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You are here: What We Do > Tourism Awards Competition > Awards Competition T&Cs

Tourism Awards Terms and Conditions

General Terms & Conditions

The Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent Tourism Awards competition is open to any tourism business (see eligibility criteria below) located within the county of Staffordshire, including the City of Stoke-on-Trent, and the parts of the Peak District National Park and the National Forest which are situated within the county’s boundaries.

The 2024/25 awards competition is free to enter for eligible businesses and organisations.

Applications for the Competition must be submitted between  9:00 am on 10th June 2024 and 11:59 pm on 9th September 2024

Applications must be submitted online using the application platform at https://visitengland-chapters.secure-platform.com/a/organizations/STA/home.

You must be open for business at some point between 1st August and 31st December 2024, so the judges can visit if required. If you are closed for any part of this period, please ensure this is highlighted in the ‘closures’ box on your application.

Eligibility Criteria

Businesses applying to the awards must be a tourism business (see criteria below) located or operating in Staffordshire and/or Stoke-on-Trent.

  1. Directly involved in tourism, making a contribution to the visitor economy with a significant proportion of business generated by people visiting from outside the local area.
  2. Meets the Tourism Product definition:

     'Tourism product' covers a number of different categories including:

  • Accommodation e.g. hotels, bed & breakfasts, guest houses, self-catering/serviced apartments, holiday boats, camping, caravanning, glamping, lodges, shepherds’ huts, chalets

  • Hospitality i.e. food and beverage service businesses e.g. pubs, restaurants, cafés, tea rooms, coffee shops, bistros

  • Transport services e.g. rail, road, water, air networks and rental

  • Visitor attractions that meet the visitor attraction definition: a permanently established excursion destination, a primary purpose of which is to allow access for entertainment, interest, or education and can include places of worship; rather than being primarily a retail outlet or a venue for sporting, theatrical, or film performances. It must be open to the public, with or without prior booking, for published periods each year, and should be capable of attracting day visitors or tourists as well as local residents.

  • Cultural services e.g. museums, theatres

  • Guided tours

  • Travel agencies and other reservation services, including tour operators and destination management companies

  • Sporting, adventure and recreational activities

  • Retail i.e. a single retail outlet or shopping centre that attracts a significant number of people visiting from outside the local area

  • Businesses providing supporting services to visitors e.g. visitor information providers, left luggage services

  • Events and festivals are not eligible to apply due to the likelihood of VisitEngland Awards for Excellence winners not being announced until one or two years after the event took place e.g. an event taking place in 2023 may not be recognised by VisitEngland until 2025; the event may have ceased or declined in quality since then.

Applicant Terms & Conditions

“Competition” means Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent Tourism Awards and the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence

“Organiser” means Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent LVEP

“You” means the individual who submits an application

“Platform” means the online system that the applicant must use to complete their application.

By submitting an application to the Competition, you agree to be bound by the following terms and conditions:

Applications for the Competition must be submitted before the deadline stated at https://www.enjoystaffordshire.com/trade/what-we-do/tourism-awards

Applications must be submitted online at https://visitengland-chapters.secure-platform.com/a/organizations/STA/home or by following the link at https://www.enjoystaffordshire.com/trade/what-we-do/tourism-awards.

It is free to enter for 2024/25 competition.

The business/experience must be open at some point between 01/08/2024 and 31/12/2024 so the judges can visit if required. If you are due to be closed for any part of this period, please ensure this is highlighted in the ‘closures’ box on your application.

If required by the Organiser the business to which the application relates will need to accommodate a judging visit. If a judging visit is not accommodated for any reason whatsoever this may result in your application being delayed and/or withdrawn.

The Organiser and VisitEngland reserve the right to amend the judging process at the time, if circumstances make judging visits impractical.

Applications may be submitted by any individual representing the business applying and the individual who submits the application will also become the contact whom all correspondence from the Organiser and VisitEngland concerning the Competition will be addressed to.

You must inform the Organiser immediately of any changes to the contact information relating to you or the business to which the application relates during the Competition.

Individuals submitting applications on behalf of another business, must have the express permission of the owner or manager of the business the application relates to.

Employees or representatives/agents of the Organiser and VisitEngland are not eligible to submit an application to the Competition except for categories in which third party nominations are publicly invited.

The business to which the application relates to complies with all current and relevant legal and licensing obligations. The Organiser and VisitEngland reserve the right to not consider an application if this is in doubt and cannot be confirmed.

The business to which the application relates to operates ethically and is not involved in activity that could (or does) bring the visitor economy/ tourism industry/ Competition into disrepute. The Organiser and VisitEngland reserve the right to not consider an application if this is in doubt and cannot be confirmed.

You can apply for more than one category, except where specified within the eligibility criteria, but separate applications must be completed for each.

Applications will only be considered if they are deemed to meet the eligibility criteria.

Applications will only be considered if they are submitted via the Platform and completed in full and do not exceed the maximum word counts.

The Organiser reserves the right to move an application into a different category, if deemed more appropriate and should this occur the business affected will be informed.

The business to which the application relates to must be willing to reimburse the judge and his/her partner (or family/companions in the case of some Visitor Attractions or Experiences) on departure for the cost of the judging visit/overnight stay, any meals taken (alcoholic drinks only for Pub of the Year, Restaurant of the Year, Casual Dining Award, Tea Room & Coffee Shop of the Year, Large Hotel of the Year and Small Serviced Accommodation of the Year categories), or any admission or ticket cost as appropriate to the category.

The business to which the application relates to, agrees to be part of any publicity undertaken in association with the Competition. You accept and agree that the Organiser and VisitEngland may use or publish any photographs, comments or evidence submitted at any stage of the Competition in any media, waiving any rights to payment or to inspect and approve a finished product.

You confirm that you or the business to which the application relates own the copyright to any photographs included with your application.

The Organiser and VisitEngland may send you communications via email in relation to your application to the Competition e.g. reminders of the deadline and to submit your application, notification of successful application submission, judging feedback, applicant survey, event invitation.

The Organiser and VisitBritain/VisitEngland may store your contact information within databases to send you marketing communications including newsletters, future events and promotions unrelated to the Competition.

Competition judges may decline to award winners at any level in some or all categories, if in their opinion there are insufficient entries of a winning standard.

The prize provided by the Organiser for each winner will be a certificate and/or a trophy. There is no cash alternative.

Competition winners may publicise their success indefinitely provided the placing, category and year are specified in all publicity and materials.

Competition winners may only use the specific logo issued by the Organiser or VisitEngland and not modify it in any way, nor use, or adapt for use, any other logo connected with the Organiser or VisitEngland.

The logo may only be used alongside the location or part of the business that has won an award e.g. a self-catering provider with multiple properties across different locations must only use the logo alongside the winning location.

The Organiser and VisitEngland will not accept responsibility for applications delayed or lost as a result of any network, computer hardware or software failure.

In the event of any dispute regarding the Competition eligibility criteria, application forms, judging process, choice of finalists/winners or any other matter relating to the Competition, the decisions of the Organiser and VisitEngland shall be final and no correspondence or discussion shall be entered into.

ADDITIONAL TERMS

The Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent Tourism Awards competition is only open to tourism businesses located within the county of Staffordshire, including the City of Stoke-on-Trent, and the parts of the Peak District National Park and the National Forest which are situated within the county’s boundaries.

National Judging

  • Should you win an award in your local/regional Competition you may be automatically put forward for national judging by VisitEngland for the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2025.
  • You must notify the Organiser in writing at the time of application if you do not wish to be put forward for national judging.
  • In rare circumstances VisitEngland may deem that an application does not meet the eligibility criteria and reserves the right not to consider the application for national judging.
  • It is not possible to revisit your application prior to being put forward for national judging.
  • VisitEngland reserves the right to move an application into a different category, if deemed more appropriate.
  • The prize provided by VisitEngland for each winner will be a certificate and/or a trophy. There is no cash alternative.
  • Any queries in relation to national judging should be directed to VEAwards@visitengland.org

Any data you provide will be handled in accordance with the Organiser’s privacy policy VisitEngland’s privacy policy and the privacy policy of the organisation contracted to provide the Platform, available on their websites.

The Organiser reserves the right to make changes to these Applicant Terms and Conditions at any time and may notify you in writing of these changes.

Other pages you may find useful:

If you have any questions, please contact us by emailing info@enjoystaffordshire.com in the first instance, and Andrea, Charlotte or Richard will be able to help you.

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