2018 Plain English Awards

15 August 2018
For the good of everyday Kiwis — enter the 2018 Plain English Awards

New Zealanders have until the end of August to enter the 2018 Plain English Awards.

Organisers of the Awards, the WriteMark Plain English Awards Trust, are on the hunt for New Zealand’s best communication. They’re also looking for the country’s worst ‘Brainstrain’ communication.

The annual Plain English Awards aim to improve the lives of everyday New Zealanders by raising the bar for clear communication. The Awards increase people’s awareness of their democratic right to understand communications from government and private-sector organisations.

Most of all, the Awards celebrate the people and organisations that make plain English a priority.

People writing in plain English are showing respect for their readers, says chair of the WriteMark Plain English Awards Trust, Gregory Fortuin.

‘Think of people caught in an emergency trying to get fast help from their insurer. We don’t want their problems to get worse while they battle an incomprehensible claim form. We want them to know what they have to do straight away. Ultimately, we want their situation to be solved as quickly as possible.

‘The same goes for patients trying to understand treatments, investors trying to understand their options, new immigrants trying to set up their life in New Zealand. Everyone has the right to quickly understand what’s written for them.’
The Plain English Awards have 13 categories. The two People’s Choice categories are open to anyone who feels compelled to enter a document they think is excellent or awful.

• People’s Choice — Best Plain English Communication
• People’s Choice — Worst ‘Brainstrain’ Communication.
Entries in these categories are free and anonymous.
Any individual or organisation can enter the first 11 categories, from either the public or the private sector. These categories are:
• Plain English Champion — Best individual or Team and Best Organisation
• Best Plain English Sentence Transformation
• Best Plain English Technical Communicator
• Best Plain English Website — Public and Private Sector
• Best Plain English Document — Public and Private Sector
• Best Plain English Annual Report
• Best Plain English Turnaround
• Best Plain English Legal Document
Read more about our categories and how to enter on the Awards website.
The entry fee for the categories above is $120 + GST or $65 + GST if you’re a registered charity.

ENDS

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