Award acceptance speech template (one minute)
Updated November 2, 2026 · Anthony Delmotte
In short. An acceptance speech should be short: about one minute, 120 to 150 words. Thank the organisers, credit the team or people who made it possible by name, say in one sentence what the award means, and get off the stage while people are still clapping.
The template
Replace everything in [brackets] before you read. Each paragraph becomes one card. 87 words as written, before you fill in the brackets.
Thank you so much. [A short reaction: “I really didn’t expect this.” / “Wow.”]
Thank you to [organisers or jury] for this honour, and congratulations to the other nominees: [one generous sentence about them].
This award belongs to [the team, the people who made it possible]. [Name], [name] and [name]: you did the hard part.
Thank you also to [family, mentor, partner] for [what they did].
This means a lot because [one sentence on why it matters to you or to the people you serve].
Thank you.
How to make it yours
Write it even if you might not win
Unprepared winners ramble. Thirty seconds of notes on your phone save you.
Names, but few
Three names, said clearly, beat a list of twenty.
Be gracious to the other nominees
One line is enough and it is always noticed.
End early
Nobody ever complained that an acceptance speech was too short.