Award Press Release Template

Announce an award win, industry recognition, or ranking. The copy-paste skeleton, an AI prompt tuned for this announcement type, and a full annotated example.

Press release templates / Award press release template

What is an award press release?

An award press release announces third-party recognition: an industry award, a certification, a ranking. The credibility transfers only when the release names who gave the award, what it was for, and what field it was judged against. "Award-winning" with no giver attached is decoration, not news.

When should you use one?

Send it within days of the announcement, while the award body's own publicity is still circulating. Superlatives and promotional copy are allowed in wire review (ours included) as long as claims that read as statistics carry attribution, and with an award the attribution is built in: name the giver, the year, and the field precisely.

Want to see the finished shape first? Read a full annotated award press release, with notes on why each part works, in the press release examples gallery.

Copy-paste award press release template

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

[Company] Named [Award, Year] by [Award Body]

[Subheadline: the field it was selected from and what the judges cited]

[CITY, State] — [Month Day, Year] — [Company name], [one-line description], was named [award] by [award body] at [where and when it was announced]. [The denominator: selected from how many nominees, entries, or companies.]

[What the judges cited, what the award includes (grant, ranking position), and who judges it. 3-4 sentences.]

"[Reaction tied to what the award measured]," said [Full Name], [Title] of [Company]. "[Optional second sentence.]"

[Company context paragraph: the numbers behind the win and what happens next.]

About [Company]
[Standard boilerplate, 1-3 sentences, with website.]

Media Contact
[Name, Title, Email, Phone]

###

Award press release AI prompt

Fill in the facts section, then paste the whole thing into ChatGPT, Claude, or the Press Ranger AI writer.

AI prompt: award press release

Write an award press release using the facts below. Follow these rules exactly:

- Third person throughout. First person only inside the quote.
- Structure: headline naming the company, the award with its year, and the awarding body (under 100 characters); one-sentence subheadline with the selection field and what the judges cited; dateline paragraph opening "CITY, State — Month Day, Year —" with the award, the giver, where it was announced, and the denominator (selected from how many) in two sentences; a paragraph on what the judges cited, who judges it, and what the award includes; one quote reacting to what the award measured rather than expressing gratitude; a company-context paragraph with the numbers behind the win; an About boilerplate; a media contact block.
- No author byline. No first-person narration. Attribute any statistic to a named source. Around 350 words. Plain text, no markdown.

MY AWARD FACTS (replace before running):
- Company: {NAME, ONE-LINE DESCRIPTION}
- Award: {EXACT AWARD NAME, YEAR, AWARDING BODY}
- Announced: {WHERE AND WHEN}
- Denominator: {SELECTED FROM HOW MANY NOMINEES OR ENTRIES}
- Judges cited: {THE SPECIFIC REASONS}
- Award includes: {GRANT, RANKING POSITION, or RECOGNITION ONLY}
- Spokesperson: {NAME, TITLE}
- Boilerplate: {YOUR STANDARD COMPANY DESCRIPTION}
- Contact: {NAME, EMAIL, PHONE}

The rules in the prompt produce a release formatted to pass wire editorial review: third person, no bylines, attributed statistics.

Frequently asked questions

Is winning an award newsworthy?

It depends on the giver. An award with a named judging body, published criteria, and a real selection field is a story. A pay-to-play badge is not, and editors recognize the difference immediately.

Can I call my company award-winning after this?

Yes, with the award named. Superlatives and promotional copy are fine in wire editorial review; what gets refused is a claim that reads as a statistic with no source attached.

What if we were a finalist, not the winner?

A finalist spot in a competitive, named field can still carry a release, especially for a young company. State it plainly as finalist; inflating it to winner-adjacent language costs more credibility than the recognition earns.

How do I distribute an award press release?

Coordinate with the award body, which often promotes winners itself, and pitch your trade press. For the announcement of record, our wholesale press release distribution publishes to named outlets including Business Insider, Yahoo Finance, and AP News for $299 to $399 flat.

Ready to publish? Press Ranger distributes releases to named outlets including Business Insider, Yahoo Finance, and AP News at wholesale prices ($299–$399 flat). See the wholesale distribution page or create a free account.