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Time Out Australia has launched its first-ever Travel Awards, with nominees now live

Time Out

Key Facts:

• Time Out Australia has launched its inaugural Travel Awards in partnership with Wise, celebrating the best hotels, destinations, experiences and operators across the country.
• Editors' Choice nominees have been announced across 10 categories, including Best Luxury Stay, Best Boutique Stay, Best Eco Tourism and Best Wellness Travel, with all nominees personally visited and vetted by Time Out editors.
• People's Choice Awards are open for public voting across three categories — Favourite Hotel, Favourite Destination, and Favourite Travel Experience or Attraction — with voting closing on 13 November 2026, and voters going in the draw to win a $500 Visa gift card.
• Time Out Australia Editor Melissa Woodley has taken more than 100 flights and explored every state and territory in the past two-and-a-half years, underscoring the editorial credibility behind the awards.
• Winners of both the Editors' Choice and People's Choice Awards will be announced on 23 November 2026, with updates to be shared via @timeoutaustralia on Instagram.

 

 

This brand-new awards is all about celebrating Australia’s most “wow” accommodation, destinations and experiences, all over the country

 

Time Out Australia – the go-to resource for travel around the country – has just launched its inaugural Travel Awards, in partnership with Wise.

 

Time Out has been running awards for decades, including the Food & Drink Awards – and now it’s time to start celebrating the very best hotels, destinations, experiences, operators and more, based on our editors’ vast travels around the country.

 

Editors’ Choice nominees for the Time Out Australia Travel Awards 2026 have been announced today, across the following 10 categories:

 

• Best Luxury Stay
• Best Boutique Stay
• Best Affordable Stay
• Best Family-Friendly Stay (presented by Scenic World)
• Best Holiday Home
• Best Attraction
• Best Adventure Experience
• Best Destination
• Best Eco Tourism
• Best Wellness Travel

 

See all the nominees over here.

 

Note that venues don't nominate themselves for these awards – Time Out editors experience venues and then curate nominee lists from those experiences. Time Out editors have been to every nominee stay, destination and experience, and all of them made the list because they deliver “wow” experiences across a spread of states, price points, and for different types of travellers. These are spots that Time Out editors would recommend to anyone.

 

There are also People’s Choice Awards, which are chosen by the public. People can vote now for their favourite spots to go in the draw to win a $500 Visa gift card (voting closes November 13, 2026). These are the three People’s Choice categories:

 

• Favourite Hotel
• Favourite Destination
• Favourite Travel Experience or Attraction

 

Vote over here.

 

For Melissa Woodley, the Editor of Time Out Australia at Vinyl Media, travel is a huge part of her role – in the last two-and-a-half years since launching Time Out’s Australia-wide travel guides, she has taken more than 100 flights and explored every state and territory.

 

“Here at Time Out, we’re all about getting Australians – as well as international audiences – inspired to get out and discover all the hidden gems that our remarkable country has to offer,” says Woodley.

 

“I truly believe Australia is one of the most diverse places on Earth – we have world-class experiences for every kind of traveller, whether you’re into adventure, eco-tourism, wellness or pure five-star luxury. These awards are our way of championing the people and places making our travel landscape unforgettable, and giving everyone an excuse to book their next getaway.”

 

Winners for both the Editors’ Choice and People’s Choice Awards will be announced on November 23, 2026 – keep an eye on @timeoutaustralia’s Instagram for updates.

 

The full list of nominees can be found here.

 

About us:

About Time Out

 

Time Out is a global brand that inspires and enables people to experience the best of the city through Time Out Media and Time Out Market. Time Out Australia is run by Vinyl Media.

 

Time Out launched in London in 1968 to help people discover the exciting new urban cultures that had started up all over the city – today it is the only global brand dedicated to city life. Expert journalists curate and create content about the best things to do, see and eat across 333 cities in 59 countries, and across a unique multi-platform model spanning both digital and physical channels. Rooted in the Time Out brand, Time Out Market is the world's first editorially curated food and cultural market, bringing a city's best chefs, restaurateurs and cultural experiences together under one roof. The portfolio includes eleven Markets in cities such as Lisbon, New York and Dubai, and several new locations with expected opening dates in 2025 and beyond, in addition to a pipeline of further locations in advanced discussions. Time Out Group PLC, listed on AIM (AIM: TMO), is headquartered in the United Kingdom. Learn more at www.timeout.com and LinkedIn.

Contact details:

For further information contact:
Chriss Mannix
Soda Communications
[email protected]

0418 408 035