2024 TMAC NATIONAL JUDGED AWARD CATEGORIES

(Presented in 2025 for 2024 work)

SUBMISSION TIMELINE FOR TMAC NATIONAL JUDGED AWARDS

• Submissions Open: January TBD
• Information Session: January 15, 2025, at 2:30 PM (Eastern) – RSVP
• Submission Deadline: February 20, 2025, at 11:59 PM (Eastern)
• Finalists Announced: May 2025
• Winners Announced: June 7, 2025, at the TMAC Awards Gala in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

NATIONAL AWARD SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Be a proud sponsor and champion of one (or more) of the following award categories and enhance your exposure pre and post conference and onsite in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan June 4 – 8, 2025, presenting your sponsored award at the Awards Gala on June 7th!  To learn more, click here.

IMPORTANT

The 2024 TMAC National Awards, presented in June 2025, celebrate excellence for works published in 2024, between January 1- December 31.  We encourage all styles of writing to be entered as they will be judged according to criteria that best fits the piece.

**PLEASE REVIEW THE NATIONAL AWARDS GUIDELINES PRIOR TO SUBMITTING.**

National Awards 2024 - Written Word

1. BEST CULTURAL & HISTORICAL STORY
This category celebrates stories that highlight a journey providing information and insight into a specific place. Submissions may focus on art forms, events, local customs, or travel experiences that share historical perspectives or shed light on a specific culture. Topics might range from Indigenous traditions to a funeral ceremony in Bali, a profile of a historical figure, or a feature on the Klondike gold rush. If your story inspires readers to learn, discover, and engage with the tangible and intangible cultural and historical aspects of a destination, this is the place for it.
(See Judges' scoring criteria: Written Word) 

2. BEST FOOD/DRINK STORY
This category focuses on the diverse world of culinary travel. Submissions should educate readers about food tourism and explore how gastronomy is deeply rooted in communities. Topics might include city walking or dining tours, local food production, foraging adventures, regenerative farm-to-table experiences, or profiles of chefs or distilleries making a difference. If you channel the spirit of Anthony Bourdain in your travel storytelling, this is your category.
(See Judges' scoring criteria: Written Word)

3. BEST TOURISM FOR POSITIVE CHANGE STORY
As our understanding of the broad types of damage that tourism can inflict on communities, cultures and the environment has evolved, so has this category. This category recognizes stories about travel as a force for good. Submissions can explore sustainability, accessibility, inclusion, regenerative travel, or innovative approaches to responsible tourism. Whether about businesses, groups, ideas, or experiences, entries should tell compelling stories that open our eyes to the positive possibilities of travel.
(See Judges' scoring criteria: Written Word)

4. BEST OUTDOOR ADVENTURE, SPORT OR RECREATION STORY
This category celebrates stories where the activity itself takes centre stage. From soft or hard adventures to sporting events, stories should immerse readers and bring the experience to life. Topics might include canoe trips, hiking, skydiving, or other outdoor pursuits that inspire and excite.
(See Judges' scoring criteria: Written Word)

5. BEST TRAVEL BOOK (alternating category)
This category is open to any travel book published or re-issued in 2023 or 2024. From a book of your own personal essays to a travel guide to narrative non-fiction to a children’s book this category is open to all styles of book. Multi-author works (up to four authors) are also welcome, prize is shared between contributors. Authors must submit two copies of their book for judging.
(See Judges' scoring criteria: Travel Book)

6. BEST TRAVEL RESOURCE CONTENT (NEW)
This award covers a wide range of non-narrative, information-focused or service-style travel writing, including: how-to guides, top 10 lists, travel tips and advice, destination guides, itineraries, packing lists, reviews and more. The key characteristic of the Travel Resource Content Category is that submissions must provide actionable, practical information to help readers plan and execute their trips. Individual blog entries and traditional media stories are welcome.
(See Judges' scoring criteria: Written Word - Travel Resource)

 National Awards 2024 - Visual

7. LANDSCAPE, NATURE OR EVOCATION OF PLACE
This category celebrates photographs that evoke a strong sense of place, from serene deserts to vibrant sunsets, bustling cityscapes, or dynamic wildlife captures. Images should tell a compelling story of their environment.
(See Judges' scoring criteria: Visual)

8. BEST PEOPLE PHOTO
Photographs in this category should depict an aspect of culture, life, or society through an individual or group. The subject must clearly relate to a travel destination, with a background that enhances, rather than overwhelms, the human aspect.
*If this is a photo of yourself, it must have been taken by you.
(See Judges' scoring criteria: Visual)

9. BEST PHOTO SERIES
This category recognizes photo series that captivate and tell a cohesive story. Submissions must include a collection of four (4) photos accompanying a single article (print or digital). The submitting photographer must have taken the photos but need not have authored the article.
(See Judges' scoring criteria: Best Photo Series)

National Awards 2024 - All Media Forms

NOTE: Within the following two Multi/any media Categories ALL forms of storytelling are welcome. Expanded to be inclusive of all forms of storytelling by TMACers, this includes digital, written and broadcast -  everything from articles to podcasts, videos to digital storytelling, and immersive and interactive media.

10. BEST STORY ABOUT TRAVEL WITHIN CANADA (Formerly Spirit of Canada)
First introduced as an award by our much loved and missed colleague Jimmy Kemshead, best known as Yukon Jim, this award celebrates Canada’s diverse landscapes, cultures, and people with stories that showcase a destination, theme, or a personal connection to a place. If you’ve written or produced a piece that shares your love or passion for some part of Canada–this is the place for it. *If your story focuses on an Indigenous Experience in Canada you may want to enter it in that category.
(See Judges' scoring criteria: Travel Within Canada)

11. BEST INDIGENOUS TOURISM EXPERIENCE IN CANADA STORY
“We have a story to tell.” Indigenous Peoples in Canada have been here for millennia and the authenticity, uniqueness and diversity of stories and experiences offered are being celebrated through a vibrant, and growing, Indigenous tourism industry. Closely guided by community values of respect, honour and integrity, Indigenous Peoples have been sharing their culture with visitors to their traditional territories since time immemorial. Building on these values as sustainable building blocks, businesses are created and welcoming guests to learn about and engage with Indigenous Peoples through quality, authentic and transformative Indigenous cultural tourism experiences.

This award category invites submissions that share and celebrate engaging, authentic and transformative, Canadian based, Indigenous experiences, amplifying and giving voice to the stories from our Indigenous communities that can and should be heard, and experienced.
(See Judges' scoring criteria: Indigenous Experience in Canada)

National Awards 2024 - Multi Media

12. BEST SELF-PUBLISHED TRAVEL WEBSITE (INCLUDES BLOG)
This category is for those who publish a travel website. Whether it’s crafting itineraries, sharing things to see, do and eat in a destination, or telling stories, the writing should reflect the author’s experience of a place and aim to better the reader’s travel experience.
IMPORTANT: To enter this category, you must be the owner of the travel website and articles submitted for the judging must be content (written words and photos) that have been created by you. Your submission will be based on three (3) articles only that you submit from your website, along with the overall holistic website design.
*Only one (1) entry submission per website in the cases of co-owned websites is permitted.
(See Judges' scoring criteria: Website Includes Blog)

13. BEST EMERGING & BROADCAST MEDIA:
Stories 10-minutes & UNDER in Length
This category celebrates digital and broadcast travel storytelling. Submissions may include podcasts, films, videos (including short-form platforms like TikTok), audio guides, apps, or immersive media (AR/VR). Individual episodes from series are allowed. Stories over 10 minutes are eligible for alternating-year awards.
Where these exist as a series, you are restricted to submitting ONE individual episode."
(See Judges' scoring criteria: Emerging and Broadcast Media Stories 10-Minutes and Under in Length)
*Please Note: Subject to being limited to submitting the same ‘story’ once, you are welcome to consider submitting your Broadcast and Emerging Media stories within the Best Spirit of Canada and Best Canadian Indigenous Tourism Experience categories as well.

Not sure whether your project qualifies?
See examples of the types of media and storytelling that you can submit, here.
Still not sure?  Send us an email and ask.

Stories OVER 10-minutes in Length
(an alternating year award - offered in 2025, for works created in 2023/24)

MEMBER VOTED & CHAPTER AWARDS SUBMISSIONS OPEN IN MARCH 2025