Oxford Tourism Awards

Tourism Oxford announced the new annual Oxford Tourism Awards in 2022. It has been a priority for Tourism Oxford to develop an appreciation program to acknowledge the dedicated efforts of the regional tourism operators that excel in what they do.

This award program recognizes the region’s tourism businesses, organizations, and individuals who have displayed excellence in product development, partnerships/collaborations, innovation, inclusiveness, leadership, sustainability, and attraction to the region. The program also recognizes partners who are working collaboratively with Tourism Oxford to grow regional tourism and offer exceptional visitor experiences. Businesses are encouraged to self-nominate or nominate a business they admire.

The Oxford Tourism Awards are now closed. Applications for the Oxford Tourism Awards will open every year in March. Check back for application dates and eligibility requirements.

Applications are accepted for the following categories:

Best New Tourism Product Award
Tourism Partnership Award
Responsible Tourism Award

Businesses, organizations, and individuals may self-nominate or be nominated by others.

All applications are reviewed by a panel of external tourism industry professionals who evaluate submissions based on the award criteria.

Award recipients are recognized at the annual Oxford Tourism Awards of Excellence celebration.

Prepare a clear, specific application that aligns with the award, grant, funding, or program objectives.

Build a Strong Response:

Read the guidelines and eligibility requirements carefully. Follow all instructions and word limits.
Answer every part of each question directly and explain how your project, business, or initiative meets the award criteria.
Use facts, statistics, testimonials, and specific examples to demonstrate results and impact. Examples might include visitor growth, increased sales, attendance figures, customer satisfaction scores, media coverage, or the number of partners involved.
Proofread your application and confirm that all required information is complete before submitting. Start early rather than waiting until the deadline.

Help the Judges Understand the Nominee:

Assume the judges do not know anything about the nominee. While many judges have tourism industry experience, they are often not from Oxford County, so provide enough context to explain who the nominee is and why they deserve recognition.
Make each answer stand on its own. Judges use a scoring rubric and typically evaluate each question separately. Do not assume information included in one response will be considered when scoring another.
Use specific details, examples, and results to support your responses rather than relying on general statements.
Show how the nominee aligns with local and regional tourism priorities, such as culinary tourism, cycling, touring routes, sustainability, visitor experiences, cultural tourism, accessible tourism, or itinerary development.

Avoid Common Pitfalls:

Do not assume reviewers already understand your business, organization, event, or project.
Avoid vague statements or broad claims that are not supported by evidence.
Do not exceed word limits, skip questions, or submit incomplete information.
If you are self-nominating, do not be afraid to highlight your achievements and impact. Be your own champion.
If you are nominating someone else, answer the questions as thoroughly as possible. Additional information can be collected from the nominee if needed.

Oxford Tourism Awards of Excellence Winners 2026

Group photo, left to right: Meredith Maywood (Oxford County); Meaghan Wright and HollyJo (Kiln Room); Donna and Chris Schurman (Deep Purple Lavender Farm); Jodi Pendry (Terra Nova Nordic Spa); Shannon McKechnie (Commonplace Books), Cheryl and Greg Haskett (Udderly Ridiculous Farm Life); Oxford County Warden, Marcus Ryan.