Frequently Asked Questions
Applying
Who can apply?
Tourism and/or hospitality businesses applying to the West Midlands Tourism Awards 2025 must lie within one of the following areas: Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, North Warwickshire, Nuneaton & Bedworth, Rugby, Sandwell, Shropshire, Solihull, Stratford-upon-Avon, Telford & Wrekin, Walsall, Warwick, Wolverhampton.
Category-specific eligibility requirements can be found on our awards categories page.
How do I apply?
Your journey to the national VisitEngland Awards for Excellence starts by entering into the West Midlands Tourism Awards. The process is easy: simply complete an online application form on the OpenWater system, answering a few key questions and providing links to your online presence and customer reviews.
What are the categories?
Please check out our category page for a full list of categories.
Can I enter more than one category?
You can enter multiple categories if you fulfil the eligibility criteria for each category you choose and adhere to any category-specific rules.
Will I have to pay to enter?
No! The West Midlands Tourism Awards 2025 are completely free to enter. The only expense will be additional tickets to the awards ceremony and any costs incurred from a judges visit. More information about this can be found *judging process page*
Can I get help with my entry?
Yes, we will look at running an Applicant Workshop, outlining the awards process and information to help support your application. Details of these will be announced on our social channels shortly.
Be sure to also check out our Hints and Tips page.
I’m having trouble with the online form – who do I contact?
For any questions or queries, please contact Sophie King at sophie.king@wmgrowth.com
Will I need to apply for the national VisitEngland Awards?
Local winners of core categories will automatically be entered into the national awards.
Judging
How do you judge applications?
Round 1 is the ‘desk judging’ stage. This round looks at eligibility, online presence, top qualities, recent improvements, results and future plans. These sections will scored by several industry judges, with the highest scorers selected to progress to Round 2.
Round 2 for most categories is a visit to the entrant’s business, experiencing it first hand – and resulting in a further report.
Please note, it is important to ensure your application covers both accessibility and sustainability throughout as this could drastically reduce your overall score.
No matter where you are based in the country, your local and national application will be judged against nationally set standards, with the same scoring criteria and judging guidance for all core categories.
Will I get feedback on my application?
Yes, all entrants receive feedback on how to improve their application at all stages of the judging process.
