How entries
are judged.
The standard applied to every entry is published in full. Anyone deciding whether to enter can read exactly how the work is evaluated, what is weighted and how results are decided, before submitting.
Every entry is read twice, independently, against one published standard.
A defined AI system reads every entry first, applied identically to every submission in the category, with no drift between early and late entries. A senior expert panel reads the same entry on their own, with no sight of the AI read. At reconciliation, the panel brings the two reads together, makes every final decision and signs the reasoning. The first judging process in the sector to run a defined AI read inside the evaluation, giving the panel a consistent second read to test their own judgement against.
- One entry is submitted against one published standard, with its AI disclosure attached.
- The entry is read twice, independently and in parallel. Read one is a defined AI system applied identically to every entry. Read two is a senior expert panel reading every entry on its own. Neither read sees the other.
- At reconciliation the panel brings the two reads together. Where they agree the result stands. Where they diverge the panel reviews both reads and decides, and the divergence is recorded.
- The panel makes every final result and signs the reasoning. The reasoning is published.
One entry, one standard
Every entry is judged against a single published standard, with its AI disclosure attached.
The defined AI read
A defined AI system, run the same way on every entry. It gives a consistent second read at a scale and evenness no panel can reach. The first time the sector has done this.
Industry firstThe senior expert panel
Senior destination brand and marketing leaders read every entry in full and score it on their own. They bring the sector knowledge, the context and the judgement that decide what good really means.
The senior read. The judges decideThe two reads are brought together by the panel
The result stands.
The panel reviews both reads and decides. The divergence is recorded.
The panel decides, and signs
The panel makes every final result and signs the reasoning behind it. The reasoning is published.
The explainer above shows the shape of the evaluation. This sets out the substance: how the AI read works, where it stops and what the expert panel does.
Most entries fit clearly. Two pairs overlap enough to be worth explaining.
Destination Campaign of the Year is for the whole campaign and what it achieved, strategy, delivery, performance and creativity together. Content and Storytelling is for the craft of the creative itself, the idea, message, narrative and quality, judged regardless of reach or budget. A small team with exceptional content but limited reach belongs in Content and Storytelling. A campaign with strong end to end delivery and results belongs in Destination Campaign of the Year.
Data and Insight is for investment in data, intelligence and knowledge systems, the serious building of capability and solutions. Digital Innovation is for the genuinely new and experimental, including work that does not fit a traditional category, judged on originality and potential as much as on results.
Entries begin with one question: is this a new strategy or one that has been running. The panel judges on the right basis for each. The strategy need not have results yet to enter.
Judged on its vision, the clarity and realism of its goals and its potential impact. Evidence and impact is read as potential and likelihood rather than delivered results.
Judged primarily on its results. The entrant says which applies at the start of the entry. The screening question lives in the entry form; this page explains the basis.
Every entry, every category, scored on the same five.
Each criterion is scored 0 to 5. Whole numbers only.
Fixed and published before entries open.
Whole numbers only.
A score of 4 or 5 on any criterion must cite specific evidence from the entry. Without it, the maximum score on that criterion is 3.
Evidence and impact is judged in proportion to the scale and budget disclosed, not absolute reach.
Reach is not scored as quality. It counts only where it demonstrably changed an outcome.
AI extent is never penalised. Only disclosure quality and judgement are scored.
A missing AI disclosure caps that criterion at 1 and flags the entry for the panel.
Each criterion is scored from 0 to 5 against the published standard. That score is taken as a share of the criterion's weight: a 4 out of 5 on a criterion weighted 25 contributes 20 points. The five weighted scores add up to a total out of 100.
The interactive below uses the AI in Destination Marketing weights. Adjust the scores to see how the total moves. The defaults reproduce the worked example further down the page.
Each criterion is scored from 0 to 5. That score is taken as a share of the criterion's weight. The five weighted shares add up to a result out of 100. These are the AI in Destination Marketing weights. The defaults reproduce the worked example: 78 of 100, Strong.
The five criteria are constant. The weighting shifts so each category is judged on what matters most. Every row sums to 100.
| Category | Strategy | Craft | Evidence | Originality | AI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Destination Brand of the Year | 20 | 30 | 25 | 15 | 10 |
| Destination Strategy | 35 | 15 | 25 | 15 | 10 |
| AI in Destination Marketing | 15 | 20 | 25 | 15 | 25 |
| Digital Innovation | 25 | 20 | 30 | 15 | 10 |
| Destination Campaign of the Year | 15 | 30 | 30 | 15 | 10 |
| Content and Storytelling | 15 | 35 | 20 | 20 | 10 |
| Data and Insight | 20 | 15 | 40 | 15 | 10 |
| Sustainable Innovation | 20 | 25 | 30 | 15 | 10 |
| Breakthrough Destination | 25 | 25 | 20 | 20 | 10 |
| Start-up and Scale-up | 25 | 25 | 20 | 20 | 10 |
The weighted total falls into one of five bands.
An illustrative entry showing how the scoring works in practice. Not a real submission.
The single point held back on Evidence and impact reflects one unverified metric. This is the kind of specific, fair feedback the method produces.
Work is eligible if it was delivered, launched or substantially active since 1 January 2025, up to the entry deadline. A single window applies to every category, since a piece of work can enter up to three categories and different windows would make that confusing. Destination Strategy is the one place timing flexes: the new or running question at the start of the entry handles it, so a recently launched strategy can enter and be judged on its potential.
The methodology is published and locked before entries open. Every result is decided and signed by the panel and the reasoning is published alongside it. The standard is the same for every entrant worldwide.
The standard is published in full. Entries are open worldwide.