Greg Dickinson scoops Travel Writer of the Year, as Lyn Hughes is honoured with an Outstanding Contribution Award. 20 other winners announced.

The winners of the first-ever TravMedia Awards were announced tonight at a gala ceremony at the QEII Centre, London, with the reveals including the Travel Writer of the Year, PR Professional of the Year and Influencer of the Year.

The evening attracted a packed audience of over 300 people, and the event was hosted by the UK's top broadcaster, John Humphrys.

Greg Dickinson of the Telegraph scooped the night's ultimate accolade, becoming the inaugural Travel Writer of the Year.

James Stewart became Freelance Writer of the Year, and Travel Weekly's Amie Keeley secured the crown of Trade Staff Writer of the Year.

The Travel Writer of the Year title was conferred to the judges' overall favourite winner of the three top awards of Consumer Staff Writer of the Year, won by Dickinson; Trade Staff Writer of the Year (Keeley), and Freelance Writer of the Year (Stewart).

Lyn Hughes, Editor-in-chief and founder of Wanderlust secured an Outstanding Contribution award.

Kate McWilliams of LOTUS secured the title of PR Professional of the Year, with the triumphant agency also winning PR Agency of the Year.

Top vlogger Joe Allam became the first-ever Influencer of the Year, winning Vlogger of the Year too.

Overall 101 entries making judges' shortlists for the 22 trophies.

The event (www.travmediaawards.com) immediately followed the completion of TravMedia's two-day IMM show at the venue, the market-leading exhibition-style event connecting the travel industry with journalists and influencers (www.travmedia.com/immuk).  This year's IMM attracted over 400 media and influencers, visiting over 150 stands represented by over 200 PR professionals.

The TravMedia Awards – Winners and Finalists (TravMediaAwards.com)

THE SPECIAL AWARDS

TRAVEL WRITER OF THE YEAR (sponsored by Travelbag)

WINNER: Greg Dickinson - Digital Content Producer, The Telegraph         

OUSTANDING CONTRIBUTION AWARD (sponsored by Travelbag)

Lyn Hughes, Editor-in-chief and founder of Wanderlust

THE MEDIA AWARDS

TRADE STAFF WRITER OF THE YEAR (sponsored by Destination Canada)

WINNER: Amie Keeley - Head of News, Travel Weekly           

FINALISTS:

April Hutchinson - Editor, TTG Luxury          
James Chapple - Deputy news editor, TTG
Katie McGonagle - Features & Supplements Editor, Travel Weekly
Laura French - Deputy Features & Supplements Editor, Travel Weekly    
Laura Gelder - Editor, Selling Travel  

CONSUMER STAFF WRITER OF THE YEAR (sponsored by Visit Wales)

WINNER: Greg Dickinson - Digital Content Producer, The Telegraph         

FINALISTS:

Alicia Miller – Assistant Editor, The Sunday Times Travel Magazine
Antonia Wilson - Travel Reporter, The Guardian      
Farida Zeynalova - Assistant Editor, National Geographic Traveller/ National Geographic Traveller Food  
Jane Dunford - Travel Editor, The Guardian             
Lydia Winter - Editor, Escapism        

FREELANCE WRITER OF THE YEAR (sponsored by Visit Wales)

WINNER: James Stewart

FINALISTS:

Adrian Phillips
Ianthe Butt
Lizzie Pook    
Nigel Tisdall  
Phoebe Smith

CONSUMER MAGAZINE TRAVEL SECTION OF THE YEAR (sponsored by Tourism Australia)

WINNER: Olive

FINALISTS:

Cosmopolitan
Saga Magazine          
Women's Health 

TRAVEL MAGAZINE OF THE YEAR (sponsored by CLIA)

WINNER: Wanderlust 

FINALISTS:

Lonely Planet
National Geographic Traveller          
National Geographic Traveller Food
SUITCASE     
Sunday Times Travel Magazine        
Wanderlust 

NATIONAL NEWSPAPER TRAVEL SECTION OF THE YEAR (sponsored by Gran Canaria Tourist Board)

WINNER: The Guardian 

FINALISTS:

Metro 
The Daily Mail
The i                  
The Independent   

MEDIA RISING STAR OF THE YEAR (sponsored by Malta Tourism Authority)

WINNER: Tom Allan - Freelance Writer

FINALISTS:

Connor McGovern - Assistant Editor, National Geographic Traveller (UK) 
Francesca Street - Digital Producer, CNN Travel
Georgia Stephens - Travel Writer, The Times and Sunday Times
Laura French - Deputy Features & Supplements Editor, Travel Weekly

TRADE PUBLICATION OF THE YEAR (sponsored by Destination Canada)

WINNER: TTG

FINALISTS:

ABTA Magazine
Travel Weekly
Travelmole

BROADCAST PROGRAMME OF THE YEAR (sponsored by Tailor Made Rail)

WINNER: Ultimate Japan (Tern TV Productions for BBC World News Channel)

FINALISTS:

Earth Cycle (Simon Parker/1080 Media)
Great British Railway Journeys (Fremantle/BBC)
Insight Guides: The Travel Podcast
Japan Welcomes the World: (Greg Dickinson/The Telegraph)

THE INFLUENCER AWARDS:

INFLUENCER RISING STAR OF THE YEAR (sponsored by Saint Lucia Tourism Authority)

WINNER: Teresa Gomez - Brogan Abroad 

FINALISTS:

Ashley Hall - Ashley's Footprints
Bella Falk - Passport & Pixels           
Gemma Thompson - Girls That Travel
Oliver Kilvert - Here We Go Again
Teresa Gomez - Brogan Abroad 

VLOGGER OF THE YEAR

WINNER: Joe Allam (@JoeAllam) 

FINALISTS:

David Reilly - Life of Reilly  
Deb and Dave Bouskill - ThePlanetD
Gary Bembridge - Tips for Travellers            
Michele Frolla - The Intrepid Guide                       

BLOGGER OF THE YEAR  

WINNER: Mark and Mim Forstmanis - The Common Wanderer          

FINALISTS:

Abigail King - Inside the Travel Lab  
Chloe Gunning - Wanderlust Chloe              
Emily Luxton - Emily Luxton Travels
Paul Johnson - A Luxury Travel Blog 

INFLUENCER OF THE YEAR

WINNER: Joe Allam (@JoeAllam) 

FINALISTS:

Gary Bembridge - Tips for Travellers
Macca Sherifi - An Adventurous World
Sian Lewis - The Girl Outdoors         
Suze Renner - Luxury Columnist      

THE PR AWARDS:

PR PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR

WINNER: Kate McWilliams - Deputy Managing Director, Lotus

FINALISTS:

Anne Pedersen - Head of Public Relations, Atout France
Catriona McGale - PR & Content Director, SEO Travel
Emma Westman - Communications Director, Visit California
Laoise Collins - PR Account Director, SLC Representation
Rachel O'Reilly - Head of Communications, Kuoni

PR AGENCY OF THE YEAR

WINNER: LOTUS

FINALISTS:

Brighter Group, A Finn Partners Company
GEC PR         
SEO Travel
Siren Comms

IN-HOUSE PR TEAM OF THE YEAR

WINNER: ABTA 

FINALISTS:

Atout France
G Adventures
Preferred Hotels & Resorts
Visit Wales 

PR STUNT OF THE YEAR

WINNER: British Airways - 100 Acts of Kindness         

FINALISTS:

Cornett - Neigh-SMR
Fox Communications - Istrian White Truffle Auction            
SEO Travel - Predict the Ending of Game of Thrones         
Travel Republic - Woke You Were Here        

PR CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR

WINNER: Fred Olsen Cruise Lines - The Royal British Legion's 'D-Day 75 Voyage of Remembrance'

FINALISTS:

Four Comms (on behalf of Visit Victoria) - Broadcast Priority 2019             
SEO Travel - Predict the Ending of Game of Thrones
Tourism and Events Queensland - scUber  

SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR (PR)

WINNER: SLC Representation on behalf of Tourism Western Australia - Freckles the Manta Ray

FINALISTS:

Black Diamond - Tom Daley's Deep Dive: Tohoku and the road to Tokyo 
Kuoni - The Travel Project - Hidden Antigua  
Brighter PR - Boohoo Takes Jamaica           
Forest of Dean and Wye Valley Tourism - Leaf Peepers Welcome 

PR RISING STAR OF THE YEAR

WINNER: Alissa Kirkwood - Public Relations Executive, Kuoni

FINALISTS:

Georgia Gogarty - Assistant Account Executive, Brighter Group
Jack Stevens - Account Executive, Brighter Group
Rebecca Riley - Account Executive, Brighter Group            

The TravMedia Awards -  The Judges

• Amanda Hills, President, MMGY Hills Balfour
• Amanda Statham, Contributing Travel Editor, Cosmopolitan, and Women's Health
• Anne Pedersen, Head of Public Relations, Atout France
• Barry Neild, Global Editor, CNN Travel
• Helen Coop, Managing Director, Four Communications
• Jane Dunford, Travel Editor, The Guardian
• Jane Knight, Freelance Travel Writer
• Jane Memmler, Deputy Travel Editor, Reach plc
• Jonathan Smith, Head of Media & PR, ABTA
• Julia Record, Global Director of Communications, Dorchester Collection
• Jules Ugo, Managing Director, LOTUS
• Laura Millar, Travel Editor of Metro
• Laurel Greatrix, Head of Communications for Viator, a TripAdvisor company
• Lisa Minot, Travel Editor, The Sun
• Lyn Hughes, Editor-in-chief / Founder, Wanderlust Travel Media
• Lynsey Devon, Founder and CEO, Heaven Publicity
• Nim Singh, Manager of Media and Public Relations, Destination Canada
• Philip Trippenbach, UK Head of Influencer, Edelman
• Phil Bloomfield, Corporate and Consumer Communications, dnata Travel Group
• Pippa Jacks, Group Editor, TTG Media
• Rachel O'Reilly, Head of Communications, Kuoni
• Stuart Fyfe, PR Manager (International UK/Northern Europe), Tourism Australia
• Sue Ockwell, Founder and Director, Travel PR
• Sue Whitehead, Director, Hume Whitehead Limited

Full biographies of the TravMedia Awards judges are available at https://www.travmediaawards.com/judges.html

Said Henry Hemming, TravMedia UK's Managing Director: “Our congratulations to all the inaugural winners on this fantastic first running of the Awards. That was quite a night!

“Greg Dickinson dazzled our judges and sets a high standard for Travel Writer of the Year next time round! Deserved praise to Lyn Hughes, for her Outstanding Contribution win, and to Kate McWilliams and Joe Allam. Well done to all the other great media, PR and infuencer winners, and thanks to our great sponsors and judges.”

The TravMedia Awards are owned and run by TravMedia UK, the company operating TravMedia.com in the UK and Ireland.  TravMedia is a global social network connecting the travel industry with the media and connects PR professionals from over 3000 tourism and travel brands with over 25,000 journalists and influencers worldwide.

IMM is TravMedia's market-leading exhibition-style event connecting the travel industry with journalists and influencers. IMM becomes a two-day event in 2020 for the first time, featuring two days of meetings, professional development sessions and breakout networking events.

IMM 2020 Exhibitors

Accor Asia Pacific, Agence de Développement Touristique des Ardennes, Alpe d'Huez Grand Domaine Ski, Alterra Mountain Company, Amelia Island, Annecy Mountains, Ardèche Tourisme, Arizona Office of Tourism, Atlantic Coast Cognac Country, Atlantic Loire Valley, Atout France, Aurora Expeditions, Austrian National Tourist Office, Auvergne Rhone-Alpes Tourisme, Avignon Tourisme, Banff Sunshine Village, Bavaria Tourism, Biarritz Pays Basque Tourism, Blenheim Palace, Bourgogne-Franche-Comte Tourisme, Bournemouth Christchurch & Poole, Brand USA, Brittany Ferries, Brittany Tourism, CaminoWays.com, Canal & River Trust, Cayman Islands Department of Tourism, Centre des Monuments Nationaux, Château de Chenonceau, Choose Chicago, CityPASS, Cotswolds Tourism, Crans-Montana, Daytona Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, Deep South, Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi, Destination Beaujolais, Destination Canada, Destination New South Wales, destination: Tiburon, DFDS, Discover Aboriginal Experiences, Discover The Palm Beaches, Düsseldorf Tourist Board, Efteling, Evaneos, Exodus Travels, Fairmont Hotels Canadian Pacific Northwest Region, Florida's Paradise Coast, Fly Provence, Fomento del Turismo de Mallorca, Food Drink Devon, Frankfurt Rhine-Main Region, G Adventures, German National Tourist Office, Gers Gascony Tourism, Gran Canaria Tourist Board, Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, Grenada Tourism Authority, Haute Garonne Tourism, Hello Lille, Heritage Expeditions, HF Holidays, Homewood, Hong Kong Tourism Board, Iberian Escapes, Inghams, Interrail Pass, IPW / U.S. Travel Association, Isère Attractivité, Italian National Tourist Board, KE Adventure Travel, Lake Charles Louisiana, Lake Saimaa - Purest Finland, Lanzarote Tourism Office, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Les Villages Nature® Paris, Loire Valley, Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board, Luberon Cœur de Provence Tourisme, Lyon Tourism & Conventions, Macao Government Tourism Office, Marketing Manchester, Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism, Montpellier Méditerranée Tourism & Conventions, NAUSICAA the French National Sea Centre, New Orleans & Company, New Smyrna Beach Area Visitors Bureau, Normandy Tourism, Northern Territory, Okinawa Convention & Visitors Bureau, Orascom Hotels Management, Orléans Val de Loire Tourisme, Ottawa Tourism, Ovolo Hotels, OYO Hotels & Homes, Pas-de-Calais Tourism, Philadelphia CVB, Pierre & Vacances, Planet Travel Holidays, Preferred Hotels & Resorts, Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur, Pure Michigan, Puy du Fou, Qantas Airways, Raffles Singapore, Remarkable France, Rocky Mountaineer, Romantic Cities, Royal Commission for AlUla, Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, Salzburg State Board of Tourism / SalzburgerLand Tourismus, San Francisco Travel Association, Sands Resort Macao, Savoie Mont Blanc Tourisme, Setouchi Tourism Authority, Signature Experiences of Australia, Ski & Summer France, Sonoma County Tourism, South Australia Tourism Commission, SouthWest Germany Tourist Board, Switzerland Tourism, TAP Air Portugal, Tarn & Garonne Tourism, Tarn Tourism, Tenerife Tourism Corporation, The AMResorts Collection, The Tourism Authority of Thailand, Toulouse Tourist Office, Tourism and Events Queensland, Tourism Australia, Tourism Nova Scotia, Tourism Toronto, Tourism Western Australia, Tourist Board of Lake Constance, Travel Manitoba, Travel Nevada, Travel Texas, Universal Parks and Resorts, Valais/Wallis Promotion, Vaucluse Provence, Verbier Promotion, VIA Rail Canada, Vienne Condrieu Tourism, Viking Cruises, Visit Austin, Visit Baltimore, Visit County Durham, VISIT DENVER, VISIT FLORIDA, Visit Huntington Beach – Surf City USA, Visit Isles of Scilly, Visit Mesa, Visit North Carolina, Visit Orlando, Visit Portugal, Visit San Antonio, Visit St. Pete/Clearwater, Visit Tampa Bay, Visit Temecula Valley, Visit Tucson, Visit Var, Visit Victoria, Visit Wales, VisitDenmark, VisitEngland and VisitScotland 

Ends

For information on TravMedia Awards and IMM 2020:

Louise Napier

Regional Director, TravMedia

T: +44 (0)20 3440 8915

E: louise.napier@travmedia.com

EDITORS NOTES

The first-ever IMM was held in London in March 2013 and has since expanded to all corners of the earth, with annual events now taking place in countries including the USA, Australia, Germany and France.

The technology used by TravMedia has become an essential tool for journalists and PR professionals in their day-to-day activities, as they connect and share information in their working lives.

TravMedia was originally created by a travel journalist seeking a better way to research and report travel news, and is dedicated to creating thriving online communities of travel journalists and travel PR professionals.

The company currently operates in 11 countries: Australia, Germany, Dubai, United States, Canada, United Kingdom, India, Brazil, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Africa, and has amassed over 50,000 journalist and PR members.

In the UK, TravMedia and Food4Media are part of the family of websites that also includes Homes4Media.com and Property4Media.com, sites that are owned and operated separately by News4Media Ltd.