Platforms
3 awardsThe best travel creator on each of the three platforms that move travel. Judged on: reach and engagement on the platform, consistency, format innovation, and real influence on where people go.
01Best TikTok Creator
Short form travel that sends people somewhere
- Native short form: hooks, watch through, shares, and content that provably sends people somewhere.
- Reach and engagement on the platform itself
- Consistency, and formats others copy
02Best Instagram Creator
Reels, feed and Stories
- Reels, feed and Stories working as one: saves, sends, and destinations made famous.
- Reach and engagement on the platform itself
- Consistency, and formats others copy
03Best YouTuber
Long form travel storytelling
- Long form storytelling: retention, production quality, and journeys audiences finish.
- Reach and engagement on the platform itself
- Consistency, and formats others copy
Industry
3 awardsOne award for each of the industries that sell travel: airlines, hotels and cruise. Judged on: real influence on bookings, depth of expertise, honest reviews, and audience trust.
04Best Airline Reviewer
Airlines, airports, lounges and points
- Flight reviews, routes, lounges, points and miles, and influence on how people fly.
- Evidence of bookings and decisions moved
- Depth of real expertise
05Best Hotel Reviewer
Hotels and resorts
- Honest stays reviewed: property storytelling and measurable booking impact.
- Evidence of bookings and decisions moved
- Depth of real expertise
06Best Cruise Creator
Ocean, river and expedition cruising
- Ships, itineraries, and first timers converted.
- Evidence of bookings and decisions moved
- Depth of real expertise
How People Travel
8 awardsThe ways people actually travel, and the creators they follow for it. Judged on: authority in the niche, storytelling, community, and real impact on how people travel.
07Best Luxury Traveller
Five star travel, done with taste
- Access, taste, and high value bookings influenced.
- Authority and audience trust
- Community engagement, not just numbers
08Best Budget Traveller
More trip for less money
- Hacks, deals and budgets that survive contact with the real world.
- Authority and audience trust
- Community engagement, not just numbers
09Best Family Travellers
Travel with kids, made doable
- Honest, practical, trip tested with kids in tow.
- Authority and audience trust
- Community engagement, not just numbers
10Best Solo Traveller
The world, on your own terms
- Safety, confidence, and journeys inspired.
- Authority and audience trust
- Community engagement, not just numbers
11Best Travel Couple
Two people, one shared journey
- Couples who travel and create together: chemistry, storytelling, and trips others recreate.
- Authority and audience trust
- Community engagement, not just numbers
12Best Adventurer
Mountains, oceans, the wild and the open road
- Adventure with substance: skill, safety, and respect for the wild.
- Authority and audience trust
- Community engagement, not just numbers
13Best Food Creator
Eating and drinking your way around the world
- Food as the destination: discovery, culture, and places put on the map.
- Authority and audience trust
- Community engagement, not just numbers
14Best Sustainable Traveller
Travelling well: sustainable, accessible, community led
- Lower impact, accessible and community led travel that people actually want.
- Authority and audience trust
- Community engagement, not just numbers
Craft
1 awardThe still image that makes the world want to go. Judged on: technical excellence, originality, and a recognisable eye.
15Best Travel Photographer
Still photography
- Originality, technique, and a recognisable eye.
- Technical excellence of the work
- A recognisable signature style
Headline
4 awardsThe moments the premiere builds to, ending with The Gold Passport. Judged on: overall influence across travel, with The People's Passport decided by public vote and The Gold Passport by the full panel.
16Best Newcomer
The year's fastest riser
- The year's steepest rise, with substance behind the numbers.
- Influence felt across all of travel
- The trajectory over the qualifying year
17Best Brand Partnership
Creator and brand, at their best
- A creator and brand campaign with results both sides would happily publish.
- Influence felt across all of travel
- The trajectory over the qualifying year
18The People's Passport
Decided by public vote
- Decided by verified public vote across every finalist. Not entered directly.
- Influence felt across all of travel
- The trajectory over the qualifying year
19The Gold Passport
Travel Creator of the Year. The Grand Prix. Not entered directly: the panel chooses the winner from across every nominated creator.
- The full panel's verdict: the single most influential travel creator of the year.
- Influence felt across all of travel
- The trajectory over the qualifying year
Five axes. One rule: impact beats size.
Every category is scored by the panel on the same five weighted axes, adapted to the category criteria above. The full methodology and the named panel are published before the finalists are announced.
How a winner is decided, start to finish.
Blind where it should be blind, human where it must be human, and auditable the whole way through.
Screening
Eligibility check and brand suitability screen on every entry before a judge sees it. Ineligible or unsuitable entries never reach the panel.
Blind scoring
Three judges per category score every entry independently on the five axes, blind to each other's scores, on the judging platform. The top five by combined score become the shortlist.
The panel decides
The full panel reviews each shortlist together and ranks it. The chair holds a casting vote for ties. Judges declare conflicts and recuse from any category where one exists.
Auditable
Every score is logged with an audit trail. A quarter of the panel rotates each year, no judge marks the same category twice running, and partners never vote.