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Host city

Awards

2026

The Host City Awards recognise and celebrate outstanding achievement in the planning, hosting and delivery of major events worldwide.

From cities and destinations to organisers, rights holders and suppliers, the awards highlight initiatives that drive innovation, create lasting impact and advance the business of events.

By showcasing best-in-class projects and strategies, the awards provide a platform to share ideas, inspire collaboration and set new benchmarks for excellence across the global events industry.

Winners will be announced in front of an international audience of event owners, organisers, host cities and industry leaders at Host City 2026 in Glasgow - offering a unique opportunity to showcase your work on a global stage.

Submit your entry by October 9th

The categories

01.
Outstanding
host
destination
+

Celebrating destinations that demonstrate excellence in bidding, hosting, and delivering major events, leaving a lasting postitive impact. +

02.
Destination marketing & brand impact award
+

Recognising destinations that demonstrate excellence in marketing and branding to strengthen their global profile, attract major events, and drive long-term growth. +

03.
Rightsholder
innovation
award
+

Recognising rightsholders who drive forward-thinking innovation in event content, format, or IP to shape the future of major events. +

04.
Innovation
in
event delivery
+

Honouring transformative approaches to planning, logistics, technology, or operations that redefine event execution. +

05.
Audience engagement & experience
+

Celebrating exceptional strategies that engage and grow audiences, fostering loyalty and creating memorable experiences. +

06.
Sustainability
award
+

Recognising rightsholders who drive forward-thinking innovation in event content, format, or IP to shape the future of major events. +

07.
Legacy
impact
award
+

Recognising events that create lasting positive impact for host communities, destinations or the wider industry. +

Meet the judges

Meet the judges for the Host City Awards, who collectively offer a wealth of expertise across our three categories. They provide valuable insights from global event management, public sector leadership, and innovation, ensuring a fair and well-rounded evaluation of all entries.

Harvey Goldsmith CBE

Promoter, Earth Aid Live

Paul Bush OBE

Managing Director, Tour de France Grand Depart 2027
Max Cobb

Max Cobb

International Biathlon Union Secretary General

Joanne Deponio

Director of Host Relations, UK & Ireland 2028

Liu Xinghua

Head of International Relations, Beijing Olympic City Development Association

Kevin MacCuish

Head of Olympic Games and Major Events, UCI

Iain Edmondson

Founder, Legacy Delivery and Honorary Member, IAEH

Jason Ferguson

Chairman, World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association
Brian Lewis

Brian Lewis

Immediate Past President, Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee

Sarah Lewis OBE OLY

Chair, GB Olympians Association

Jennifer Arnold

Vice President, Marketing & Communications, U.S. Soccer Foundation
Pierre Trochet

Pierre Trochet

President, International Federation of American Football (IFAF)
Dragana Clarke

Dragana Clarke

Operational Readiness and Main Operations Center Director, Milano Cortina 2026

Iris Cordoba

Managing Director at GSIC

Ruth Hollis OBE

Chief Executive, Spirit of 2012

Darren Hall

CGF Director of Games and Assurance, Commonwealth Sport

Eligibility

Candidates can submit awards at no cost, but conference attendance is an entry requirement.

If shortlisted a representative of the applicant will be required to attend the Civic Reception and Award Ceremony.

The event period for the award submission must have taken place within the last year (from October 2025 to October 2026).

Key dates

Submission deadline: 9 October
Shortlist announced: 3 November
Awards announcement & dinner: 1 December

Process

Each award category has three criteria against entrants will be judged.

Entering organisations will write a submission (max 1500 words)explaining why they meet these criteria. Supporting materials(videos, photos) are encouraged.

The judging panel will be made up of a fixed number of diverse experts.Each of the judges will give marks out of ten for each of the criteria.

Outstanding host destination

Celebrating destinations that demonstrate excellence in bidding, hosting, and delivering major events, leaving a lasting positive impact.

Assessment Criteria: 

  • Hosting vision & strategy: how did your destination’s vision and strategy align with the goals of the event(s), and what made it stand out as a host?

  • Stakeholder collaboration: how did you engage with local government, businesses, communities, and organisers to ensure seamless delivery and legacy?

  • Legacy & impact: what tangible benefits (e.g., economic, social, reputational, or infrastructural) has hosting the event(s) brought to your destination?
Apply

Destination marketing & brand impact award

Recognising destinations that demonstrate excellence in marketing and branding to strengthen their global profile, attract major events, and drive long-term growth.

Assessment criteria: 

  • Strategic brand positioning: how clearly and distinctively has the destination defined and communicated its brand within the global events and tourism marketplace?

  • Integrated marketing & activation: how effectively has the destination delivered integrated marketing, communications, and partnerships to promote itself to event organisers and key audiences?

  • Measurable brand & commercial impact: what tangible outcomes have been achieved, such as increased event wins, tourism growth, investment interest, media value, or improved brand perception?

Apply

Rightsholder innovation award

Recognising rightsholders who drive forward-thinking innovation in event content, format, or IP to shape the future of major events.  

Assessment criteria: 

  • Innovation & creativity: what groundbreaking ideas, formats, or content did you introduce to elevate the event experience or industry standards?  

  • Future focus: how did your innovation address emerging trends, audience expectations, or industry challenges?  

  • Measurable change: provide evidence of positive change, such as audience growth, engagement metrics, commercial returns, or industry recognition.  

Apply

Innovation in event delivery

Honouring transformative approaches to planning, logistics, technology, or operations that redefine event execution 

Assessment criteria: 

  • Operational excellence: what innovative methods or technologies did you implement to improve efficiency, safety, or scalability?

  • Problem-solving: how did your approach overcome specific challenges (e.g., sustainability, accessibility, or crisis management)?

  • Legacy & scalability: how can your innovations be adopted or adapted by future events or industries?
Apply

Audience engagement & experience

Celebrating exceptional strategies that engage and grow audiences, fostering loyalty and creating memorable experiences.  

Assessment criteria: 

  • Audience reach & growth: how did you expand or diversify your audience, both in-person and through digital channels? Include metrics such as attendance, participation, engagement, media reach or audience growth.  

  • Creative engagement: what innovative or inclusive methods did you use to connect with audiences (e.g., gamification, personalisation, community co-creation, digital engagement or new content approaches)?   

  • Impact & loyalty: how did you measure success in terms of repeat participation, audience satisfaction, brand affinity or long-term community engagement?  

Apply

Sustainability award

Recognising events that deliver measurable environmental and social sustainability outcomes through practical, effective approaches.

Assessment criteria: 

  • Environmental outcomes: what measurable results were achieved (e.g. emissions reduction, waste management, energy efficiency, circular practices)?  

  • Implementation & practicality: how effectively were sustainability initiatives embedded into event planning and delivery, including cost-efficiency?   

  • Practical innovation: what new or improved approaches were introduced to deliver sustainability in a realistic, scalable way?

Apply

Legacy impact award

Recognising events that create lasting positive impact for host communities, destinations or the wider industry.

Assessment criteria: 

  • Legacy vision & strategy: Was there a clear and intentional plan to deliver long-term benefits beyond the event?

  • Tangible outcomes: What measurable social, economic or infrastructural benefits were delivered? 

  • Enduring impact: To what extent are benefits sustained beyond the event lifecycle (e.g. continued use, community value, policy or system change)?  

Apply