GENERAL ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Nominations will be received from any individual, organization or business that supports or contributes to the development of the Manitoba tourism industry. Self nominations are eligible.

Nominations should be based on recent activities. As a general guideline, activities that occur in the previous calendar year will be considered recent.

NOMINATION PROCESS

Nominations for the 20th Annual Manitoba Tourism Awards are due by June 3, 2018. Nominations will only be accepted prior to the deadline.

Nominations must adhere to the general eligibility criteria and the category-specific criteria. Multiple category nominations are accepted, but separate entries must be submitted for each category. Nominations must be original each year. Travel Manitoba reserves the right to re-categorize or reject nominations at our discretion.

Nominators must indicate on the nomination submission that the nominee is aware of and accept their nomination(s).

Submitting your nomination is easy and convenient using our online system. Click 'Start Nomination' to create an account and get started.​

If you have any questions regarding the Manitoba Tourism Awards, please contact Samantha Bason at sbason@travelmanitoba.com.

EVALUATION

The judging panel is comprised of Manitoba tourism industry representatives, and consists of persons who are not associated with the nomination process or any of the nominees. Judges who have a conflict of interest are expected to excuse themselves from judging the category in question.

Each question on the submission is assigned a weight relative to the total score. The weighting of each question varies, depending on the number of questions and the nature of the questions in each category.

The judges impartially evaluate the responses to the questions and assign each response a score. The scores for each question are tallied to determine each nominee's total score. The average score is then tallied based on the number of judges for the category.

SUPPORTING MATERIALS

Unless otherwise stated, supporting documents are not mandatory, nor will they have points assigned to them. They may be used to augment and clarify information provided in the nomination and may be useful in situations where nominees are deemed to be very close in merit by the panel of judges.

FINALIST RECOGNITION

Up to three finalists will receive a Manitoba Tourism Awards Finalist Certificate. Finalists will receive one complimentary ticket to the annual Manitoba Tourism Awards celebration event where they will be honoured by their peers.

Awards Categories

Aspiring Youth Award (29 years or younger)

The recipient of the award will be an individual who:

• Demonstrates a passion for tourism;
• Participates in the tourism field in a variety of possible activities;
• Shows ambition when it comes to promoting tourism in their region;
• Is an example of what our industry's future can become.

Event of the Year Award - Budget Under $5,000

The recipient of the award will be an event that:

• Increases visitation to the community/region/province;
• Demonstrates the ability to successfully satisfy visitor expectations;
• Generates/stimulates tourism and economic activity in the community/region/province.

Event of the Year Award - Budget Over $5,000

The recipient of the award will be an event that:

• Increases visitation to the community/region/province;
• Demonstrates the ability to successfully satisfy visitor expectations;
• Generates/stimulates tourism and economic activity in the community/region/province.

Indigenous Tourism Award

The recipient of the award will be an Indigenous product, service or experience that:

• Is committed to sharing an authentic and realistic cultural activity;
• Contributes to the promotion and advancement of Indigenous culture in the community/region/province;
• Generates/stimulates tourism and economic activity in the community/region/province;
• Educates visitors/participants/spectators on Indigenous culture;
• Actively demonstrates a respect for the ecology, economy and culture of the host community.

Innovation Award

The recipient of the award will be a business or organization that:

• Demonstrates initiative and creativity in developing Manitoba's tourism products;
• Addressed a need/void for identifiable tourism markets.
• Marketing Excellence Award
• The recipient of the award will be a tradition, online or social media campaign that:
• Converts campaign expenditures into interest in Manitoba's tourism products and visitation;
• Attracts a significant amount of public/media awareness of Manitoba.

Partnership Award

The recipient of the award will be a partnership that:

• Demonstrates the power of partnership in Manitoba;
• Contributes to the growth of Manitoba's tourism industry;
• Demonstrates a successful collaboration.

Sustainable Tourism Award

The recipient of the award will be a business or organization that:

• Demonstrates the three pillars of sustainability;
• Demonstrates an understanding of its impact of the natural and cultural resources, and the economy of the community/region/province;
• Meets the needs of present visitors while protecting and enhancing opportunities for the future.

Volunteer of the Year Award

The recipient of the award will be an individual that:

• Has devoted a significant amount of their time to Manitoba's tourism industry;
• Had a lasting impact on the tourismhttp://uat.travelmanitoba.com/storm/entries/pages/100309-awards/?site=en_us# activity(s) on which the nomination is based.

Award of Distinction - Individual

The recipient of the award will be an individual that:

• Demonstrates the ability to successfully satisfy visitor expectations;
• Has contributed to the professional image of Manitoba's tourism industry;
• Sets an example that others can aspire to.

Winnipeg Airports Authority Award of Distinction - Business or Organization

The recipient of the award will be a business or organization that:

• Has been in the tourism industry for a minimum of 10 years;
• Is committed to the excellence of Manitoba's tourism industry.