The Rising Star Awards are the largest dedicated awards programme for young people aged 18-30 building a career in our sectors. Winners receive grants of up to £1500 to invest in personal and professional development that will build skills to help them shine in their career.
2023 Rising Star Award winner Kevin Worrall, Marketing Executive at the Edinburgh University Press, explains how the awards can help publishing’s emerging talent achieve their career ambitions.
My Rising Star application inspiration:
Having seen the success and training opportunities that opened up for my colleague who won a Rising Star Award in 2022, I was spurred into thinking about how I wanted my career to look five years from now, leading me to apply for a 2023 Rising Star Award.
My courses and the impact on my career development:
I am still working on my year-long course on marketing and branding strategy, which is incredibly thorough and challenging. However, I have already completed two sets of courses. One on how metadata can improve a book’s discoverability. The other on online writing, which boosted me into thinking more strategically on creating marketing copy that shines. I also received a year’s membership of Bookmachine Campus.
The impact winning had for me:
I’ve been able to put much of what I’ve learned into practice and share my newfound knowledge with team members. I have built my confidence in dealing with authors, in putting myself forward for new projects and in having conversations with my line manager on career progression and development.
My message to potential Rising Star applicants:
Think about someone in your company or your industry whose career you admire and ask yourself what qualities and skills they possess that you would like to embody. Don’t be afraid to reach out to them, ask questions and seek their advice on the steps they took in the early stages of their career to get to where they are today. You can also scope out LinkedIn job descriptions for positions you are working towards, identify what gaps in experience you are missing and discuss with your line manager what training you can undertake to fill those gaps.
My number one tip for someone applying for the Awards:
As cliché as it sounds, be yourself! When writing the application, take your time and have conversations with your line manager about what they think you should include. If you make it through to the interview round, be ready to articulate exactly how the Rising Star Award can help you in your career. The judges want to invest in you! All they are looking for is someone with a clear and firm idea on how the prize can assist them.
2024 Rising Star Award applications are now closed.
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