Inspiring People Awards 2026

Scottish Attractions Inspiring People Awards
Welcome to the Scottish Attractions Inspiring People Awards 2026, supported by VisitScotland, celebrating the exceptional individuals who make Scotland’s attractions world class.

You can easily navigate through each question to review the criteria and questions for each category. We recommend preparing your answers in a Word document first and then copying and pasting them into the form when you’re ready to submit.

Award Categories

Rising Star: For the up-and-comers making waves in the industry.

Audience Builder: Recogising those growing audiences and finding new ways to connect people with their attraction.

Commercial Excellence: Recognising those driving commercial success while supporting a great visitor experience.

People’s Hero: Acknowledging the heart of our communities, fostering inclusivity and accessibility among teams, communities, stakeholders, and visitors.

Experience Maker: Recognising those delivering world-class experiences, whether face-to-face or behind the scenes.

Best Practice

Be specific about what the nominee did and the difference it made, using numbers, evidence and a memorable story or example. This is an award entry, not marketing copy, so answer each question directly and make it easy for judges to see why they are exceptional.

Guidance Reminder

We welcome nominations for people working or volunteering in every kind of role, from every type and size of visitor attraction. You do not need experience of writing award entries. We are looking for clear examples of what the person did and the difference it made.

Evidence can include results, visitor or colleague feedback, observations or other examples. Large numbers are not essential: judges will consider what has been achieved in the context of the person's role, organisation and resources.

Please focus on work from the 12 months before the closing date and make the individual's own contribution clear. We have deliberately kept the entry short: across all five questions, you can write up to 500 words in total - around one A4 page.

Entries close Friday 18th September 2026 at 5pm

Scottish Attractions Inspiring People Awards
Which category are you nominating for?
Award Nominee or Entrant Name

First NameLast Name
Pronouns (optional)
Job Title or Volunteer Role
Attraction or Organisation Name
Contact E-mail
Contact Phone Number:
If Nominating an individual, Provide your Name

First NameLast Name
Relationship to Nominee
Contact Email of Nominator
Consent for ASVA to edit and use shortlisted nomination content, names, photographs and quotes in award, conference and follow-up communications

Scottish Attractions Inspiring People Awards
Rising Star
Definition: Rising Star recognises someone early in their visitor attractions career who has shown exceptional talent, ambition and potential. They stand out for how they have developed, what they already contribute and the impact they could make in the future.
Guidance: All examples provided should come from the 12 months prior to submitting this entry. It should be clear what role the individual has played in positive outcomes. Where possible, a combination of qualitative and quantitative answers is beneficial.
Criteria: The Rising Star Award recognises emerging talent. Entrants must be early in their attractions career, not hold a senior leadership role, and must not have previously won this award. Nominations may be made by an employer, manager, colleague, or by the individual themselves.
Briefly introduce the individual, their role and the attraction or organisation they work or volunteer with. Give judges the context they need to understand their responsibilities and the circumstances in which they work. (60 words - not scored)

0/60
Tell us about one example from the last year that best shows why this person is a Rising Star. What did they personally do, and what made their contribution stand out? (160 words - 10 points)

0/160
How have they developed over the last year, and what difference has their growing contribution made to visitors, colleagues or the organisation? Please include clear examples or evidence (140 Words - 10 points)

0/140
What are they doing to keep developing and what do you believe others could learn from their example? (110 words - 10 points)

0/110
Why should this individual win the Rising Star Award? Make this specific to them and their contribution. This may be read aloud at the awards ceremony. Please do not introduce new evidence here. (30 Words - not scored)

0/30
Audience Builder
Definition: Audience Builder recognises someone has played a key role in bringing people to their attraction. Their contribution might be through marketing, programming, partnerships, accessibility, community engagement or another approach. It could be bringing new audiences, or growing existing ones, but there should be a demonstrable impact on audience development and its resulting positive effect on their attraction.

Guidance: All examples provided should come from the 12 months prior to submitting this entry. It should be clear what role the individual has played in positive outcomes. Where possible, a combination of qualitative and quantitative answers are beneficial.
Briefly introduce the individual, their role and the attraction or organisation they work or volunteer with. Give judges the context they need to understand their responsibilities and the circumstances in which they work. (60 words - not scored)

0/60
Tell us about one piece of work from the last year that best shows why this person is an Audience Builder. Who were they trying to reach or engage, what was the starting point, and what did they personally do? (160 words - 10 points)

0/160
What difference did their work make? Please include evidence of changes in who engaged, how many people engaged, whether this was a new or enhanced audience. (140 words - 10 points)

0/140
Why was their approach effective, and what could other attractions take from it when developing their own audiences? (110 words - 10 points)

0/110
Why should this individual win the Audience Builder Award? Make this specific to them and their contribution. This may be read aloud at the awards ceremony. Please do not introduce new evidence here. (30 Words - not scored)

0/30
Commercial Excellence
Definition: Commercial Excellence recognises someone whose work has strengthened the commercial performance of an attraction. This could include generating income, increasing visitor spend, improving sales or conversion, developing a product or partnership, strengthening pricing or making better use of resources. Their contribution should also support the organisation's purpose and the experience it provides.

Guidance: All examples provided should come from the 12 months prior to submitting this entry. It should be clear what role the individual has played in positive outcomes. Where possible, a combination of qualitative and quantitative answers are beneficial.
Briefly introduce the individual, their role and the attraction or organisation they work or volunteer with. Give judges the context they need to understand their responsibilities and the circumstances in which they work. (60 words - not scored)

0/60
Tell us about one piece of work from the last year that best demonstrates this person's commercial contribution. What was the opportunity or challenge for that attraction, and what did they personally do? (160 words - 10 points)

0/160
What commercial difference did their work make? Please include clear evidence where possible and explain how it supported the visitor experience, the organisation's purpose or its longer-term strength. (140 words - 10 points)

0/140
What made their approach particularly effective, and what could other attractions learn from it? (110 words - 10 points)

0/110
Why should this individual win the Commercial Excellence Award? Make this specific to them and their contribution. This may be read aloud at the awards ceremony. Please do not introduce new evidence here. (30 Words - not scored)

0/30
People's Hero
Definition: A People's Hero is someone at the heart of a team or community. They bring people together, build positive relationships and make an important difference to those around them. They inspire others and are a key reason behind the success of the wider group.
Guidance: All examples provided should come from the 12 months prior to submitting this entry. It should be clear what role the individual has played in positive outcomes. Where possible, a combination of qualitative and quantitative answers are beneficial.
Briefly introduce the individual, their role and the attraction or organisation they work or volunteer with. Give judges the context they need to understand their responsibilities and the circumstances in which they work. (60 words - Not Scored)

0/60
Tell us about one example from the last year that best shows why this person is a People's Hero. What did they personally do, and what does the example tell us about the kind of person they are? (160 words - 10 Points)

0/160
What difference have they made to colleagues, the community or the people they support? Please include feedback, observations or other evidence that shows their impact. (140 words - 10 Points)

0/140
Beyond this example, how do they consistently bring people together or make everyday experiences better, and what could others learn from their example? (110 words - 10 Points)

0/110
Why should this individual win the People's Hero Award? Make this specific to them and their contribution. This may be read aloud at the awards ceremony. Please do not introduce new evidence here. (30 Words - Not Scored)

0/30
Experience Maker
Definition: An Experience Maker is someone responsible for delivering outstanding visitor experiences. This might be directly through a visitor-facing role or indirectly by designing, improving or supporting the experience behind the scenes. Their work is an important reason why visitors loved their time at an attraction.

Guidance: All examples provided should come from the 12 months prior to submitting this entry. It should be clear what role the individual has played in positive outcomes. Where possible, a combination of qualitative and quantitative answers are beneficial.
Briefly introduce the individual, their role and the attraction or organisation they work or volunteer with. Give judges the context they need to understand their responsibilities and the circumstances in which they work. (60 words - Not Scored)

0/60
Tell us about one example from the last year that best shows why this person is an Experience Maker. What did they personally do, and what made the resulting experience special?(160 words - 10 Points)

0/160
What difference did their work make to visitors? Please include feedback, results, observations or other evidence that shows the quality of the experience they helped create.(140 words - 10 Points)

0/140
What is particularly effective about how this person creates great experiences, and what could other attractions learn from them?(110 words - 10 Points)

0/110
Why should this individual win the Experience Maker Award? Make this specific to them and their contribution. This may be read aloud at the awards ceremony. Please do not introduce new evidence here. (30 Words - Not Scored)

0/30
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Scottish Attractions Inspiring People Awards

Scottish Attractions Inspiring People Awards

Scottish Attractions Inspiring People Awards

Rising Star

Audience Builder

Commercial Excellence

People's Hero

Experience Maker