Picture: Magic Mountains, Portugal by Pedro Borges Silva
The Sustainable Tourism Partners Awards
The STAR Awards recognise ECST Partners demonstrating real, measurable commitment to sustainable tourism.
They celebrate actions that:
Support nature • Reduce impact • Strengthen communities • Communicate values
Applications are now closed!
The application phase for the STAR Awards 2026 is now closed! Our international jury is going through all applications. Stay tuned!
The STAR Awards ceremony will take place on 9 December, from 14:00 to 17:30 CET. The ceremony will be held in Brussels at the European Committee of the Regions. More information will follow. For now – save the date!
You can find more information the application to the STAR Awards below.
Who can apply?
You are eligible if you:
- Are an ECST Part II business or Part III tour operator
- Have a valid partnership agreement with a Protected Area awarded ECST Sustainable Destination (Part I)
Previous STAR Awards winners are not eligible.
Awards
Three winners are selected:
- Star Award Overall Winner
- Star Award Runner Up
- Star Award Honourable Mention
What are we looking for?
Picture: Matsalua National Park, Estonia. Picture by Seikluspartner
The jury evaluates:
- Concrete conservation actions
- Reduced environmental impact
- Support to local communities and culture
- Clear communication of sustainability values
- Real results, not plans
- Innovation, collaboration, and credibility
All applications are assessed holistically.
Application in brief
- Takes 30–40 minutes to complete
- Includes:
- Sustainability story
- Key result
- Thematic questions about your actions
- You may upload up to 3 supporting files or links
- Be concise and factual, and focus on what you have already achieved.
How does selection work?
- Pre-selection Jury (by language)
Applications are evaluated in the application language (English, French, Italian and Spanish). An internal jury preselects the best applications (max. 6), which will proceed to the next phase. - International Jury
An international jury evaluates the preselected applications and selects and ranks the three Star Awards winners.
What winners receive?
- STAR Awards trophy and official recognition
- Invitation to the Awards Ceremony in Brussels
- Promotion via EUROPARC and ECST channels
The Overall Winner also becomes an ECST Flagship Partner and receives additional visibility, including a dedicated feature article.
Explore previous editions
Explore previous STAR Award winners and get inspired by their achievements here.
For more information, don’t hesitate to contact us:
