Scanning the entertainment headlines yesterday I saw that four-time Emmy Award winner Edie Falco said she has an ambivalent relationship with awards. Falco had recently received her first Tony Award nomination. It got me thinking about awards and their value.

Sure, when millions of people around the globe already know you as Carmella Soprano, it’s easy to be ambivalent. But in the business world, there’s no room for ambivalence. Awards are a means of moving your business or career to the next level.

This week, Long Island Press named Katherine Heaviside — president and founder of our Long Island public relations firm, Epoch 5 — one of the 50 Top Influential Long Islanders. It’s a well-deserved honor.  For people who know Katherine, it reconfirms her standing in the region. For those who don’t know Katherine, it’s an important introduction to her capabilities. You can be sure we won’t keep the news hidden under a bushel.

An award is validation that you stand out in your field. When a prospective client is trying to decide which attorney or CPA to retain, seeing that list of awards and honors next to a name helps seal the deal. Even the most jaded among us feels better buying an air conditioner from the salesman who won Top Retail Associate ten years running.

Sometimes awards come your way unsolicited. That’s nice, but rare. Most of the time you have to look for them. Explore local business groups and trade associations, identify their awards programs, and don’t be shy about nominating yourself, your firm, or the work you produce.

By the way, if you win, be sure to spread the news via every means possible — eblasts, Tweets, Facebook, press releases, homing pigeon. How else is news of your award going to reach that prospect who’s been sitting on the fence for six months?