2025 Winners
Now in its 11th year, the Travel Media Awards continued to celebrate the very best of travel journalism, photography and broadcasting. It remains one of the only national awards ceremonies in the UK that exclusively rewards outstanding achievement in all forms of travel storytelling.
This year’s awards featured 24 categories — which included the new Cruise Travel Writer of the Year and Content Creator of the Year categories — judged by a panel of travel industry professionals and senior editors.
Below are the 2025 winners, recognised for their creativity, integrity and contribution to travel media.
Photographs by Jason Purple

This category was open to both consumer and trade travel writers and journalists who have reported on accessible travel.
Sophie Morgan, Freelance
This category was open to both consumer and trade travel writers and journalists.

Collected by Carolyn Boyd
Julia Buckley, Freelance
This category was open for programmes made for radio, podcast and online channels (excluding YouTube, Vimeo and SoundCloud). Submissions may include a one-off programme or one of a series of programmes, including features, audio-documentaries, interviews and phone-ins.
Wander Woman: A Travel Podcast, Phoebe Smith
This category was open for programmes made for TV or online channels (excluding YouTube and Vimeo). Submissions may include a one-off programme or one of a series of programmes, including features, documentaries and interviews.
World's Greatest Train Journeys, BBC
This award was for consumer magazines published regularly in print in the UK, with a minimum of three issues a year, that aren’t dedicated travel magazines but have printed travel sections.
Breathe
This award was open to all consumer travel magazines published in print in the UK on a regular basis, with a minimum of three issues a year.
JRNY Travel Magazine
This award was open to UK-based consumer travel websites or publications that are published regularly on a digital platform. Publications may be a website, digital magazine or published on an app.
Adventure.com
This award was open to professional consumer travel writers and journalists.

Ben Aitken, Freelance
This award was open to UK travel content creators and producers who have been posting for 12 months or more (to 30 April 2025). Qualifying channels include personal blogs or websites and YouTube and Vimeo channels.
Kash Bhattacharya, BudgetTraveller, Exploring the unique football culture of Great Britain, with Visit Britain
This award was open to professional travel writers and journalists who specialise in cruise travel writing.

Collected by Jane Anderson
Mike MacEacheran, Freelance
This award was open to business-to-customer travel-focused magazines and digital content produced for business-to-customer use which illustrate excellence in their market. Magazines had to be published at least three times a year, while websites and website sections had to be regularly updated.
Companion
This award was open to consumer or trade travel writers and journalists aged 30 and under who have been professionally published (for travel and non-travel-related work) for less than five years as of 30 April 2025.
Thom Brown, Intrepid Times
Nominated guides must have been published as a book, online or as an app between 1 May 2024 and 30 April 2025.

The LGBTQ+ Travel Guide, Lonely Planet
This award was for printed UK national broadsheet newspapers published on a regular basis that have printed travel sections.

Telegraph Travel
This award was open to all consumer travel writers and journalists.

Collected by Pat Riddell
Ben Lerwill for ‘Pakistan's mountains are calling — here's why you should go’ in National Geographic Traveller (UK)
This award was for printed UK national tabloid newspapers published on a regular basis that have printed travel sections.
Daily Mirror
This award recognises the outstanding work of photographers published in UK travel publications, either in print or online.

Karolina Wiercigroch
This award was for features published in a title that’s only available regionally. Features were also accepted if the publication was published nationally but the majority of the content, including the travel section, varied regionally.

Collected by Domhnall O'Donoghue
Domhnall O'Donoghue for ‘An Evening at the White House’ in the Belfast Telegraph
Ian Belcher for ‘What Lies Beneath’ in Brummell
This award was open to professional travel writers and journalists who specialise in a particular country or geographic area.
Ben Aitken, UK
This award was open to professional travel writers and journalists who specialise in a particular travel topic.

Mike Unwin, Wildlife
This category was open to both consumer and trade travel writers and journalists who have reported on sustainable travel.

Ellie Cobb for ‘The Indian Ocean's laid-back 'paradise on Earth’’ in BBC Travel
This category was open to both consumer and trade travel writers and journalists who have reported on sustainable travel.
Imogen Lepere, Freelance
This award was open to travel trade publications that are updated or published on both print and digital platforms on a regular basis.
Cruise Trade News
Selling Travel
This award was open to professional trade travel writers and journalists.
