Explore Minnesota Tourism AwardsJoin us for the 2025 Explore Minnesota Tourism Awards
The Explore Minnesota Tourism Awards celebrate the outstanding people, marketing and initiatives that make Minnesota a premier travel destination.
Awards will be presented at the closing of the 2025 Explore Minnesota Tourism Conference at the Minneapolis Convention Center on Wednesday, Feb. 19. Join us at 3:15 p.m. in-person or virtually as Executive Director Lauren Bennett McGinty provides a look forward at Explore Minnesota’s plans for 2025 followed by the presentations of the Tourism Awards. The Conference will conclude with the presentation of the Tourism Industry Leader Award.
Finalists for the 2025 Explore Minnesota Tourism Awards:
This award recognizes an innovative marketing campaign that has demonstrated exceptional creativity, innovation, and effectiveness. The campaign could have utilized a variety of channels, including digital media, social platforms and traditional outlets to successfully promote a destination.
Finalists
This award recognizes an innovative marketing campaign that has demonstrated exceptional creativity, innovation, and effectiveness. The campaign could have utilized a variety of channels, including digital media, social platforms and traditional outlets to successfully promote a destination.
Finalists
This award recognizes exceptional social media campaigns or initiatives that showcased originality, brand consistency and creativity. Campaigns effectively engaged audiences on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X and others. Nominees provided metrics with analytics, engagement and other dashboard data.
Finalists
The Outstanding Video Award recognizes tourism organizations that have produced unique and innovative video content showcasing their destination's distinctive attributes. Nominations highlighted the creative process, the video's effective use in marketing campaigns and any measurable results achieved. This award celebrates the power of video to inspire travel and drive economic impact.
Finalists
This award recognizes a new or refreshed website that has significantly enhanced the visitor experience and provides exceptional features like interactive mapping, robust search functionality, personalized recommendations and seamless social media integration. The finalists below demonstrated innovation and a commitment to providing a truly outstanding digital experience for travel planners.
Finalists
This award recognizes an innovative project by an Explore Minnesota Recovery Grant Program recipient demonstrating innovation within the program.
Finalists
This award recognizes a partner's exceptional use of the Explore Minnesota Co-op program.
Finalists
Recognizing collaborative efforts of three or more organizations or entities, this award will be presented to an outstanding tourism project, initiative or campaign designed to advance tourism for a community, area or business district. Nominees detailed how they worked together to address a challenge or opportunity and how the collaboration benefitted each of the partners.
Finalists
This award recognizes an individual who has joined Minnesota's tourism industry within the last five years. The Emerging Leader exhibits a passion for Minnesota's tourism and hospitality industry, is mindful of their role in making the state a welcoming place for all travelers and through their work ensures the future growth and vitality of Minnesota tourism.
Finalists
