Judge: Best Plain Language Document — Public Sector

Plain language writer and trainer, plainly.nz, Cromwell, New Zealand

Jen runs Plainly, a business that helps people write clearly and confidently. She’s been a plain language advocate since 2010, when her manager in the council planning department said, ‘Hey Jen, let’s make this public notice friendlier and easier to understand.’ She was hooked.

A few years later, she helped the environmental firm she worked for become a plain language organisation. Since then, her favourite part of the job is teaching others how to use plain language themselves. For Jen, it satisfies something personal: a belief that everyone deserves to understand what they read. Helping others gain the skills to make that happen feels like making a real difference.

Using plain language tells people: you matter, and we want you to understand what’s going on. When more people learn how to use plain language, the impact goes further. Clear and concise writing starts to show up in every email, report, and sign on the wall. And readers are the real winners. They can find what they need and understand it, without second-guessing or struggling.

Meet the judges for the Plain Language Awards

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