Plain English Awards

These awards are for the best documents of the year (on any subject).

To enter a document, please send a copy to:

Plain English Awards
Plain English Campaign
PO Box 3
New Mills
High Peak
SK22 4QP.

We do not allow entries of documents that our own staff have worked on in any way. The closing date for entries for the 2008 awards is 30 September. We will contact the winners in November.

There were six winners in 2007. Please click on any of the organisation names for more details on why they won. We also have a list of previous winners.

• Chancery Group for the 'Cephalon employee benefits' booklet
• Alistair Macintosh, Huart Tai Huang and Geoffrey Holden FRICS for 'A guide to surveyors' jargon'
• The Prostate Cancer Charity for two information booklets
• CO-Awareness for the 'Carbon Monoxide Poisoning' leaflet
• Stockport Women's Aid for their 'Advice booklet'
• Liverpool Housing Trust for their 'Pictorial Tenancy Agreement'

Chancery Group for the 'Cephalon employee benefits' booklet

Personal references, short sentences, the active voice and a lack of nominalisations all culminate to produce a very clear guide for the members of the Cephalon Pension Scheme. Lots of white space,  appealing graphics interspersed throughout the booklet and a very professional finish all make this document a worthy award winner. The question and answer format guides the reader to relevant information and lots of lists break the information into manageable chunks.

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Alistair Macintosh, Huart Tai Huang and Geoffrey Holden FRICS for 'A guide to surveyors' jargon'

This excellent guide is aimed at anyone writing a professional report for homebuyers. It is clearly laid out and avoids too much jargon. In fact, it clearly states to the reader to avoid jargon wherever possible as it rightly points out that many homebuyers will not be familiar with many terms. There is a helpful guide to ‘surveyese’ and an English translation for the report writer to use.  It is this ‘edge’ of humour that also makes the document more appealing.

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The Prostate Cancer Charity for two information booklets

These small pocket-sized booklets have been developed with the help of men suffering from prostate cancer. They are cleverly adapted to look like a car owner’s manual so are more appealing to the intended audience, who can sometimes be embarrassed by this sensitive subject. The contents page makes them easy to navigate and an abundance of white space means the text doesn’t look to daunting. Short sentences, personal references and an active voice all culminate to produce excellent examples of plain English.

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CO-Awareness for the 'Carbon Monoxide Poisoning' leaflet

This short leaflet deals with the vitally important subject of awareness of the dangers of carbon-monoxide poisoning. The numeric format makes it easy to navigate and short paragraphs get the message across simply and effectively. Clear headings signpost the reader to the important points of the leaflet and a block background colour means the text isn’t lost against the graphic of the flame. Small photographs also break up the narrative to make the information easy to digest.

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Stockport Women's Aid for their 'Advice booklet'

This A5 folded leaflet tackles the sensitive subject of domestic violence. The text, using a helpful list, gives a brief explanation of what domestic violence can cover and goes on to detail the help that is available to women and children who are suffering, or at risk of, violence in the home. The paragraphs are nice and short and the layout makes the text easy to access. Photographs and drawings help to break up the text and make the leaflet more appealing. The whole tone of the leaflet is supportive and reassuring – a must for people in this situation.

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Liverpool Housing Trust for their 'Pictorial Tenancy Agreement'

This agreement, aimed at people with learning disabilities or difficulty with reading and writing, is very well presented. The pictures are very clear and give a good indication of what each subject is about. They aid the tenant’s understanding of the narrative without being too patronising. Lots of white space makes the text easy to read and a very good font size makes the document accessible to a wider audience. Short sentences and an active voice all add to the clarity.

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