Great work deserves to be recognised.
Explore the categories, check the criteria and prepare your entries before continuing to the submission platform.
Find the right category
All awards, in one place.
The categories are grouped as they will appear in Judgify. Open any category to see who it is for, what the jury will look for and what you should prepare.
Individual Achievement
Recognising exceptional people and their own achievements
Sales Talent of the Year
Who is this for?
The HSMAI Europe Sales Talent of the Year Award recognizes and promotes excellence in the field of sales in the hospitality industry. Honorees exemplify strong sales performance producing measurable results.
The aim of the award is to promote result oriented and innovative leadership among young executives, and to focus on the importance of being a business leader in the industry.
The nominee must:
• work in a European country
• be 30 years old or younger on 31 December, 2026
• work as an executive at a hotel or travel industry company.
• submissions from vendors or service providers will not be considered.
What will the jury look for?
The jury will look for candidates that has excelled in their jobs in the last year, because they have delivered exceptionally good results, or because they have been specially inventive in their business and executive position. Candidates must demonstrate excellence in all of the following areas:
- Creativity & Initiative
- Sales Acumen
- Innovative Leadership
- Advancement of the Sales Discipline
What to prepare
Candidates have to be nominated by a supervisor and / or General Manager or Managing Director or the head office. Prepare nominee details, achievements, evidence and supporting material.
The winners of all of the Individual Achievement Awards, next to recognition, wins free attendance included hotel and travel to the HSMAI Europe Commercial Camp 2027.
Marketing Talent of the Year
Who is this for?
The HSMAI Europe Marketing Talent of the Year Award recognizes and promotes excellence in the field of marketing in the hospitality industry. Honorees exemplify strong marketing performance producing measurable results.
The aim of the awards is to promote result oriented and innovative leadership among young executives, and to focus on the importance of being a business leader in the industry.
The nominee must:
- work in a European country
- be 30 years old or younger on 31 December, 2026
- work as an executive at a hotel or travel industry company.
- submissions from vendors or service providers will not be considered.
What will the jury look for?
The jury will look for candidates that have excelled in their jobs in the last year, because they have delivered exceptionally good results, or because they have been specially inventive in their business and executive position. Candidates must demonstrate excellence in all of the following areas:
- Creativity & Initiative
- Marketing Acumen
- Innovative Leadership
- Advancement of the Marketing Discipline
What to prepare
Candidates have to be nominated by a supervisor and / or General Manager or Managing Director or the head office. Prepare nominee details, achievements, evidence and supporting material.
The winners of all of the Individual Achievement Awards, next to recognition, wins free attendance included hotel and travel to the HSMAI Europe Commercial Camp 2027.
Revenue Management Talent of the Year
Who is this for?
This award will be handed out on a yearly basis to young people in the hotel industry. Candidates will be appraised on the basis of their careers, as well as their accomplishments during the last year.
The aim of the awards is to promote result oriented and innovative leadership among young executives, and to focus on the importance of being a business leader in the industry.
The nominee must:
- work in a European country
- be 30 years old or younger on 31 December, 2026
- work as an executive at a hotel or travel industry company
- submissions from vendors or service providers will not be considered.
What will the jury look for?
The jury will look for candidates that have excelled in their jobs in the last year, because they have delivered exceptionally good results, or because they have been specially inventive in their business and executive position. Candidates must demonstrate excellence in all of the following areas:
- Creativity & Initiative
- Sales Acumen
- Innovative Leadership
- Advancement of the Revenue Discipline
What to prepare
Candidates have to be nominated by a supervisor and / or General Manager or Managing Director or the head office. Prepare nominee details, achievements, evidence and supporting material.
The winners of all of the Individual Achievement Awards, next to recognition, wins free attendance included hotel and travel to the HSMAI Europe Commercial Camp 2027.
Sales Professional of the Year
Who is this for?
The HSMAI Europe Sales Professionals of the Year Award recognizes and promotes excellence in the field of sales in the hospitality industry. Honorees exemplify strong sales performance producing measurable results.
To qualify for the award, a nominee must:
- Work in a European Country
- Currently work for a hotel or hotel group on-property or in a regional office, or work for an airline, travel agency or any travel or tourism related company in a sales role. Submissions from vendors or service providers will not be considered.
- Have more than 75% of their responsibilities focused specifically on the day-to-day Sales management for the property(s).
- Play a significant and key role in the optimization of the Sales potential of the organization, in its competitive environment.
What will the jury look for?
The jury will look for candidates that demonstrate excellence in all of the following areas:
- Creativity & Initiative
- Sales Acumen
- Innovative Leadership
- Lifelong Learning
- Cross-Discipline Collaboration
- Talent Development
- Advancement of the Discipline.
What to prepare
Candidates have to be nominated by a supervisor and / or General Manager or Managing Director or the head office. Prepare nominee details, achievements, evidence and supporting material.
The winners of all of the Individual Achievement Awards, next to recognition, wins free attendance included hotel and travel to the HSMAI Europe Commercial Camp 2027.
Marketing Professional of the Year
Who is this for?
The HSMAI Europe Marketing Professional of the Year Award recognizes and promotes excellence in the field of marketing in the hospitality industry. Nominees will be selected based on outstanding achievements in terms of marketing as well as the overall development of this field within our sector.
To qualify for the award, a nominee must:
- Work in a European Country.
- Currently work in a marketing role in the hospitably industry or significantly contribute from a marketing standpoint to the hospitality industry (working for a hotel or hotel group on-property or in a regional office, or for a Food and Beverage company, work for an airline, travel agency or any travel or tourism related company. Submissions from vendors or service providers will not be considered.
- Drive the marketing strategy to raise brand awareness and differentiate the organization from competitors, helping to support its success and growth.
- Have a forward-thinking approach and the ability to think outside the box in terms of marketing in order to adapt to change within our industry.
- Be able to display tangible results for a successful cross-channel marketing operation.
What will the jury look for?
The jury will look for candidates who demonstrate excellence in all of the following areas:
- Creativity in branding and communications
- Innovation in marketing and campaigns
- Results driven focus
- Inspirational leadership
- Advancement of the discipline within our industry
What to prepare
Candidates have to be nominated by a supervisor and / or General Manager or Managing Director or the head office. Prepare nominee details, achievements, evidence and supporting material.
The winners of all of the Individual Achievement Awards, next to recognition, wins free attendance included hotel and travel to the HSMAI Europe Commercial Camp 2027.
Revenue Optimization Professional of the Year
Who is this for?
The award will be given to one hospitality professional every year in recognition of their individual contributions to revenue optimisation in the industry.
Nominations for the Revenue Optimization Professional of the Year Award come from HSMAI and the industry at large. Nominees represent the very best in the hospitality industry in revenue optimization. Nominations are judged by a panel of revenue management leaders on a variety of criteria.
To qualify for the award, a nominee must:
- Work in a European country
- Currently serve in an on-property, multi-property, cluster or regional revenue optimization role for a brand, management company, ownership group, or independent property. Submissions from vendors or service providers will not be considered.
- Have more than 75% of their responsibilities focused specifically on the day-to-day management of revenue optimization for the property(s).
Play a significant and key role in the optimization of the revenue potential of the organization, in its competitive environment. - Demonstrate excellence in all of the following areas: Lifelong Learning; Innovative Leadership; Cross-Discipline Collaboration; Talent Development; and Advancement of the Discipline.
What will the jury look for?
The jury will look for candidates that demonstrate excellence in all of the following areas:
- Creativity & Initiative
- Revenue Optimization
- Innovative Leadership
- Lifelong Learning
- Cross-Discipline Collaboration
- Talent Development
- Advancement of the Discipline
What to prepare
Candidates have to be nominated by a supervisor and / or General Manager or Managing Director or the head office. Prepare nominee details, achievements, evidence and supporting material.
The winners of all of the Individual Achievement Awards, next to recognition, wins free attendance included hotel and travel to the HSMAI Europe Commercial Camp 2027.
Best in Class Categories
Recognising outstanding teams and organisational achievements
Sales Team of the Year
Who is this for?
HSMAI Europe aims to be the go-to industry resource for professional development across the commercial functions in hospitality. The Sales Team of the Year Award seeks to highlight the hospitality organisation and sales team that has elevated the role of sales through strong strategic impact, cross-functional collaboration, relationship building and measurable business results.
Submissions from vendors or service providers will not be considered.
This award will assess how a sales team has contributed to the organisation’s commercial strategy, delivered strong revenue and business growth, developed key customer relationships, collaborated across the business, used tools and technology effectively, and built the skills and capabilities of the team.
What will the jury look for?
The jury will pick winners according to the following criteria:
- Evidence of delivering measurable business growth, revenue contribution, account development or market share growth above and beyond general market and competitive set trends.
- Illustration of strong sales performance across relevant areas such as account management, new business development, key account strategy, customer relationship management, negotiation, lead generation, conversion and sales process improvement.
- Clear synergy between the sales team’s work and the organisation’s overall commercial strategy, with examples of how sales insights, customer knowledge or market feedback have influenced strategic decisions and direction.
- Evidence of team learning, development and training, with particular interest in developing new sales talent, strengthening commercial capability and building a professional sales culture.
The winning Sales Team of the Year should also illustrate how they are working towards future goals, including:
- A clear approach to future team development and talent growth
- A structured learning and development programme
- Future aims and goals for the team
- New sales processes, tools or innovations
- Progress towards a more integrated commercial strategy across sales, marketing and revenue management
What to prepare
Entrants should provide:
- A brief description of the team and organisation
- Evidence of key results and commercial impact
- Examples of important initiatives, tools or processes
- Examples of cross-functional collaboration
- Information about team development and future goals
Marketing Team of the Year
Who is this for?
HSMAI Europe aims to be the go-to industry resource for professional development across the commercial functions in hospitality. The Marketing Team of the Year Award seeks to highlight a hospitality organisation and marketing team that has taken marketing to a new level through strategic brand building, customer insight, creativity, commercial impact and cross-functional collaboration.
Submissions from vendors or service providers will not be considered.
This award will assess how a marketing team has impacted the organisation’s brand, commercial performance, customer engagement, market positioning and business strategy. It will also consider the team’s use of data, technology, content, digital channels and internal collaboration to deliver strong results and measurable impact.
What will the jury look for?
The jury will select the winner according to the following criteria:
- Evidence of delivering measurable commercial, brand or customer growth above and beyond general market and competitive set trends, such as increased demand, direct business, engagement, conversion, loyalty, brand awareness or market share.
- Illustration of growth and development across key areas of marketing, including brand strategy, digital marketing, content, social media, CRM, campaign execution, customer insight, data use, distribution support and performance measurement.
- Clear alignment between marketing output and the organisation’s overall commercial strategy, with examples of how marketing activity has supported business priorities, influenced customer behaviour and contributed to strategic decisions.
- Evidence of team learning, development and training, with particular interest in developing new marketing talent, strengthening digital and commercial marketing skills, and building a more insight-driven marketing culture.
The winning Marketing Team of the Year should also illustrate how they are working towards future goals, including:
- A clear approach to future team development and talent growth
- A structured learning and development programme
- Future aims and goals for the team
- New marketing processes, tools, technologies or innovations
- Progress towards a more integrated commercial strategy across marketing, sales and revenue management
What to prepare
Entrants should be prepared to provide:
- A short description of the team and organisation
- Evidence of key results and impact
- Examples of important initiatives or campaigns
- Examples of collaboration and team development
- A short description of future goals
Revenue Management Team of the Year
Who is this for?
HSMAI Europe aims to be the go-to industry resource for professional development across the commercial functions in hospitality. No function has developed more over the last decade than Revenue Management, and this award seeks to highlight a hospitality organisation and revenue management team that has taken the discipline to a new level.
Submissions from vendors or service providers will not be considered.
This award will assess how a revenue management team has impacted the organisation’s strategy, used data and technology, worked cross-functionally, developed internal skills and delivered strong results outperforming the general market trend.
What will the jury look for?
The jury will select the winner according to the following criteria:
- Evidence of delivering financial and revenue growth above and beyond both general market and competitive set growth.
- Illustration of growth and development across key areas of revenue management, including pricing, inventory, channel management, forecasting, technology, distribution and cross-functional collaboration.
- Clear alignment between revenue management output and organisational strategy, with examples of how guidance from the team has influenced strategic decisions and business direction.
- Evidence of team learning, development and training, with particular interest in developing new talent and strengthening revenue management capabilities within the organisation.
The winning Revenue Management Team of the Year should also illustrate how they are working towards future goals, including:
- A clear approach to future team development and talent growth
- A structured learning and development programme
- Future aims and goals for the team
- New processes, tools or innovations
- Progress towards Total Revenue Management
What to prepare
Entrants should provide:
- A short description of the team and organisation
- Evidence of key results and revenue impact
- Examples of important initiatives, tools or processes
- Examples of cross-functional collaboration and strategic influence
- Information about team development and future goals
HSMAI Europe Sustainability Award
Who is this for?
The HSMAI Europe Sustainability Award will recognize social and environmental sustainability initiatives in hospitality businesses and share best practices with the industry. Candidates must provide documentation on implemented initiatives, their positive impact, and how they will continue their work for a more sustainable operation.
What will the jury look for?
The sustainability initiatives must have real impact on one or more of the following:
- Poverty reduction
- Health & well-being
- Diversity & inclusion
- Energy efficiency
- Biodiversity
- Natural resource efficiency
- Waste & pollution
- Water efficiency
- Climate change
Evaluation criteria:
- What is the impact of the initiatives?
- When did the business implement changes?
- Is the business sharing their learning and best practices?
- What are the plans for new and continued initiatives?
What to prepare
Entrants should provide:
- A short description of the business and the sustainability initiative
- Evidence of when and how the initiative was implemented
- Documentation of measurable or clearly described impact
- Examples of learning, best practices or industry relevance
- A short description of future plans for continued sustainability work
Marketing and Branding Categories
Recognising outstanding campaigns and brand work for European hospitality
Best Digital Marketing Campaign
Who is this for?
This award recognises outstanding digital marketing in hospitality through a well-planned, creative and integrated campaign delivered across a minimum of three digital channels.
The award celebrates campaigns that have used digital platforms to build brand awareness, drive engagement, influence customer behaviour and deliver measurable business results.
This category is for hospitality organisations that have delivered a strong digital marketing campaign across several channels.
Relevant entries may include campaigns using social media, paid media, content marketing, email, video, influencer collaborations, websites, CRM, loyalty platforms or other digital tools.
The campaign should show how different channels worked together as part of one coordinated approach, rather than as separate stand-alone activities.
The work must promote a European property, brand or hospitality business.
What will the jury look for?
The jury will look for:
- Clear objectives and a well-defined target audience
- Strong strategic thinking behind the campaign
- Creative and relevant use of digital channels
- A coordinated campaign delivered across at least three digital channels
- Evidence of measurable results, such as awareness, engagement, traffic, conversions, bookings, revenue or customer growth
- Clear connection between the campaign, the brand and the organisation’s commercial goals
- Long-term value, such as stronger brand position, improved customer relationships or learning that can be used in future marketing work
What to prepare
Entrants should provide:
- A short description of the campaign and the organisation behind it
- The challenge or opportunity the campaign aimed to address
- The campaign objectives and target audience
- An explanation of the strategy, creative concept and channel mix
- Examples of how the campaign was executed across at least three digital channels
- Evidence of results and impact
- A short reflection on learning, long-term value or future use of the campaign insights
Best Social Media Presence
Who is this for?
This award recognises outstanding use of social media in hospitality through a consistent, engaging and strategically managed presence across relevant platforms.
The award celebrates organisations that use social media to build visibility, strengthen brand value, create meaningful audience engagement and develop stronger relationships with guests, customers or industry audiences.
This category is for hospitality organisations that have built a strong and engaging social media presence over time.
Relevant entries may include always-on social media strategies, platform-specific content, creative campaigns, influencer collaborations, community engagement, video content, storytelling, employer branding content or other social media activity.
The entry should show how social media has been used as a strategic communication and marketing tool, not only as a channel for posting content.
The work must promote a European property, brand or hospitality business.
What will the jury look for?
The jury will look for:
- Clear objectives and a well-defined target audience
- Strong strategic thinking behind the social media presence
- Creative, relevant and engaging content
- Consistent execution across relevant social media platforms
- Good understanding of platform formats, audiences and behaviours
- Evidence of measurable results, such as reach, engagement, follower growth, sentiment, traffic, conversions, loyalty or brand awareness
- Clear connection between the social media activity, the brand and the organisation’s commercial or communication goals
- Long-term value, such as stronger community, improved customer relationships, brand positioning or learning that can be used in future work
What to prepare
Entrants should provide:
- A short description of the organisation and its social media presence
- The challenge or opportunity the social media activity aimed to address
- The objectives and target audience
- An explanation of the strategy, content approach and platform choices
- Examples of content, campaigns or activities across relevant platforms
- Evidence of results and impact
- A short reflection on learning, long-term value or future development of the social media work
Best Use of Brand
Who is this for?
This award recognises outstanding use of brand in hospitality as a strategic, long-term driver of business performance, market position, customer preference and organisational identity.
The award celebrates organisations that have successfully created, developed, repositioned or strengthened a brand in a way that has delivered clear value both externally and internally. This may include brand work connected to customer experience, company culture, talent attraction, employer branding, community engagement or broader business transformation.
Submissions from vendors or service providers will not be considered.
This category is for hospitality organisations that have used brand strategically to define who they are, strengthen their position and create lasting business value.
Relevant entries may include new brand launches, rebranding projects, repositioning initiatives, brand architecture work, employer branding initiatives, internal brand engagement, customer experience development or long-term brand-building programmes.
The entry should show how the brand has been used as more than a visual identity or campaign, and how it has influenced the organisation’s market position, internal culture, customer perception or commercial performance.
The work must promote a European property, brand or hospitality business.
What will the jury look for?
The jury will look for:
- Clear rationale for the brand work, supported by insight, market understanding or business need
- Strong brand positioning, identity, values and messaging
- Clear differentiation from competitors or other market players
- Consistent implementation across relevant touchpoints, such as customer experience, digital channels, internal communication, recruitment, sales, marketing and external communication
- Evidence of internal engagement, employee alignment or employer brand impact where relevant
- Evidence of measurable results, such as awareness, reputation, engagement, customer preference, loyalty, employee attraction, market share or commercial performance
- Long-term value, such as a stronger market position, clearer organisational identity, improved customer relationships or stronger ability to attract and retain talent
What to prepare
Entrants should provide:
- A short description of the organisation and the brand initiative
- The challenge or opportunity the brand work aimed to address
- The objectives and target audiences, including internal audiences where relevant
- An explanation of the brand strategy, positioning and key decisions
- Examples of how the brand was implemented across relevant touchpoints
- Evidence of results and impact
- A short reflection on learning, long-term value or future development of the brand work
Best Special Event Campaign
Who is this for?
This award recognises outstanding marketing and commercial initiatives developed around a special event, hotel opening, relaunch or major brand moment in hospitality.
The award celebrates organisations that have used a specific occasion to build awareness, strengthen brand positioning, drive engagement and deliver measurable business value. Eligible entries may include hotel openings, property relaunches, anniversaries, milestones, cultural celebrations, brand activations, one-off experiences or other special initiatives that created impact beyond the moment itself.
This category is for hospitality organisations that have planned and executed a strong campaign around a special event, opening, relaunch or significant brand occasion.
Relevant entries may include integrated marketing campaigns, PR activity, social media campaigns, influencer collaborations, partnerships, paid media, on-property activations, launch events or other commercial and communication initiatives.
The entry should show how the event, opening or special occasion was used strategically to create attention, engage relevant audiences and support broader business or brand goals.
The work must promote a European property, brand or hospitality business.
What will the jury look for?
The jury will look for:
- Clear objectives and a strong rationale for the campaign or initiative
- Strategic alignment with broader business, commercial or brand goals
- A creative and distinctive concept that stood out in the market
- Effective execution across relevant channels and touchpoints
- Strong connection between the campaign and the guest, customer or stakeholder experience
- Evidence of measurable results, such as awareness, engagement, attendance, media coverage, reputation, bookings, revenue or market response
- Long-term value, such as stronger brand positioning, improved stakeholder relationships, increased demand or a strong foundation for future growth
What to prepare
Entrants should provide:
- A short description of the organisation, event, opening or relaunch
- The challenge or opportunity the campaign aimed to address
- The objectives and target audiences
- An explanation of the strategy, creative concept and key activities
- Examples of how the campaign was executed across relevant channels and touchpoints
- Evidence of results and impact
- A short reflection on learning, long-term value or future development
Not sure where your work fits?
Compare the Marketing & Branding categories.
One piece of work can sometimes fit more than one category. The key question should be what you want the jury to evaluate most strongly. Note that one campaign can only be submitted in one category.
Category guidance
Choose the category that best matches the strongest part of your story.
Use the comparison below to decide whether your entry is strongest as a campaign, a social media presence, a brand achievement or a special event activation.
Best Digital Marketing Campaign
Choose this when the strongest story is the strategy, execution and results of a defined digital campaign.
Best Social Media Presence
Choose this for consistent, distinctive and effective social media activity over time.
Best Use of Brand
Choose this when the brand itself — its development, relaunch or expression — is the core achievement.
Best Special Event Campaign
Choose this for a time-limited activation such as an opening, relaunch, rebrand, special sales push or event.
Before you start
Know the important rules first.
Surface the few rules that can affect eligibility before creating a submission profile.
1
Individual awards
Nominees cannot nominate themselves. The submission should focus on the person and their own achievements.
2
European eligibility
Marketing & Branding entries must promote a European property, brand or hospitality business.
3
Prepare before you start
Review the categories and have the relevant information and supporting material ready before submitting.
How to submit
From category choice to completed entry.
1
Explore the categories
Check the criteria and decide which categories are relevant for you.
2
Create your Judgify profile
Create your account and begin your entry in the relevant award category.
3
Complete your entries
Add the required information, written description and supporting material.
4
Save or submit
Return to drafts as needed and submit everything before the deadline.
Great work deserves to be recognised.
Review the categories, prepare your entry and submit it before
23 November 2026 at 23:59 CET.
