INSPIRE GLOBAL MEDIA AWARDS 2026 JUDGES
The Inspire Global Media Awards judging panel brings together expertise from travel journalism, broadcasting, photography, publishing, tourism and positive impact.
The Judges
Judges assess eligible entries against the published criteria and the Awards’ three core pillars—INSPIRE, IMPACT and INFORM—bringing their professional experience and different perspectives to the process.
We are grateful to every judge for the time, care and expertise they contribute to recognising excellence in positive impact storytelling.
Adam Aspinall
Deep South USAdam Aspinall - Travel & Tourism Marketing
As PR Account Manager at TTM Ltd, I work on the PR accounts of Maverick Helicopters and three US DMOs, namely the Louisiana Office of Tourism, New Orleans & Company, and the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development.
Graham Boynton
Boynton TravelsGraham Boynton - Boynton Travels
Graham Boynton is an award-winning international journalist and author who has been a frequent contributor to magazines such as Vanity Fair and The New Yorker and has written for major newspapers including UK’s The Times and The Telegraph and The New York Times and Financial Times. He has written several acclaimed books including Last Days in Cloud Cuckooland, which was one of the Washington Post’s Books of the Year, and Wild: The Life of Peter Beard, which has been put up for a Pulitzer Prize. The biography could, according to the best-selling author Alexander McCall Smith, “have been scripted jointly by Blixen and Hemingway. A brilliantly enjoyable read – a triumph.” Boynton was a friend of Peter Beard for more than 30 years and arguably knew him better than anyone.
Holly Budge
How Many Elephants NGOHolly Budge - How Many Elephants
My work sits at the intersection of risk, leadership, extreme environments, and exploration. As the first woman to skydive Everest, a North Face Everest summiteer, and a global keynote speaker on RISK, I help organisations reframe uncertainty as a catalyst for innovation, growth, and purpose-led action.
From high-altitude expeditions to frontline conservation, and an increasing focus on STEM, systems, and space-adjacent innovation, I explore how humans perform, decide, and lead when the stakes are high.
Beyond the stage I am the founder of World Female Ranger Week and How Many Elephants, working alongside frontline conservation leaders and communities in some of the world’s most complex environments.
Chris Coe
TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR (TPOTY)Chris Coe - TPOTY
Chris is a highly acclaimed photographer renowned for his mastery of natural light and a profound passion for capturing the essence of nature, landscapes, and travel. With a distinct style characterised by striking simplicity and a graphic quality, Chris has been a professional photographer since 1992.
Over the course of his illustrious career, Chris has photographed an extensive range of subjects, including landscapes, people, architecture, gardens, travel destinations, and wildlife, in diverse locations worldwide. His rare ability to excel in various types of photography demonstrates not only a deep understanding of light but also a commitment to exploring the visual and creative potential of different subjects. This versatility allows him to find inspiration in diversity, making his work visually and creatively stimulating.
In addition to his photographic accomplishments, Chris Coe is an influential figure in the field of photography education and curation. He is also a writer and author with over 50 books to his name, most as a photographer but some as the author. A few years ago he started the free online creative photography, adventure and travel magazine, Eye for the Light
Chris is the founder of the Travel Photographer of the Year (TPOTY) awards, now in its 24th year. These awards have launched the careers of many photographers and the TPOTY exhibitions have travelled around the world. Chris has curated over 50 of them.
Samantha Day
FINN PARTNERSSam Day - FINN Partners
With over 20 years’ experience in the travel and lifestyle sector, Sam has partnered with some of the world’s most inspiring travel brands to deliver high-impact, strategic communications. Now part of the FINN team, Sam specialises in creative storytelling, media and broadcast relations, influencer marketing, events, partnerships, and senior-level strategic counsel. Known for bringing stories to life and connecting brands with the right voices and audiences, Sam is looking forward to being part of the Inspire Global judging team.
Chris Haslam
THE SUNDAY TIMESChris Haslam - The Sunday Times
The role of Chief Travel Writer at The Times and Sunday Times demands extraordinary versatility, hugely varied knowledge and a contacts book spanning the world - not to mention an understanding of what readers want, on their smartphones, tablets and from their print paper.
Andrew Hunt
HOLIDAY ARCHITECTSAndrew Hunt - Holiday Architects
A 20+ year career in the specialist, tailor-made travel sector:
2000-2003: Cox & Kings. Sales, and then Product Manager of the Middle East department.
2003-2010: Audley Travel, Programme Manager. Set up and then ran the Middle East and South Africa programmes. Subsequently merged and ran the Middle East and North Asia programmes.
2010-present: Holiday Architects (trading name of A&D Holidays Ltd), Founder / CEO. Founded initially as a one-man band. Bootstrapped to 30+ people with >£10m sales pre-pandemic. Survived the pandemic, emerged very strongly, recovering almost all the lost sales ground by mid-2023 (but off a substantially reduced cost base). Merged Holiday Architects with Experience Travel Group in early 2023, under the umbrella of Inquisitive Traveller Ltd.
2023-present: Inquisitive Traveller group, Director. Co-founder and Board member. Initially two brands, Holiday Architects and Experience Travel Group, with the aim of building / buying a further 2-3 brands by 2025-2027.
Jennie Jordan
VISIT MISSISSIPPIJennie Jordan - Visit Mississippi
Senior PR & Social Media Manager covering all PR for Visit Mississippi, plus all social media work for TTM and Deep South USA.
Fran Lambert
SWITZERLAND TOURISMFran Lambert - Switzerland Tourism
Head of PR - UK & Ireland
Alexandra Liste
LEMONGRASS MARKETINGAlexandra Liste - Lemongrass Marketing
Alex is a PR and communications specialist with over 10 years’ experience delivering impactful campaigns across the travel and tourism sector. She has worked with leading tourism boards and hotel brands, securing top-tier coverage across broadcast, national newspapers and glossy magazines. At Lemongrass, Alex oversees client strategy and leads the Lemongrass Green Team, championing responsible travel initiatives, driving the company’s B Corp recertification, and managing carbon budgets for both the team and its clients.
Alex Malcolm
JACADA TRAVELAlex Malcolm - Jacada Travel
Born and raised in England, Alex Malcolm founded Jacada Travel in 2008. He was working in the travel industry in Rio de Janeiro when he realised that there was a market for a company that showed travellers the insider track and hidden gems that only locals know. He moved back to his native UK to put his plan into action.
Jim Millward
SPRUCE MARKETINGJim Millward - Spruce Marketing
Jim is the founder of Spruce, a marketing consultancy for SME travel businesses, with clients across the tour operator, DMC and accommodation sectors. Jim's experience includes heading up the marketing team at Audley Travel for 15 years. He also has a strong interest in sustainability and wrote and implemented Audley's sustainability policies.
Tania Peck
CYPRUS DEPUTY MINISTRY OF TOURISMTania Peck - Visit Cyprus
Tania Peck looks after media relations at the London office of Cyprus Deputy Ministry of Tourism. With extensive background in cross-cultural communications and marketing, and passionate about languages and cultural diversity, Tania is an advocate for tourism as a powerful force for good.
Chris Pickard
WORLD CETACEAN ALLIANCEChris Pickard - Critical Divide
Chris Pickard is an experienced tourism and media professional with an international track record with a focus on developing mainstream and niche-market tourism “product”. Most notably as director of tourism for the island of St Helena and a director of Enterprise St Helena, the island’s development board, and as head of the Brazilian Tourist Office in London and director of communications for the World Travel & Tourism Council.
In the UK he has looked after the PR for TAM Airlines, the Rio Convention & Visitors Bureau, and the Ecuador and Quito Tourist Boards, among others.
He is a past chair of the Latin American Travel Association (LATA), and the association’s charitable arm, the LATA Foundation. He is an ex-board member of British Chamber of Commerce in Brazil and the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents (Brazil), and is currently the chair of the Anglo-Brazilian Society and a member of the Chartered Institute of Journalists.
Well-connected in publishing, media, marketing, communications and public affairs, Chris was editor of Moving Pictures, Pulse DVD & Digital, TravelPlus, Rio Life, The Daily Tiger and the travel, arts, and entertainment editor of The Latin America Daily Post. As a journalist he has contributed to The Sunday Times, The Evening Standard, The Sun, Daily Mirror, The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Wall Street Journal, Folha de São Paulo, and many more. He has made contributions to camera for the BBC, ITV, Five, Channel 4, CNN, Sky TV and TV Globo. He currently edits and publishes the popular “The Guide” web series including to Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Cannes, The World Cup, and the Oscars. He is completing documentaries about the Cannes Film Festival and the life of the Great Train Robber, Ronnie Biggs, with whom he helped write his autobiography and a novel.
Pat Riddell
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER (UK)Pat Riddell - National Geographic Traveller (UK)
As editor of the award-winning National Geographic Traveller (UK) since 2010, Pat has overseen the launch, growth and expansion of the brand from print into digital, social, events and partnerships.
Simone Sagi
NETHERLANDS BOARD OF TOURISMSimone Sagi - Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions
An accomplished communications specialist with over 20 years in-house PR experience in the arts/culture/heritage and tourism sectors. I have worked as PR Manager at the Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions since 2013 working on strategy and reputation management. My primary goal is to attract quality visitors from the leisure and business sectors from the UK to the Netherlands.
Since 2020 I have taken a focused approach on sustainable travel and PR practice. In 2022 I passed the Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership course in Business Sustainability Management.
Howard Salinger
TRAVEL CONNECTION GROUPHoward Salinger - Travel Connection Group
Howard Salinger, Managing Director of Travel Connection Group, has been connecting travel companies and destinations with top travel media through various events for over 20 years. TCG’s annual events include Media Getaway, the biggest travel media event in the UK taking place outside London, and TravYule, a Christmas event where individuals are rewarded for their efforts by winning The Baubles.
Natalie Smith
VIA RAIL CANADANatalie Smith - VIA Rail Canada
Natalie has 17 years of experience working in travel with 12 of those working for VIA Rail Canada and other Canadian companies. She has a true passion for the country and enjoys inspiring others to explore the vast options available and suggesting new and exciting itinerary ideas that might not have been considered.
Nigel Thompson
TRAVEL EDITORNigel Thompson - Travel Editor
Nigel Thompson - Travel Editor
Luisa Uruena
TOURISM NOVA SCOTIALuisa Uruena - Tourism Nova Scotia
Luisa Uruena is the PR Director at Axis Travel Marketing, where she leads strategic communications for global tourism brands. With extensive experience in media relations, storytelling, and destination promotion, she excels at crafting impactful campaigns that connect audiences with inspiring travel experiences.
Susan Ward Davies
THE CALENDAR MAGAZINESusan Ward Davies - The Calendar Magazine
Susan is the Travel & Lifestyle Editor for The Calendar Magazine - a purpose driven platform and community with a mission to drive real and meaningful change via inspiring and positive content, showing our audience how to shop and live more sustainably.
Susan was previously Travel & Lifestyle Director for ELLE by Hearst Magazines UK for over 30 years.
Justin Wateridge
STEPPES TRAVELJustin Wateridge - Steppes Travel
Justin Wateridge is Managing Director of specialist tour operator Steppes Travel. He has been with Steppes Travel since 2012 and for the five years preceding that was Managing Director of Abercrombie & Kent UK.
His travel highlights have been many but from a wildlife perspective would include spotting a snow leopard in Ladakh, tracking gorillas with the Ba’aka pygmies in Central Africa and seeing a Sei whale in the Galapagos. In terms of landscape it would be the tepuis of Venezuela, the remote island of Socotra off Yemen and the pristine beauty of the North-West Frontier Province in Pakistan. In terms of cities, Cartagena, Kashgar and Beirut. In terms of experiences, spending time with the nomadic Wodaabe in the Sahara and cycling up the Mekong River.
Justin firmly believes that travel breaks down barriers and prejudice. “Travel gives us so much – experience, empathy, perspective, understanding and such vivid memories. Our world is wonderfully diverse and we should not shrink from it but experience it, relish it and use those experiences to redefine our own lives.”
Allan Hale
CAMBRIDGE CAMERA CLUBAllan Hale - Cambridge Camera Club
Allan has been a keen photographer since his early teens and following a move to the Cambridge area in 1993, he joined Bassingbourn Photographic Club, which eventually merged with Melbourn Photographic Club. He joined Cambridge Camera Club in 2006, and was a Judge on the EAF list for about 12 years reaching the B list. He attained his LRPS in 2009 and his ARPS in 2014. He has very wide interests in photography including Infrared, Landscapes, Nature, and Flowers.
Penny Reeves
SWAVESEY CAMERA CLUBPenny Reeves - Swavesey Camera Club
Penny is an experienced club photographer and an accredited East Anglian Federation of photographic clubs judge who judges camera club competitions for clubs large and small throughout East Anglia. Her personal photography covers a wide range of subjects from landscape and nature to still life and portraiture.
Richard McCleery
CHELTENHAM CAMERA CLUBRichard McCleery - Cheltenham Camera Club
Richard McCleery
I view photography as a way to document life’s events, experiences, friends, travel and a chance to exercise one’s imagination. My 40 years photography experience has developed into a passion and proved an artistic counterbalance to working in a corporate environment. Having shot several paid assignments, I know I’m better as an amateur, pleasing myself. I don’t specialise, but love shooting sport, portraiture and making creative images. I have had work published, won many competitions, been chair of Cheltenham Camera Club twice and am a founding member of Cheltenham’s International Salon of Photography.