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VisitEngland Awards for Excellence: the judging process

Meet the expert judges behind each national award, and learn more about the decision-making process.

Photo by: VisitBritain/Michael Cummins

A classic car drives past a pub covered with ivy leaves

VisitEngland Awards for Excellence: the judging process

Winners of core categories at local awards officially aligned with the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence are automatically put forward to the national competition. The national shortlist is then evaluated by the national judging panels, made up of experts in the tourism industry.

How your entry will be judged

No matter where you are based in the country, your local and national application will be judged against nationally-set standards, with the same scoring criteria and judging guidance for all core categories.

For the local awards, your application will be scored and ranked against other applicants in your category to determine a shortlist. All applicants will receive feedback on how to improve their application, even if they are not shortlisted.

Further rounds of judging, including site visits with further feedback, also form part of the decision process at local competition level. The overall winners of local core categories are then put forward for national judging. For local competitions covering larger areas, additional winners may also be eligible to progress.

National judging panels

VisitEngland appoints industry experts across several judging panels to determine the Gold, Silver and Bronze national winners for each category.

The national judging panelists are selected each year and usually include journalists/ media experts, senior trade/ industry body representatives, sponsors, specialist consultants, VisitEngland Advisory Board Members and VisitEngland/VisitBritain Directors/ subject experts.

If you are interested in being considered as a national judge, please contact the Awards Team before the end of October. The panel meetings are usually held in March. Please note that panel members are subject to change prior to panel meetings.

The following experts were on the national judging panels for the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2024/25.

Tourism Awards Steering Group

The Tourism Awards Steering Group advises VisitEngland on the national categories, eligibility criteria, application forms, scoring matrices and judging guidance for each awards cycle. It currently comprises eight members, in addition to VisitEngland:

Robin Barker

South West Tourism Awards

Dominique Bray

Visit Worcestershire Tourism Awards

Maria Moriarty Eames

Lancashire Tourism Awards

Carolyn Knott

Liverpool City Region Tourism Awards

Lindsay Rae

Peak District, Derbyshire & Derby Tourism Awards

Sarah Davidson

North East England Tourism Awards

Janine Williams

Leicestershire Promotions Tourism and Hospitality Awards

Andrea Sammons

Enjoy Staffordshire Tourism and Good Food Awards

Apply now

Your journey to the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence starts by entering your local competition. Simply complete one application for your regional awards, and if you win you will automatically be submitted to the national awards. Entry dates vary, so sign up to your local awards communication channels to stay updated.

Find your local tourism awards

Discover more

Your VisitEngland Awards for Excellence journey begins with your local tourism awards. Explore the application process, the different categories and how local competitions are structured.

Photo by: The 25

View of a bedroom at The 25 Boutique B&B, Devon with a spiky light fitting and the head of a zebra in the centre of a pair of gold wings hung above the bed. Gold winner of the B&B and Guest House of the Year in the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2022
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Find answers to common queries about the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence – from applications to the awards ceremony.

Photo by: VisitBritain/DanielaLuquini

Group Shot of the finalists at the Warner Bros Studios for the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2023—Warner Bros. Studio Tour - The Making of Harry Potter, Hertfordshire.
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