VisitEngland Awards for Excellence: how to apply
Introduction
The VisitEngland Awards for Excellence celebrate the nation’s leading tourism and visitor-focused businesses – from small bed and breakfasts to large attractions and business events venues. And it all begins when you apply to your local tourism awards.
You can enter as many categories as you wish, as long as your business fits the entry criteria. The overall winners of core local categories are automatically entered into the national awards by the regional organisers.
Why Apply
A win can put your business in the media spotlight, improve performance, motivate your team, widen your network – and so much more…
A great PR opportunity
Use your win to attract media attention. We provide a PR toolkit for national winners, as well as the official VisitEngland Awards for Excellence logos to use in your marketing materials.
National recognition
Showcase your reputation as one of the best tourism businesses in the country. Core category winners of local competitions are automatically enrolled in the national VisitEngland Awards for Excellence – whose winners are promoted by VisitEngland.
A competitive edge
Stand out from your competitors. Being an award winner provides you with a unique and high-profile selling point to promote your business. As an official endorsement, it gives potential customers another reason to book or visit.
Better business practices
All entrants receive feedback on their application from an independent judge, highlighting areas for improvement. Applying for an award is a useful business exercise, allowing you to step back and identify areas for future development.
Reward and motivate your team
Winning an award is a great opportunity to reward your employees for their contribution to the business. It can help you to attract high-quality staff and increase your current team’s motivation, loyalty and pride in their work.
Network at the awards events
Enjoy your success and network with other businesses in your area at the local awards ceremony. National finalists can socialise with the best of the best from around the country at the prestigious VisitEngland Awards for Excellence event.
toolkit benefit
Another benefit of winning - our VisitEngland Award Winners’ PR toolkit advises you on how to secure and maximise the media coverage around your award win, covering who to contact, what to say, how best to say it and when to say it.
How to apply
Getting started is easy: Simply select your category then complete one online application for your regional awards, answering a few key questions and providing links to your online presence and customer reviews.
Award categories
At the regional level, there are two types of award categories:
- Core: these categories feed into the national awards, so all winners are put forward to the national awards judging panels. These categories use an application form that is consistent across all local competitions. For competitions covering large areas, additional winners may also be eligible to progress.
- Local: these categories are only offered at a regional level.
There is an award category to suit every type of tourism business – from hotels and holiday rentals to attractions, restaurants and museums. You can enter as many categories as you wish, as long as your business fits the entry criteria. Discover the local and national award categories
Each local competition is unique to that area, but to give you a sense of how they work we have an overview of how local competitions are structured and how they manage categories.
From regionals to nationals
Eligible winners of regional awards are automatically entered into the national awards by their local competition and judged within their category via the main judging process. Then, finalists for each category are invited to the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence Awards event, where the national winners are announced.
Judging process
No business is too small to win an award: all applications are judged in context, and it’s the customer experience that really matters. Find out more about the judging process and judges for each category.
key dates
Key dates for your diary
March to February: Local award competitions open for entries (dates vary).
April: After the local awards, winners are put forward to the national VisitEngland Awards for Excellence, and the judging process begins.
June: Winners are announced and recognised at the official ceremony.
Local awards structure
Most regional awards contests offer both local and core awards.
A local category is only offered by the regional competition, meaning that recognition is only available at a local level. These categories do not feed up to the national awards and are often specific to that destination, such as a regional Event of the Year.
Core categories are consistent across all regional competitions and winners of those categories are put forward to national judging. The core categories are set by VisitEngland’s Tourism Awards Steering Group and reviewed annually to reflect the latest industry structure and market trends.
Within the core categories, there are two types of awards:
- Business-led: those that highlight the best businesses in a particular sector, for example the Small Hotel of the Year award.
- Market-led: those that highlight businesses who really understand their target audience, for example the Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Award.
Local competitions are required to offer at least two of the following categories: Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Award, Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable Tourism Award, Unsung Hero Award and Business Events Venue of the Year. (Links are to the application form PDF.)
Combined categories:
Local competitions may choose to combine certain core categories. For example, instead of running both Small Visitor Attraction of the Year and Large Visitor Attraction of the Year awards, a single Visitor Attraction of the Year category may be offered. The winner would be put forward to the most relevant category at national level.
The combined categories are: Hotel of the Year, Small Serviced Accommodation Provider of the Year, Visitor Attraction of the Year, Camping, Glamping and Holiday Park of the Year and Self Catering Accommodation of the Year. (Links are to the application form PDF.)
Split categories:
Local competitions may choose to split certain categories. For example, the Taste of England Award category could be split into Restaurant of the Year and Tearoom of the Year at local level, with an overall winner selected and put forward for the national Taste of England Award. Also, the Taste of England Award name may be changed to reflect the local destination, for example Taste of Cumbria Award.
Eligibility and availability
Local competition organisers and VisitEngland reserve the right to refuse an application if the business does not meet the eligibility criteria, or to move an application to another category if deemed more appropriate.
In certain circumstances, a local competition may not carry a mandatory core category if there is deemed to be insufficient stock in the area. For example, an urban awards competition may not carry the Camping, Glamping and Holiday Park of the Year category.
Terms and conditions vary by local competition.
Local and national awards core categories
All local competitions aligned with the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2025 must offer the following business-led categories:
Camping, Glamping and Holiday Park of the Year 2025/26 Application Form.pdf
Self Catering Accommodation of the Year 2025/26 Application Form.pdf
Small Visitor Attraction of the Year 2025/26 Application Form.pdf
Large Visitor Attraction of the Year 2025/26 Application Form.pdf
Local competitions aligned with the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence are required to offer at least two of these five market-led categories:
Accessible & Inclusive Tourism Award 2025/26 Application Form.pdf
Business Events Venue of the Year 2025/26 Application Form.pdf
Special award categories
The national VisitEngland Awards for Excellence also include a selection of special prizes. The winners are determined by VisitEngland, with the exception of Tourism Superstar, which is decided by public vote during English Tourism Week.
Tourism Superstar
The annual Tourism Superstar prize recognises the dedication and passion of those working in the tourism industry, and is awarded to an individual who goes above and beyond the call of duty.
The campaign champions careers in tourism for people of all ages, and promotes quality, customer service and excellence within England’s tourism industry.
Tourism Superstar celebrates individuals in the tourism industry who go the extra mile to ensure that visitors to England have an unforgettable experience. Nominees are passionate about where they work and the destination they live in, and consistently set the bar high for the standard of service in England’s tourism industry.
Travel Content Award
This award recognises the important contribution that media and influencers make in championing the array of great experiences on offer across England.
