Best Plain English Sentence Transformation Archives

A line-up of the best for 2022 | Photo by Nicola Welby

Congratulations to all our 2021 winners — what a fabulous achievement! Our judges were so impressed with the quality of entries this year and you deserve all the praise you’ve received.

We loved hearing the plain language stories that you shared with us. And we’re proud that you’ve kept the torch burning bright for clear communication in such a busy year. So pat yourselves on the back for a job well done!

Our Awards champions — raising the bar for clear communication

An extra special shoutout to Citizens Advice Bureau New Zealand, winner of the Plain English Champion — Best Organisation category. And another one to Lauren Kelindeman from Legalite in Australia, winner of the Plain English Champion — Best Individual or Team category. Your contributions to the plain language movement are making all the difference to the lives of everyone in our corner of the world.

As our founder Lynda Harris said,

Whether you’re a bold visionary, a passionate campaigner, or a quiet doer, you have qualities that the world needs more of. You have stories to tell about people who need clarity and connection. And you have the skills to inspire others to be champions like you.

So keep up the good fight and stand up for what’s right! Because you’re our champions for 2021 and we couldn’t be more proud.

Find out more about the 2021 winners

Jonathan Tan October 14th, 2021

Posted In: 2021 Awards ceremony

Tags: 2021 finalists, 2021 Plain English Awards, 2021 winners, Best Annual Report, Best Individual or Team, Best Legal Document, Best Organisation, Best Plain English Communication, Best Plain English Sentence Transformation, Best Plain English Technical Communicator, Best Plain English Turnaround, Best Plain English Website, Champion, clear communication, judges, People's Choice, sponsors. Awards ceremony

It only takes a sentence to enter the Awards! Get transforming, using these simple steps. | Photo by Julie North on Unsplash

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to enter an awards competition? The award for Best Plain English Sentence Transformation makes entering the Plain English Awards as simple as 1 – 2 – 3!

1. First, catch your sentence

Complex, long-winded sentences abound in official publications, on business websites, and around the office.

To find a suitable sentence, first of all, track down something that’s really long with multiple clauses, that maybe even includes more than one main idea, and also uses unnecessary, surplus words and phrases and convoluted language, which nevertheless might be regarded by some as adding a certain element of essential formality. See what we did there?

2. Rewrite your sentence in plain English

Rewrite your sentence in plain English so that it becomes simple and beautifully crafted. Keep your sentence short. If needed, you can use more than one sentence to express the ideas of your original text.

3. Enter your sentence in the award for Best Plain English Sentence Transformation

Enter your original and rewrite in the category that gives well-written sentences the attention they deserve. You can enter up to three sentence transformations in one entry. And feel free to enter more than once!

Enter the Best Plain English Sentence Transformation award

Meet a previous Best Sentence winner

Meet a Best Sentence finalist

Meet another Best Sentence finalist

Anne-Marie Chisnall August 29th, 2018

Posted In: 2018 Plain English Awards

Tags: 2018 Plain English Awards, Best Plain English Sentence Transformation, clear communication, entry, recognition, sentence, transformation