Judge: Best Plain Language Document — Public Sector

Editor at the Plain English Foundation, Sydney, Australia

Elizabeth is a plain English editor who joins us on the judging panel for the first time this year.

She works for one of Australia’s most well-known plain language training and editing companies, and has edited all kinds of documents, including websites, self-audit tools, and complex manuals with 100+ pages.

In her work she strives to put the reader first, wrangling dense language and redesigning inefficient layouts to make information accessible and usable. She casts her plain English eye over almost everything she reads, and loves it when she comes across reader-centric materials from big corporates or government agencies.

‘I get a real buzz when I see plain language in action. Nothing pleases me more than a letter from my bank that has clear headings, a logical structure, short sentences, active verbs, and first-person pronouns! It makes me feel like we’re getting somewhere. And I get optimistic about the idea that one day all our corporates and governments will be on board and realise the value of putting the reader at the heart of all their communications.’

Meet the judges for the Plain Language Awards

How the judging process works