Award Categories 2027
Inspire Global media Awards
Awards Categories
The Inspire Global Media Awards celebrate outstanding travel storytelling that inspires purposeful travel, deepens understanding and demonstrates tourism’s potential to create meaningful positive impact.
The Inspire Global Media Awards continue to celebrate outstanding storytelling from around the world, with a refined recognition structure for 2027 that includes additional recognition for eligible UK entries.
Nine Awards are open for entry, recognising excellence across travel journalism, digital storytelling, photography, video, audio, television and publishing. A further four Recognition Awards celebrate exceptional individual achievement and contribution to travel storytelling.
Explore the Awards
Select an award below to discover what it recognises, the work eligible for entry and any category-specific requirements.
All eligible entries are considered for Global recognition, with qualifying UK entries also considered for UK recognition.
For full eligibility information, submission requirements and key dates, please visit our How to Enter page.
2027 Awards category summary
2027 AWARDS OPEN FOR ENTRY
Explore the eligibility criteria, submission requirements and entry process on our How to Enter page.
Entries open 30 November 2026.
CONSUMER FEATURE
ENTRY CRITERIA
Consumer Feature of the Year celebrates outstanding commissioned travel journalism published in a newspaper, magazine or online publication. Eligible editorial work commissioned by travel companies, including tour operators, may also be entered in this category.
Geographical entry areas
For 2027, entries may be submitted across the following geographical entry areas:
England | British Isles & Ireland | Nordic Region | Europe | Mediterranean & North Africa | Africa & Indian Ocean | North Asia & Indian Sub-Continent | Southeast Asia | Australasia & Oceania | Arabia | United States of America | Canada | Central America & Mexico | The Caribbean | South America & Antarctica | Global
The Global geographical entry area is for stories covering multiple geographical regions or exploring a broader global travel or positive-impact theme that is not principally focused on one geographical region.
Geographical entry areas may be merged, refined or subdivided where submission volume and quality indicate that this would create a stronger and more meaningful competition.
Submission requirements
- Maximum two entries per geographical entry area.
- Entrants may submit across multiple geographical entry areas.
- Each submission must be entered into the geographical entry area that best reflects the principal focus of the story.
- Where print and online versions differ substantially, only the version identified on the entry form will be judged.
TRADE FEATURE
ENTRY CRITERIA
Trade Feature of the Year celebrates outstanding commissioned travel journalism published in a travel trade print or online publication.
Submission requirements
- Maximum two entries per entrant.
- Where print and online versions differ substantially, only the version identified on the entry form will be judged.
INDEPENDENT DIGITAL STORY
ENTRY CRITERIA
Independent Digital Story of the Year celebrates outstanding travel storytelling independently produced and published by the storyteller.
Eligible work may include a written story, vlog, video or other digital or short-form storytelling. Entries must represent a single identifiable piece of work and demonstrate sufficient narrative depth to be judged as a complete story.
Submission requirements
- The work must have been independently produced and published rather than commissioned by a third party.
- Eligible formats may include written stories, blogs, video, vlogs and short-form digital storytelling.
- Submit one identifiable story or piece of work, not a portfolio or collection of unrelated content.
- Maximum two submissions per entrant.
- Work commissioned by a publication, broadcaster, destination, tour operator, travel company or other organisation should be entered into the appropriate commissioned category.
VIDEO
ENTRY CRITERIA
Video of the Year celebrates outstanding commissioned moving-image travel storytelling, including video, vlog and short-form/reel content.
Entries may be published on digital or social platforms and may include sponsored content but must demonstrate sufficient narrative depth and storytelling to be judged as a complete piece of work. An independently produced video or vlog belongs in Independent Digital Story, not Video of the Year.
Submission requirements
- The work must have been commissioned.
- Eligible formats include video, vlog and short-form/reel content.
- A single identifiable piece of work should be submitted.
- Maximum two submissions per entrant.
PODCAST / AUDIO PROGRAMME
ENTRY CRITERIA
Podcast / Audio Programme of the Year celebrates outstanding audio travel storytelling made for radio, podcast or other audio platforms.
Eligible work may include a one-off programme or a discrete episode or segment from a series, including features and audio documentaries.
Submission requirements
- The submitted work must be a discrete piece of editorial storytelling, demonstrating sufficient editorial depth, original reporting and a coherent narrative, regardless of duration.
- Where the work forms part of a series, submit the individual eligible episode or segment rather than the entire series.
- Maximum two submissions per entrant.
TELEVISION BROADCAST
ENTRY CRITERIA
Television Broadcast of the Year celebrates outstanding produced travel storytelling created for television or a recognised broadcast platform.
Eligible work may include one-off programmes, episodes from a series, documentaries, features and substantive produced travel segments.
Submission requirements
- The work must contain a substantive piece of travel storytelling, rather than simply discussion or commentary about travel.
- Generic expert commentary, studio interviews or appearances without a substantive produced travel story are not eligible.
- A substantive travel feature or segment within a wider programme may be entered.
- 24-month eligibility period.
- Maximum two submissions per entrant.
PHOTO STORY
ENTRY CRITERIA
Photo Story of the Year celebrates outstanding commissioned photographic travel storytelling across three sub-categories:
People | Environment | Wildlife
Each entry should present a coherent visual story from the same commissioned assignment, feature or body of work. The five submitted images will be judged together as a Photo Story, rather than as individual photographs.
Submission requirements
- Each submission must comprise five images from the same commissioned assignment, feature or photo story.
- At least two of the submitted images must have been published as part of the eligible work. Where five or more images from the assignment were published, the five submitted images must be selected from those published images. Where fewer than five were published, the remaining images may be selected from the same commissioned body of work.
- All five images should contribute to a coherent visual story and relate to the sub-category entered.
- Entrants may submit to People, Environment and Wildlife.
- Where a Photo Story could reasonably fit more than one sub-category, entrants should select the one that best reflects the principal focus of the work.
- Maximum two submissions per entrant, per sub-category.
- Each submission must comprise a different body of work.
- Entrants should provide details of the original commission and publication alongside the images.
Images remain subject to the separate Photo Story of the Year – Image Eligibility requirements set out on the How to Enter page.
TRAVEL BOOK
ENTRY CRITERIA
Travel Book of the Year celebrates outstanding non-fiction travel literature that provides a travel narrative and has been published within the eligible 24-month period.
Submission requirements
- A title may only be entered once and cannot be resubmitted in the following Awards year, even where it remains within the 24-month publication period.
- Maximum two eligible titles per author.
- Publishers may submit on behalf of an author only with the author's permission and full details.
TRAVEL GUIDE
ENTRY CRITERIA
Travel Guide of the Year celebrates outstanding travel guides published in print or digital formats within the eligible 24-month period, recognising authoritative research, substantive editorial depth and practical usefulness.
Eligible entries must provide a substantive, self-contained travel reference, offering comprehensive, researched and structured guidance to help travellers explore and make informed decisions about a destination, region or specialist travel subject.
Individual destination features, itineraries, social media posts and reels or collections of recommendations will not qualify merely because they are described as guides. Print and digital entries will be assessed against the same editorial standards, with digital guides judged on their editorial content rather than platform design, technology or functionality.
Submission requirements
- The guide must have been first published or substantially updated within the eligible 24-month period (1 January 2025 – 31 December 2026).
- Updated editions or digital guides must demonstrate a significant editorial revision, involving more than 15% of their editorial content. Routine listing updates, corrections or technical changes do not qualify.
- A title or digital product may only be entered once and cannot be resubmitted in the following Awards year, even where it remains within the eligibility period.
- Publishers may submit on behalf of an author only with the author's permission and full details.
- Two physical copies must be supplied for printed guide entries as part of the submission process.
Recognition Awards
Alongside the nine Awards open for entry, the Inspire Global Media Awards recognise individuals and organisations whose work, achievements and contribution have helped advance travel storytelling.
The four Recognition Awards are determined through the Awards’ established recognition and judging processes and are not open for direct entry.
Explore the Recognition Awards below to learn more about each distinction.
POSITIVE IMPACT STORYTELLER
AWARD CRITERIA
Positive Impact Storyteller of the Year recognises sustained excellence in positive-impact travel storytelling across the Awards.
This award is not entered directly. Eligible storytellers are identified through their performance across the 2027 Inspire Global Media Awards, using a weighted methodology that recognises both sustained output and competitive achievement.
POSITIVE IMPACT STORY PRODUCER
AWARD CRITERIA
Positive Impact Story Producer of the Year recognises UK-based publications, broadcasters, platforms and story-producing organisations demonstrating sustained excellence in producing positive-impact travel storytelling.
This UK Recognition Award is not entered directly. Eligible organisations are identified through the performance of their work across the 2027 Inspire Global Media Awards, using a weighted methodology that recognises both sustained output and competitive achievement.
POSITIVE IMPACT EDITOR
AWARD CRITERIA
Positive Impact Editor of the Year recognises UK-based editors whose commissioning has enabled sustained excellence in positive-impact travel storytelling across the Awards.
This UK Recognition Award is not entered directly. Eligible editors are identified through the performance of work they have commissioned across the 2027 Inspire Global Media Awards, using a weighted methodology aligned with Positive Impact Storyteller and Story Producer of the Year.
OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO POSITIVE IMPACT STORYTELLING
RECOGNITION AWARD CRITERIA
Outstanding Contribution to Positive Impact Storytelling recognises an individual or media organisation whose work has made an exceptional and sustained contribution to advancing positive-impact travel storytelling.
The award may recognise achievement across journalism, photography, broadcasting, publishing or other relevant areas of travel media.
Outstanding Contribution is an honorary award and is not open for direct entry. It is considered separately from the performance-based recognition awards.
Explore the eligibility criteria, submission requirements and entry process on our How to Enter page.
Entries open 30 November 2026.
Awards Timeline
30 November 2026
22 January 2027
8 February 2027
19 April 2027
10 May 2027
24 May 2027