Awards are now closed for 2025 submissions.
The 2025 Travel Media Association of Canada’s National and Recognition Awards celebrate excellence in Canadian travel media and industry representatives.
The TMAC National Awards specifically, are a celebration of the best work produced by our accredited Canadian travel writers, photographers, videographers, and content creators, recognizing their outstanding achievements with more than $18,500 in awards and honours. This is more than a simple contest; it’s a prestigious national recognition of your talent and dedication. Treat it with pride, and be confident in sharing the work you’ve created.
We encourage members to put their best foot forward—submit the work you are most proud of. Show us the stories, images, and experiences that truly represent your talent. We want our judges to be wowed by what you share.
Compensated work is how we, as an association, determine what qualifies as professional-level work. By submitting paid-for projects, you are showcasing your skills in a way that meets the standards of the Travel Media Association of Canada’s National Awards and Membership Committees.
Submission Timeline for Judged Awards
Awards Website Portal Opens (ALL AWARDS): November 17, 2025, 12 PM EST
Information Session: November 24, 2025, 12 PM EST
Awards Website Portal Closes (ALL AWARDS): January 9, 2026, 3 PM EST
Top Finalists in Each Category Announced: March 30, 2026
Winners Announced: May 2, 2026 (at the 2026 TMAC Conference Awards Gala)
TMAC National Award Categories
TMAC National Award categories are updated yearly to reflect member feedback and changes in travel media.
➡️ View the 15 National Award Categories for 2025 — including details on new and revised categories.
(Link: Click HERE)
Key Preparation Notes
- Review these guidelines thoroughly before submitting.
- Complete your submission through the TMAC website using your login credentials.
- Be prepared to provide:
- Title of submission
- Publication name
- Byline proof or photo credit proof upload
- Publication date
- Relevant URLs or uploadable files (e.g., PDFs, images)
- Proof of payment for your work
⚠️ Important: Failure to follow submission guidelines may result in disqualification.
Eligibility and Rules
Work Eligibility
- Submissions must have been created and published between January 1 and December 31, 2025.
Member Eligibility
- Only current TMAC members may submit entries. For Media members currently undergoing requalification, please note that this will not impede your ability to submit for awards. While eligibility is typically limited to Media Members in good standing, we are making an exception this year due to timelines. Though, please note, that if your membership does not get renewed, your award submission(s) will be disqualified.
- If your TMAC membership (new or re-qualified) is approved before January 9, 2026, which is the deadline for Award submissions, then you are eligible to submit an awards entry. A reminder that, according to the Membership Dues Policy, you have until February 28, 2026, to complete any outstanding membership payments. While the policy normally requires full payment before participating in programs such as the Awards, TMAC is maintaining the payment deadline as February 28, 2026, in light of the 2026 Conference date changes resulting from FIFA.
- Renew your 2026 membership before submitting. Renew HERE.
National Awards
- Open to Media Members in good standing.
- Submissions must meet TMAC’s content and circulation requirements as per the current membership points table. Further details below. View the points table here. Our team will be following up with all Awards Finalists to ensure that your circulation numbers meet the criteria.
- As per membership application and criteria, which the Awards Committee follows, the Travel Media Association of Canada only accepts paid-for work, as this is what we deem as professional-level work. Click here for examples of proof of compensation. The Awards Committee will be following up with all finalists for proof of compensation to ensure this has been met (note that you do not need to disclose the amount that you were paid, and it can be blacked/crossed out for your privacy). If you were not compensated, this submission does not qualify. Should one of the finalists be disqualified, they will not receive a reimbursement, and the member in the runner-up place will become one of the finalists.
Submission Limits
- Maximum: Six submissions per member across all National Award categories.
- Per Category: Up to two entries.
- Restrictions: The same story or photo may not be submitted to multiple categories, with two exceptions: That a photo featured in an original written story may also be entered in one of the Photography categories AND the two media-specific Recognition Awards.
Submission Fees
- First two submissions are free.
- Additional submissions (up to six total) cost $30 each.
Prizes
- First Place: $650
- Second Place: $400
- Third Place: $200
- Winners and Honourable Mentions receive certificates.
Judging
- Independent judges, bilingual where applicable, will evaluate submissions using a scoring criteria – each criteria is linked after award descriptions.
- Judges review and evaluate submissions individually, then collaborate in teams to make final award decisions.
- All judges are external to TMAC. Meet the judges HERE.
Category-Specific Submission Details
1. Written Word Entries
- Copy and paste with the title, publication name, and date clearly visible.
- Byline Proof Upload (required if available) submitted as PDF, JPEG, or PNG files.
- Editor Verification Letter Upload (required if no byline proof is available)
- If the story has no visible byline, upload a signed letter from an editor (on publication letterhead) confirming the author’s authorship
- Finalists will be asked to show proof of compensation, as per current membership submission requirements.
2. Self-Published Travel Website / Blog Entries
- Provide URLs for three blog / story / articles entries from 2025 that are written by you, on a site that you own.
- Judges will also consider the overall quality of the site.
- Finalists will be asked to demonstrate that the website has at least 5,000 unique monthly visitors (UMV), as per current membership requirements.
3. Visual Entries (Photography)
- Include a 25–50-word description for context.
- Images should be submitted as PDF, JPEG, or PNG files, accompanied by a 25–50 word description providing context for each image. Social media images (e.g., Facebook, Instagram) are not eligible at this time.
- Travel photos must accurately represent a real-world scene. They cannot combine elements from different times or locations, and all elements must have been present at the time of capture. A short interval between frames is permitted only when combining images for panoramas, HDR captures, or focus stacks (confirmation required).
- Post-production is allowed for basic adjustments such as exposure, colour correction, cropping, and sharpness, provided these edits do not alter the integrity or subject matter of the photograph. All post-production work using editing software must be performed manually by the photographer.
- You must have taken the photograph. Images you have purchased or obtained the rights to (stock photos) are not eligible.
- The image must have been taken with a camera or camera phone.
- AI-created images or digital art are not eligible for entry.
- Finalists will be asked to show proof of compensation, as per current membership submission requirements.
- Helpful tip: If you have a photo you love and are proud of, but was not one that was compensated for, we encourage you to enter it into our People’s Choice Award for Best Photo, judged by the entire membership. These awards do not require proof of compensation.
4. Best Photo Series
- Upload four images from the same story.
- Include a 25–50 word description for context.
- All images must be part of a single story, not from multiple pieces.
- Images should be submitted as PDF, JPEG, or PNG files, accompanied by a 25–50 word description providing context for each image. Social media images (e.g., Facebook, Instagram) are not eligible.
- Travel photos must accurately represent a real-world scene. They cannot combine elements from different times or locations, and all elements must have been present at the time of capture. A short interval between frames is permitted only when combining images for panoramas, HDR captures, or focus stacks.
- Post-production is allowed for basic adjustments such as exposure, colour correction, cropping, and sharpness, provided these edits do not alter the integrity or subject matter of the photograph. All post-production work using editing software must be performed manually by the photographer.
- You must have taken the photograph. Images you have purchased or obtained the rights to (stock photos) are not eligible.
- The image must have been taken with a camera or camera phone.
- AI-created images or digital art are not eligible for entry.
- Finalists will be asked to show proof of compensation, as per current membership submission requirements.
- Helpful tip: If you have a photo you love and are proud of, but was not one that was compensated for, we encourage you to enter it into our People’s Choice Award for Best Photo, judges by the entire membership. These awards do not require proof of compensation.
5. All Media Forms
- Within the three “All Media Forms” categories, all types of storytelling are welcome. These categories have been expanded to be inclusive of the wide range of storytelling created by TMAC members — including digital, written, and broadcast formats. Eligible submissions may include articles, podcasts, videos, digital storytelling pieces, and immersive or interactive media.
- Social media and books are not eligible for submission.
- Articles: Copy and paste the full text.
- Audio or video submissions: Provide a URL link.
- Finalists will be asked to show proof of compensation, as per current membership submission requirements.
- Social Media Category:
- Eligible submissions include TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts (with the exclusion of the Instagram story feature) and must clearly showcase travel.
- Finalists will be asked to show proof of compensation, as per current membership submission requirements.
Technical Requirements
- File Formats and Size for Photos:
- Accepted formats: PDF, JPEG, PNG
- Ensure all submissions are high resolution.
- File Labelling:
- Label files with your name and submission title (e.g., FirstName_LastName_Title).
- Avoid emojis in file names to prevent submission errors.
- Submission Process:
- All files must be uploaded through the TMAC website
- All files must be uploaded through the TMAC website
- URLs for Multimedia or Blog Entries:
- Limit URLs to 128 characters. Use link shorteners like Bitly if needed
Recognition Awards Categories
➡️ View the 5 Recognition Award Categories for 2025
(Link: Click HERE).
Recognition Awards and the People’s Choice Photo categories do not require proof of compensation nor do they need to meet circulation guidelines as per Membership criteria.
Winners can be both Media and Industry Members, as outlined in category descriptions.
There is no fee to enter these awards, and no prizing.
All winners and honourable mentions will receive certificates of recognition.
Nathan Fong Memorial Award
- Eligible works must have been created or published between January 1 and December 31, 2025.
- The top three winners receive a cash prize.
- Up to two (2) entries per TMAC member are permitted.
- Any submissions beyond the first two will be disqualified.
- You may submit work that has already been entered into the National Awards.
- There is no submission fee.
- This award does not need to meet the same membership criteria guidelines, nor does it have to be for paid-for work.
Host Destination Award
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- Eligible works must have been created or published between January 1 and December 31, 2025.
- Up to two (2) entries per TMAC member are permitted.
- Any submissions beyond the first two will be disqualified.
- You may submit work that has already been entered into the National Awards.
- This award does not need to meet the same membership criteria guidelines, nor does it have to be for paid-for work.
- There is no submission fee.
- This award is open to Media members who attended the 2025 TMAC Conference & Media Marketplace in Saskatoon.
- Prizing TBD.
- Eligible works must have been created or published between January 1 and December 31, 2025.
People’s Choice Award
- Photos must have been shot between January 1 and December 31, 2025.
- One (1) photo per member is permitted.
- Photos do not need to have been published.
- All TMAC members (media and industry) are eligible to submit.
- You may submit a photo that has already been entered into the National Awards.
- There is no submission fee.
- There is no cash prize for this award.
- Photos do not have to have been part of a monetary transaction.