• General Information
• Categories and Criteria
• Rules for Entry
• Judging
• Seminar Information
• Nominate Now

Who chooses award winners

State judging is conducted by a panel of industry peers appointed by the South Australian Tourism Industry Council. The panel comprises a cross-section of tourism industry experts, some of whom are former award winners. Judges are selected for their knowledge and experience, and for their willingness to commit time to the Awards process.

The panel operates independently to the South Australian Tourism Industry Council and is convened each year specifically for the Tourism Awards. Judges are grouped in teams of three, but independently review and score submissions. Each group assesses approximately five categories. 

Judges' Tips 

Submissions are judged on their content and scored accordingly to the established criteria. The underlying consideration is what impact does the product have on tourism. For example, an operator might have a great product but the judges really want to know what contribution it is making to the tourism industry and this needs to be evident in the submission.

Don’t forget you are entering a competition for a tourism award.

What the judges are looking for:

• A financially sound business
• One with a business plan and marketing plan
• Demonstrated flair, innovation and passion
• A business that knows its customers and has a service culture
• Has made a contribution to tourism

The Submission

1. Keep the comments concise and relevant. The last thing judges want to read is pages of irrelevant information. Be passionate about your product but don’t be repetitive.
2. The judges like to see operators who are passionate about their business, that have personality and who are innovative in developing new products that focus on servicing a particular market or segment.
3. Although support material is no longer required, it is recommended that use thumbnail examples to add credibility to your submission and to help illustrate and substantiate claims.


Common Mistakes

1. Answer each question in full. Some submissions either don’t answer a particular question or alternatively the answer is inappropriate for the question asked. If in doubt get someone to read your draft and confirm that all questions have been answered and that the criteria have been met.
2. Lack of any reference to sales or revenue objectives, visitor numbers, etc. Where possible state objectives that can be quantified. Motherhood statements are not measurable. The judges need to see a link between marketing activities and results/outcomes within the qualifying period.
3. Most people have no difficulty demonstrating the success of the business, however sales information is often provided when discussing profit, with no reference to costs. Success is more than just room nights and passenger numbers.
4. Often graphs are too small to read, have no scale or lack appropriate axis headings and simply do not do communicate the data clearly.

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