We are very pleased to sponsor the inaugural Plain English Awards for Ireland, launched today by the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA). NALA's mission is to banish jargon and to reward the use of clear and precise language. The aim of the awards is to reward organisations that communicate clearly and to offer free plain English training to those who don’t.

Anyone can enter the competition by sending documents, pictures or websites that they think are outstanding examples of plain English or of gobbledygook! You can enter online here. An independent panel of plain English experts will judge the entries. Winners will be announced at PLAIN 2015 – an international plain language conference this September in Dublin.

Speaking about the awards, Inez Bailey, Director, National Adult Literacy Agency said: “Everyone benefits from clear information, written in plain English. People understand what you are saying. Companies save time and money by not having to clarify misunderstandings. We developed these awards as we want to create a public preference for organisations that choose to communicate in plain English”.

Commenting on our sponsorship, Declan Black, Managing Partner at Mason Hayes & Curran said: “Our job often involves explaining complex information. At Mason Hayes & Curran, we strive to do that clearly, both in the advice we give or when presenting a client’s position in court. In our view, a good lawyer is always clear, accurate and relevant. So, we support the use of plain English and are very pleased to sponsor this award.”

The Awards are free to enter online at www.nala.ie/plain-english-awards. The closing date is Friday 14 August.