Indiana Tourism Awards

Click here to see who won the 2024 Indiana Tourism Awards.

2025 Awards

Note the NEW! categories below. 

Categories:

  1. Best Advocacy Initiative: community project, infographic, etc that an organization has used to increase awareness in the local community.
  2. Best Cooperative Partnership: a brochure, newsletter, promotional piece, direct mail, group sales collateral or industry event that involves a Destination Marketing Organization and at least one other partner (printed or digital).
  3. Best Culinary Focused Marketing Campaign: specifically focused on culinary experiences (printed or digital).
  4. Best Digital Marketing Campaign: online videos, videos, podcast, email marketing, social media campaigns, digital ads, etc.
  5. Best Event or Festival: attracts visitors to the area with demonstrated economic impact, including hotel overnight stays and restaurant revenue.
  6. Best IN Indiana Activation: Implementation of IN Indiana on a marketing piece, mural, video or other placement in a community.
  7. Best New Merchandise (new item produced specifically to be sold).
  8. Best New Experience: celebrates a new experience in an area. Can be a new photo spot, special exhibit or a new attraction.
  9. Best Overall Marketing Campaign: recognizing creativity, innovation, clearly stated and measured objectives, demonstrated results, etc (print or print/digital combined).
  10. Best Specialty Item (posters, maps, pins, buttons, mail or free-standing inserts).
  11. Best Visitors Guide (county/regional/statewide).
  12. Best Brochure (district/attraction/city).
  13. Best Website: based on design, content, innovation, technology, interactivity, copy-writing, etc.
  14. NEW! Best Eclipse Merchandise: Special merchandise solely created around the Eclipse 2024. Items could include tshirts, stickers, posters, food or alcohol. Include who was involved in creation, distribution and final sales.
  15. NEW! Best Eclipse Promotion: Explanation of a community’s planning, promotion and execution of activities surrounding Eclipse 2024.
  16. NEW! Best Sports Partnership: Sponsored by Team Indiana - Single or multi-day sports event that showcases a community from start to finish including bid packet, community partnership and collaboration, volunteer involvement, community impact, collateral created and post event information.
  17. NEW! Best Meeting/Group Partnership: Single or multi-day meeting or group sales trip that highlights the process from start to finish including event proposal, partners involved, services offered (by DMO or community), size of the group, activities participated in and post event information.

Entry Requirements

  • All entries must designate the organization’s overall marketing budget level: Under $300,000/year or over $300,000/year. Budget level should reflect marketing budget only of the entire organization not just this promotion and should not include staff salaries or operational expenses.
  • Eligible projects must be either produced, placed or completed between January 1, 202-December 31, 2024.
  • All entrants must register for the Indiana Tourism Conference and be present at awards event on Tuesday, March 4, 2025.
  • Entries can be submitted by Destination Marketing Organizations, Attractions or Agencies.
  • Entries must be received by Friday, January 10, 2025 at 5pm EST. Absolutely no late entries will be considered.
  • A project may be entered in more than one category - if it applies.
  • When applicable, ITA will give separate awards for DMOs and Attractions. 
  • An organization may enter a category with multiple entries. Those entries will go up against each other in the judging.
  • ITA reserves the right to combine or separate categories based on number of entrants.
  • ITA reserves the right to dismiss an entry for not meeting the entry requirements.
  • Judges reserve the right to forego awarding any category that has less than three entries. Entrants will be refunded if the entry category is not judged.

Evaluation Criteria

  • Project Description and Content (20 Points): Was the project clearly described, with a clear goal and vision? Was the intent (audience, goals, etc.) of the project clearly described?
  • Execution and Budget (20 Points): Was the project scope, planning and implementation clearly explained? Was the project successfully executed? Was the budget for the project explained?
  • Return on Investment (20 Points): What was the overall success of the project? Did the project have a good/high return on investment? Please include results such as: impressions, call to action, click throughs, social media follows and comparison to previous years stats if applicable.
  • Creativity (20 Points): Did the project have good visual appeal? Did the quality of the project look/feel meet or exceed expectations?
  • Overall Project Impression (20 Points): Based on the goals and objectives presented, with supported information, was the project a success? Would the project entice visitation?

Entry Instructions

  • Complete one form for each entry and include at least one hi-res image with your entry (to be used at the awards presentation).
  • Entries (including the form and accompanying documents) should be submitted via the form below.
  • Entrants may submit a Dropbox folder link for all images related to the project.
  • If you are entering for Best Visitors Guide, please mail four hard copies of your entry to be reviewed by the judges by January 17 to the below address. We recommend tracking them to ensure delivery: 
    • Carrie Lambert, Indiana Tourism Association
    • 2715 Ryan Drive
    • Indianapolis, IN 46220
  • $50 for the first entry, each additional entry is $30.
  • Invoice will be received by the entrant after the entry is received by the ITA.
  • A confirmation email will be received by the entrant after the entry is received by the ITA.

Deadline to Enter: January 10, 2025 at 5 PM EST.

Fields marked with a • are required.

Entrant

Category

Select one category. A separate entry form is required for each category.

Project

(ie. Elkhart County CVB or Exit 92 Campaign)
How long was the project in planning?
Overall budget for the project.
Description of the project and results. Was the project clearly described with a clear goal and vision? Was the intent (audience, goals, etc.) of the project clearly described? ( of 500 word maximum).
Was the project scope, planning, and implementation clearly explained? Was the project successfully executed? Was the budget for the project explained? ( of 500 word maximum).
What was the overall success of the project? Did the project have a good/high return on investment? Please include results such as: impressions, call to action, click throughs, social media follows and comparison to previous years stats if applicable.
Did the project have good visual appeal? Overall impression is up to the judges discretion.
Please note that files larger than 2MB will be rejected. You may add up to 4 files. We only accept PDFs and image files. You may alternatively submit links to the files, for example to a shared DropBox, OneDrive, or other online file sharing. To submit links, please check the "Attach Files By Link" checkbox.
Please enter the full address to each file you want to include.
Please attach a single image file representing the entry.
Individuals, Agency, and/or Partners involved.

Sponsors

    Host City Sponsor
    Tuesday Full Day Sponsor
    Pre-Conference Workshop Sponsor
  • Team Indiana
    Vendor Booth
  • Onya
  • hedges.
  • Midwest Travel Network
  • Indiana Destination Development Corporation