TRAVEL BUSINESSES ONLY – Submit Your Entry for Best In Sustainability Innovation 2026

This Award category celebrates those travel companies that demonstrate innovative sustainability practices throughout their business operations that lead to better use of resources, nurture healthy ecosystems, advance environmental and societal wellbeing, promote a fair and inclusive visitor economy, and/or tackle climate change.

Enter the ‘Best in Sustainability Innovation’ Award 2026 if you are driving meaningful and measurable environmental and social change through innovative best practice.

This category is open to any business in the visitor economy, including tourism, travel, transport, hospitality, restaurant/catering, events, leisure and attractions. Submissions are invited from businesses across the globe and of all sizes. Applications can centre on one or more specific sustainability innovations in your business, or on your wider corporate sustainability programme.

Entries will be judged according to the following criteria, each weighted equally:

1) The business demonstrates a clear sustainability ethos and narrative, which is embedded across the organisation and wider sector partnerships.

2) The business demonstrates innovative sustainability practices, and have the potential to be adopted within the wider industry sector.

3) The business demonstrates a clear contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals with reference to specific targets and indicators, and strategic alignment to the UN SDGs.

4) The business demonstrates well-developed monitoring and reporting mechanisms for their sustainability impact; which promote accountability and transparency. Where sustainability innovation is very new, pathways to impact measuring need to be evidenced.

5) The business demonstrates meaningful stakeholder engagement relating to sustainability innovation.

Entrants are asked to upload a written entry of up to 2,000 words (excl. supporting materials and executive summary) explaining why they should win this category with reference to the five above-mentioned criteria. Supporting materials may include press cuttings, letters, reports or relevant company data. All application documents and supporting evidence will remain confidential.

Guidance Notes:

The submission should be presented as a single document, including:

• A 150-word executive summary
• A written narrative of up to 2,000 words addressing the award category criteria
• Any supporting documents
• The overall file size should not exceed 2MB maximum

In addition (and as separate documents), applicants are asked to provide:

• A 50-word social media summary of the sustainability initiative, including relevant social media tags
• 3-5 high-res images for social media and publication use

A statement confirming attendance at the NI Travel and Tourism Awards on 9th October 2026 at The Slieve Donard Hotel, Newcastle, Co Down, Northern Ireland in case of being selected as the winning entry.

Closing date for entries is 11th September 2026

Submit your entry below ( if files are too big, please send directly to sustainability@nitravelnews.com with company name in subject title)

The Best Sustainability Award will be presented at the Northern Ireland Travel and Tourism Awards on Friday 9th October 2026.