I know awards can divide opinion. I make no apologies about this, but I love them. Some see them as a genuine mark of excellence, while others remain sceptical, believing they are more about marketing than merit.
Having seen first-hand the impact that recognition can have on dental laboratories, technicians, and clinical dental technicians (CDTs), I truly believe that entering the Dentistry Awards is really worth considering.
Firstly, these awards shine a much needed spotlight on the work of labs and technicians – too often we go unnoticed. Winning or even being shortlisted, provides external validation of the skill, precision and dedication that goes into producing high-quality lab work. This recognition isn’t just good for business; it also helps to elevate the amazing work of the individual technicians.
Secondly, entering an award forces you to take stock of your achievements – its quite a cathartic process. It’s an opportunity to reflect on what you do well, what makes you stand out and how you’ve made a difference to patients lives. As one of the judges, I get to see the entries, and trust me: you guys produce some incredible work. Last year’s entries were incredible.
Finally and most importantly, there’s the networking. The awards bring together like-minded professionals, opening doors to new collaborations and opportunities. Yes, awards require effort, but the potential rewards, enhanced reputation, team morale and (this is a big one, I have found) new business make them well worth considering.
Are they a powerful tool for celebrating and promoting excellence? Absolutely.
The categories
Team Members of the Year
This category is open to dental technicians and clinical dental technicians. Explain why you should win by submitting any, or a combination, of the following:
Demonstrate your passion for the profession
Tell the judges of anything outstanding you have done or been involved in
Detail any hurdles you have overcome
Provide evidence of excellent patient care or where you go beyond the regular duty of care
Show how or why you are different from others
Show evidence of connection with the local community or a charity
Include relevant testimonials and supporting evidence
Include an image of the team member.
You can only enter one team member category ie dental technician or clinical dental technician. Please include the name of the dental lab you currently work at/for.
Dental Laboratory of the Year
Highlight how you maintain consistent high standards of work throughout the laboratory
Provide evidence of how you go beyond the regular duty of client care
Describe how the team is led
Show how you keep the team happy
Demonstrate how you connect with the local community
Include examples of clinical excellence
Include pictures of the laboratory and team
Include relevant videos if possible
Show your marketing plan and demonstrate its effectiveness
Give evidence of investment and development in your lab and your team
Include a few relevant testimonials
Financial progress: is the lab successful and viable?
Labs part of a group must enter each lab site separately.
Team of the Year
Demonstrate a great team atmosphere and approach to patient care
How does your lab invest in team development and training?
How are you different from the competition?
Show where your team goes above and beyond the regular duty of care
Provide evidence of connection with the local community or charity
Must include an image of the team.
Teams from labs part of a group must enter each team separately.
How to enter
Entering couldn’t be easier! Head to dentistry.co.uk/awards/the-dentistry-awards to register. Add your details and select your categories. You will then receive an email saying that you are able to submit an entry.
To submit your completed entry, click ‘enter now’, fill out the online form and upload your entry. This is now the only way to submit.
The entry deadline is Wednesday 19 March 2025.
Entries for the Dentistry Awards must be submitted in one of the following accepted formats: JPEG, PNG, DOC, DOCX, PDF, MP4, MOV, PPT or PPTX. Each individual file must be limited to 100MB in size.
While supporting images are welcome, they cannot be submitted as standalone files; instead, they must be incorporated into a single PDF to ensure seamless viewing by the judges. Videos can also be submitted but must be in MP4 or MOV format and adhere to the 100MB file size limit.
Please note that ZIP files, Keynote, and Pages files will not be accepted. The total combined size of all submitted documents, images, and videos must not exceed 1GB.
Unlike previous years, the FMC awards team will not be able to compress or process your files or accept entries via Wetransfer to the awards inbox. To maximise your chances of being shortlisted, ensure your entry is concise, but meets all outlined criteria.
Get in touch for support
If you have any questions or queries, the FMC awards team would be delighted to assist. You can reach us at awards@fmc.co.uk or call 01923 851777. All entries containing up to 750 words plus supporting documents must be submitted via the website at dentistry.co.uk/awards/the-dentistry-awards by clicking the ‘enter now’ button.
The judges decision is final and no correspondence concerning the outcomes will be entered into. You must be currently practising in the UK or Republic of Ireland.
