release within the average lead time of 2 working days, not once the moment has long passed.

Write your award press release in 5 minutes

Presscloud's AI generator turns your award into a press release with this structure: what the recognition means comes first, the jury and criteria are clear, and quotes add substance.

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions about award press releases

Answers to the most common questions. Missing something? Get in touch.

An award press release includes, at minimum, the name of the award, who made up the jury and what criteria were used, what the recognition means for your company or sector, a quote from the winner and, ideally, a quote from a customer or partner. A boilerplate with company information and a press contact with images complete it.

Between 350 and 500 words, including the boilerplate and press contact. With an award, the temptation is to keep it short because the prize itself already seems like news, but without context, jury and figures, the release stays too thin for an editor to run with. The example on this page shows how much space each section deserves.

As soon as possible after the ceremony, ideally within the average lead time of 2 working days that award news gets in practice. News value fades fast: a prize awarded two weeks ago is history to an editor, not news. Prepare the text before the ceremony takes place so you can send it out right away.

Usually not. For most awards, the ceremony itself is already the news moment, and an embargo adds little since there is no competitively sensitive information in it. Only for an award with significant media attention beforehand, such as a national election-style vote, can a short embargo of a few hours help trade press and national media publish at the same time.

Trade media per sector, regional newspapers, Adformatie and Emerce pick up award news most often, because a prize is frequently directly relevant to their readers. Trade press picks up an average of 15% of these releases, while national media, at 1%, are considerably more selective and mainly step in for an award with broad public impact.

Put together a targeted press list of journalists who cover your sector, supplemented with regional titles and trade media that pick up award news more often than national media. With Presscloud you build that list based on the content of your release and send everything from one place, including follow-up and monitoring of publications.

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