Yes. Three of the Holiday Park Awards People categories are made for exactly this: Leader of the Year, Rising Star Award and Team of the Year. A manager can enter a leader or a rising star on their behalf, and a park or business can enter a team it is proud of. Entry is free, every category is independently judged and scored out of 100, and entries close on 20 November 2026. Here is what each category asks for, and how to put a strong entry together.
Why enter someone else
The people who make a park work are rarely the ones who put themselves forward. Good leaders are busy lifting others, rising stars are still finding their feet, and teams are focused on the next arrival day. Entering them is a way of saying their work has been noticed, and of letting the wider industry see it too.
You also know the detail of what they have done. That detail is what the judges score, so the person or team who works alongside them every day is often best placed to tell the story.
Leader of the Year
Leader of the Year recognises a leader who sets direction and lifts their people. The entry guide is clear that this is about leading through influence and example, whether or not they hold a formal leadership title, so a supervisor or department lead can be as strong a case as a general manager.
There are five scored questions:
Leadership through influence and example (20 points)
People, inclusion and development (20 points)
Innovation, change and courage (20 points)
Measurable positive impact (25 points)
Industry contribution, personal growth and future leadership (15 points)
The largest single score is for measurable positive impact, so show what changed because of this person, what their own contribution was and how the change has lasted. The tie breaker asks for the single action that best shows they led the way without relying on formal authority, status or ownership.
Rising Star Award
The Rising Star Award celebrates emerging talent making a real difference early in their career. Their manager enters them on their behalf, and the entry guide has three scored questions:
Career journey, development and potential (30 points)
Contribution, initiative and teamwork (40 points)
Values, wider contribution and future potential (30 points)
Contribution carries 40 of the 100 points, so give one or two clear examples of what they did themselves and the benefit it brought to guests, customers, colleagues or the business. Judges also want to see progress that is notable for their career stage and opportunity, so explain where they started and how they have grown. Alongside your supporting files, you can add an optional video or evidence link.
Team of the Year
Team of the Year is for a team whose collective effort transformed results. It might be a front-of-house team, a grounds team or a group brought together across departments for a project. There are three scored questions:
Team purpose, culture and people (30 points)
Collaboration, delivery and measurable impact (40 points)
Improvement, resilience and future ambition (30 points)
The tie breaker asks for the one example that best shows the team achieving something together that its members could not have achieved alone. You can upload up to 10 supporting evidence files, and the guide asks you to label each one with the question it supports.
If the team you want to celebrate is your entertainment team or your holiday home sales team, look at Best Entertainment Team and Best Holiday Home Sales Team too. A standout individual in sales can be entered by their manager for Holiday Home Salesperson of the Year.
How to write a strong people entry
Download the entry guide for the category and draft your answers in the Word document first. The Word guide does not submit your entry: your answers go into the online form.
Answer each scored question separately, within 500 words, and keep the tie breaker within 250 words.
Use specific, credible evidence. Before-and-after figures, guest feedback and examples from colleagues say more than general praise.
Explain the person's or the team's own contribution fairly, separate from wider business results.
Make sure you have permission to share any information, documents or photographs you include.
You can enter more than one category, with a separate online form for each. A park could enter its reception team for Team of the Year and its general manager for Leader of the Year in the same season. Our guide to writing a strong Holiday Park Awards entry covers evidence and planning in more detail, and the FAQs answer common questions.
Enter before 20 November 2026
Your people's hard work deserves recognition. Find the entry guides for Leader of the Year, Rising Star Award and Team of the Year on the award categories page, then submit your entry online before 20 November 2026.
