Every year, we see the same titles and categories being celebrated.
It feels like an exclusive club where popularity wins over merit.
Peer-judged, title-driven, and often devoid of substance, these awards have become predictable and uninspiring, and before anyone comes for me – this isn’t sour grapes. This is simply a reality check.
Let me share some raw truth: I don’t attend these awards anymore because I genuinely don’t believe in the categories.
They feel like a money-maker. The system feels broken. It celebrates people for the roles they’re paid to do, rather than for extraordinary efforts or genuine impact. And as for the ‘underdogs’? Forget it.
The unsung heroes who make things happen behind the scenes don’t stand a chance against the massive companies called the ‘popular kids’.
The best awards event I attended in 2024 was at my child’s school.
Yep, you read that right.
Hands down, the most meaningful, inspiring, and downright fair awards event I attended this year was at my child’s school (take a moment to let that sink in).
Here’s what the travel industry can learn from a bunch of kids and their school awards night; at my kid’s school, they give out awards for things like ‘All-round Citizenship’ & ‘Good Leadership’.
They celebrate qualities like kindness, responsibility, and being someone others can count on – not your last name, the title you hold, or how popular you are.
When a student wins an award, the audience doesn’t just hear their name. They hear a spiel about why they’re winning.
“An inspiring leader values our mission, makes the school community a better place, and is always willing to help.”
It’s personal, heartfelt, and makes the award mean something.
In contrast, travel industry awards often hand out shiny trophies without context. What did the winner do? Why did they stand out? Crickets.
Here’s an idea. Why not take the process out of the hands of the same industry people or the sponsors paying?
In schools, awards are often a mix of teacher input, and community impact.
It’s not about who you know but what you’ve done.
Let’s start celebrating the people making real, lasting impacts – the disruptors, innovators, and those thinking outside the box to future-proof our industry.
Instead of defaulting to the usual CEOs, mid-level managers, or large corporations, let’s shine a light on fresh ideas and meaningful contributions. There’s so much more to our industry than the same familiar names and brands and it’s time we change that.
Here’s what struck me the most at the recent school awards I attended – the speeches on the award winners’ backgrounds.
Kids as young as 11 stood up and celebrated their peers with words like ‘They’re always willing to help, and ‘they lead with kindness and take responsibility for their actions’.
It was a beautiful reminder that leadership isn’t about titles or egos [but] is about making people’s lives better, lifting others up, and being someone people look up to – not because they have to, but because they want to. Imagine awards for being a good industry citizen and recognising those who embody community spirit, generosity, collaboration, and give back.
Or leadership that matters – not just managing a team but inspiring and empowering others.
Or how about unsung hero awards and celebrating the ones who are too busy doing the work to sing their own praises and don’t run a million-dollar company but have put their time into making the industry better?
And for the love of all things fair, let’s start telling the stories behind the awards. Let’s give the spotlight to those who are often overlooked but deserve to shine.
As a closing thought, I believe kids have figured out something that our industry hasn’t. Awards aren’t just about the winners – they’re about the values we want to celebrate and uphold as a community.
Until the travel industry can ditch its popularity contests and start recognising the real impact of people, I think I will stick to school awards.
Maxine Wiggs is the Global Head of Commercial for eRoam in Australia.
