Tips for Success at the SBC Awards and the Inaugural Affiliate Leaders Awards

Every awards season, hundreds of iGaming companies throw their hat into the ring. But not all entries manage to capture the spotlight. Winners stand out by doing something fundamentally different.

What separates the best entries from the rest isn’t just superior products or services—it’s knowing how to tell their story in a way that resonates with judges and stands out in a crowded field.

The SBC Awards and Affiliate Leaders Awards represent the industry’s most prestigious honours, recognising excellence across betting, gaming, and digital performance. Winning one is a game changer for you or your business, rightfully placing you as an innovator in one of the world’s most crowded and lucrative industries.

Too often, brilliant companies with game-changing work submit forgettable entries. They have the achievements—they just don’t know how to tell the story that wins.

That’s why today, we’re giving you the blueprint to win.

Here’s how to make sure you’re the one up there on stage, celebrating your win in Lisbon.

Know the Awards & What They Celebrate

Understanding the distinction between the awards is crucial for crafting targeted entries that resonate with judges.

SBC Awards: Now in its twelfth year, the SBC Awards is a cornerstone in celebrating excellence across the entire iGaming ecosystem, recognising achievements in sports betting, casino operations, technology innovation, and industry leadership. 

The SBC Awards will bring together 1,000 industry leaders at Lisbon’s iconic MEO Arena—a venue that has hosted everyone from Beyoncé to Metallica— on 18 September, 2025, to celebrate excellence across the iGaming landscape. With 35 award categories, the event provides operators, suppliers, and industry pioneers with the platform to be recognised on one of the industry’s biggest stages.

Affiliate Leaders Awards: The Affiliate Leaders Awards put affiliate marketing excellence centre stage, with categories including Affiliate Network of the Year, Campaign of the Year, Social Media Campaign of the Year, and Technology of the Year (don’t worry, the list is much longer). But these awards aren’t just for affiliates. They also recognise operators and suppliers whose work fuels affiliate success, celebrating the entire ecosystem that drives performance marketing forward. The ceremony will take place on 17 September, 2025 (also at MEO Arena) and bring together 500 industry leaders to celebrate the outstanding achievements of iGaming’s top affiliates, affiliate programmes and affiliate software solutions.

A Step-by-Step Guide on Crafting a Winning Entry

Step 1: Understand the Criteria Inside-Out

Here’s where most people go wrong—they skim the entry brief and start writing. Don’t be like most people. Each award category has precise criteria that judges use to score submissions. Your entry should spotlight the real impact you’ve made over the past year and explain why it matters.

Pro tip: Print out the criteria and highlight key phrases. These will become your content pillars.

Step 2: Choose the Right Story

Stories stick. Judges will remember a well-crafted narrative about overcoming challenges and achieving results long after they’ve forgotten feature lists and company descriptions. Just make sure your story fits the category—don’t try to shoehorn your best work into the wrong award when there are 35 categories to choose from.

What makes a winning story:

• Clear beginning, middle, and end
• Measurable challenges overcome
• Innovative approaches or solutions
• Quantifiable results that matter to the industry

Step 3: Lead with Outcomes, Not Activities

While judges appreciate the effort behind great work, they’re ultimately evaluating impact and results. Show why your output matters by structuring your entry around concrete outcomes that demonstrate the value of your approach:

Include essential KPIs:

• Revenue growth or generation
• Conversion rate improvements
• User acquisition and retention metrics
• Market share gains
• Operational efficiency improvements
• Customer satisfaction scores

Example structure:

• Challenge: What problem did you solve?
• Solution: What innovative approach did you take?
• Results: What measurable impact did you achieve?

Step 4: Tell a Compelling Narrative

Now that you have your story and outcomes, weave them into a narrative that judges can follow and will remember. Use the challenge-solution-result framework, but make sure it’s engaging, with specific details and clear cause-and-effect outcomes.

Strong narrative elements:

• Specific challenges with real stakes
• Creative problem-solving moments
• Unexpected obstacles and how you overcame them
• Clear progression from challenge to solution to measurable impact

Step 5: Customise for Each Award Category

If you’re here to win—and let’s face it, who isn’t?—then it’s worth customising your entry for each category. Never submit a one-size-fits-all entry. Even if you’re entering similar categories, tailor each submission to address the specific criteria and judge expectations.

Category-specific focus areas:

• Operator awards: Customer experience, responsible gambling, market expansion
• Affiliate awards: Performance metrics, content quality, partnership value
• Supplier awards: Innovation, client impact, technical excellence
• Individual awards: Leadership, industry contribution, personal achievements

Step 6: Back It Up with Evidence

Data is an incredible tool. When it’s visualised well, it can be the difference between a good entry and a winner. So here are some tips to help you stand out.

Essential supporting materials:

• Charts and graphs showing key metrics
• Screenshots of successful campaigns or interfaces
• Client testimonials and case study quotes
• Press coverage and industry recognition
• Before/after comparisons

Visual best practices:

• Use clear, professional graphics
• Ensure all charts are easily readable at a glance
• Include captions that reinforce your key points
• Keep branding consistent but subtle

Pro Tip for Affiliate Leaders Awards Entrants:

Here’s a key difference to keep in mind: Unlike the SBC Awards, which are judged by a confidential panel, the Affiliate Leaders Awards are publicly voted for, meaning you’ll want to be careful about sharing confidential data.

While compelling evidence remains crucial for winning, you’ll want to be strategic about sensitive information. Share enough detail to demonstrate impact and innovation, but avoid revealing proprietary data or competitive advantages that could benefit rivals.

The sweet spot? Focus on showcasing what makes your work exceptional while keeping your most valuable insights close to your chest.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Writing too much fluff: Judges read hundreds of entries. A good entry is simple, easy to follow, and engaging. Keep that in mind when crafting yours.
• Ignoring the category brief: If the criteria ask for specific information, provide it. Missing elements means lost points with the judges.
• Not answering the actual questions: Don’t just dump information in supporting documents—directly answer what’s being asked in each section.
• Focusing on features instead of benefits: Don’t just list what you built—explain what it achieved.
• Using vague metrics: “Significant increase” means nothing. Use specific numbers and percentages.
• Submitting generic entries: Cookie-cutter submissions are instantly recognisable and immediately forgettable.
• Poor presentation: Typos, formatting errors, and unclear visuals undermine credibility.

What Judges Want to See: The Winning Checklist

✅ Clear criteria alignment: Every section directly addresses the award criteria
✅ Quantifiable results: Specific numbers that demonstrate real impact
✅ Innovation factor: What made your approach unique or groundbreaking?
✅ Industry relevance: How does this advance the iGaming/affiliate marketing sector?
✅ Professional presentation: Clean formatting, clear visuals, error-free copy
✅ Compelling narrative: A story that’s easy to follow and remember
✅ Strong evidence: Supporting materials that validate your claims
✅ Strategic thinking: Clear rationale behind decisions and approaches

The Path to Success

The difference between winning and losing often comes down to presentation, not just performance. The best entries combine outstanding achievements with compelling storytelling and professional presentation.

Remember: Focus on the genuine impact that has been made over the past year and illustrate how you have made a positive impact. Judges want to see real results, innovative thinking, and clear value to the industry.

Whether you’re targeting the SBC Awards for overall industry excellence or the Affiliate Leaders Awards for affiliate marketing achievement, the key is matching your strongest work to the right category and presenting it in a way that makes judges take notice.

Ready to start crafting your winning entry? Review the current award categories and criteria, identify your strongest case studies from the past year, and begin building your narrative around measurable impact. The stage in Lisbon is waiting for the companies bold enough to showcase their true achievements.

The deadline for SBC Awards entries is fast approaching. Enter by June 27th.

Affiliates do not have much longer! Make sure to enter by July 4th.