Nomination Categories for 2016 ADWT-AWARDS African Diaspora World Tourism Awards
August 26-28, 2016
2016 Award Nominations are open for Leaders and Professionals who have made Outstanding Contributions in the Field of Black History and Cultural Heritage that has Positively Affected Tourism
(Nominations are due by June 30, 2016. Email suggestions for awards to
[email protected] or [email protected] or [email protected]
Categories are as follows:
The Top Awards of the Year are in Three Categories:
1) ADWT-Awards Tourism Leader of the Year
2) ADWT-Awards Site of the Year
3) ADWT-Awards Heritage Trail of the Year
4) ADWT-Awards Cultural Heritage Leader of the Year
Other Awards Categories Include:
Honorary African Diaspora World Tourism Awards
These ten awards are our top awards in honor of outstanding trailblazers who have helped to clear the path for black cultural heritage tourism development.
1) Outstanding Tour Operator Award: – This award is in honor of Freddy and Jake Henderson of the USA, the first black tour operators in the US to start taking groups to Africa. It goes to tour operators and travel agents who have worked hard taking travelers to Africa and places of the African Diaspora while educating them about black culture and heritage.
2) Outstanding Scholar: This award is in honor of Dr. Yosef Alfredo Antonio Ben-Jochannan, an Ethiopian, prominent Afro-centric scholars who devoted much of his life to highlighting the indigenous origins of African civilizations. The award goes to educators to bring awareness and knowledge about different aspects (some unknown) of black culture and heritage to students and the general public.
3) Outstanding Researcher: This award is named in honor of Cheikh Anta Diop, a noted Senegalese historian in the development of the ‘Afro-centric’ view and the theory that the ancient Egyptians were black Africans. This award is for scholars who have done extensive research in origins and theories related to black culture and heritage.
4) Outstanding Professor/Lecturer: This award is in honor of Dr. John Henri Clark, an American scholar, educator and the founder and first president of the African Heritage Studies Association who obtained his doctorate degree at the age of 78. This award goes to professors and lecturers who have done superb jobs educating college students and the public about the rich heritage and culture of the people of African descent.
5) Outstanding African Diaspora Heritage Trail: This award is in honor of Dr. David Allen and Dr. Ewart Brown of Bermuda who put in place the African Diaspora Heritage Trails conference and reignited interest in preserving and visiting black cultural heritage sites. It goes to destinations that have done much work toward preserving, sustaining and enhancing their black heritage trails.
6) Outstanding Museum or Cultural Center: This award is in honor of the USA’s iconic world sports hero Muhamed Ali and his wife Lonnie for his legacy, and for both of them working together to establish one of the foremost cultural heritage centers in the world. This award goes to cultural centers that have continuously enhanced their programs and worked toward bringing black heritage and culture to the forefront in their communities and beyond.
7) Outstanding Carnivals/ Festivals/Events: This award is named in honor of Claudia Jones, London-based civil rights activist and founder of the Nottingham Carnival in the United Kingdom. The award goes to the best recently debuting festival and/or progressive festival that represents the richness and celebratory aspects of black culture and heritage while influencing tourism.
8) Outstanding Travel Book: This award is in honor of Victor Hugo Green, an American postal worker and civic leader who, during the time of segregation, created the first travel guidebook for people of color in the United States that later became known as the Green Book. This award is for authors and editors of books on black travel, and culture and heritage tourism in the African Diaspora.
9) Outstanding Leadership and Good Governance Award: This award is in honor of Nigerian Governor Godswill Akpabio, who has contributed tirelessly to infrastructure to support tourism and tourism development. This award goes to civic, political and governmental officials who have done the same and also worked to pass laws and legislation in support of tourism initiatives that can lead to the acknowledgement and promotion of black cultural and heritage tourism.
10) Outstanding Cultural Heritage Tourism Educator: This award is in honor of Dr. Edward W. Robinson, Jr., an American attorney, historian, author and professor, who created the ‘African Genesis Theory,’ which serves to reunite African-Americans with their true ancestral beginnings and their accomplishments. His work spun many study groups to Africa. This award goes to leaders who have conducted educational and research tours in black culture and heritage for students and young people.
African Diaspora World Tourism VIP Award
This awards category recognizes VIP Officials of distinction who have contributed to cultural heritage tourism development.
1) African Tourism Ministers of Distinction: This award goes to African ministers of tourism or tourism directors who have done much toward promoting their country on the world stage as well as their culture and heritage in such a way as to significantly influence tourism.
2) Caribbean Tourism Ministers of Distinction: This award goes to Caribbean minister of tourisms or tourism directors who have done much toward promoting their country on the world stage and also their culture and heritage.
3) Tourism Executives of Distinction: – This award goes to tourism professionals who have made efforts and inroads in the tourism industry in such a way that has enhanced the development and promotion of black travel and black cultural heritage tourism.
4) Cultural Heritage Preservationists of Distinction: This award goes to persons who have taken it upon themselves to start initiatives, campaigns and/or fundraisers for historic sites in order to rebuild, enhance, preserve and protect a site that may otherwise have completely deteriorated or gone unrecognized.
5) Cultural Heritage Tour Operator of Distinction: This awards go to travel agents and tour operators who have excelled in promoting black cultural heritage tourism and tourism to Africa and its diaspora.
6) Travel Association of Distinction: This award goes to an association or organization that has promoted black travel and cultural tourism, and has educated the public about of cultural tourism.
7) Slavery Reconciliation and Healing Leader of Distinction: This awards goes to leaders who have worked hard to heal and commemorate the legacy of slavery in the United States.
8) Spiritual Traditions Preservationist of Distinction: This award goes to leaders who have helped to educate people about and keeping alive African spirituality and cultural traditons.
9) Carnival, Event or Festival of Distinction: This award goes to leaders who have presented unique festivals that have helped to promote tourism and bring people of the together for unity.
10) Museum or Cultural Center of Distinction: This award goes to a museum that has best showcased black life, heritage and history in a way that educates the public, and promotes and sustains African Diaspora cultural heritage.
African Diaspora World Tourism Flame Keepers Awards
These awards are for media, the culture arts, organizations and institutions.
Flame Keepers in Media
1) Tourism Radio and Broadcast Award: This award is for founders and hosts of radio and broadcast programs about black culture and heritage in Africa and the places of the African Diaspora, thereby promoting visitation and tourism.
2) Print Publication: This award is for magazines and print publications that have done much toward promoting black travel, and black cultural and heritage tourism.
3) Online Publication:– The award is for websites and online media that have done much toward promoting black travel, and black cultural and heritage tourism.
4) Travel Social Media and Bloggers: This award goes to travel-related social networks and blogs that have created unique platforms that have significantly generated interactions among travel enthusiasts and professionals that have also brought awareness to and influenced black culture and heritage tourism.
5) Travel Writer/Photo-Journalist: – This award goes to the writers and photo-journalists who have published extensively and have done much toward educating the public about black culture and heritage sites while also promoting tourism.
6) Film or Documentary: This award goes to broadcasts or film about black culture and heritage that serves to stimulate tourism.
7) Resource Guide: This award goes to online and print media sources that have served as guides with information in the fields of black heritage, culture and history which will assist in the promotion of African Diaspora Tourism.
Flame Keepers in Cultural Arts
8) Culture Exhibit: This award goes to cultural exhibits that explain, showcase and educate the public on ome important aspect of the African Diaspora cultural heritage and history.
9) Cultural Performances: This award goes to dance and musical performance groups who serve to educate the public about the richness and uniqueness of African cultural heritage while providing entertainment.
10) Cultural Visual Artist: This award goes to artists including painters, sculptures and crafters whose work depict or represent some aspect of black culture and has sparked public interest enough to impact visitation numbers.
11) Artistic Designers: – This goes to artists who have done great works of art in designing statues, busts, or symbolic structures depicting some aspect of black cultural heritage for historic sites in African Diaspora Tourism.
Flame Keepers – Organizations
12) Tourism Organization/Associations: This award goes to a tourism-related organiation that has contributed significantly to the enhancement, promotion or preservation of black cultural sites and the stimulation of travel.
13) Official Tourism Boards and Corporations: This award goes to the country’s or city’s official tourism boards that have done much toward enhancing and promoting black culture and heritage trails and sites in their destinations.
14) Affiliate Organizations for Tourism: This award goes to non-tourism organizations that have significantly supported black culture and heritage tourism related initiatives, centers, campaigns and conferences.
Flame Keepers – Institutions
15) Art Gallery: This award goes to art galleries that have exemplary paintings, sculptures and art displays depicting black culture, heritage and life styles that have generated traffic in their galleries and thereby contributing to tourism.
16) Cultural Heritage Museum / Cultural Center: This award goes to museums that have shown creative, ingenuity and uniqueness in educating the public about black cultural heritage and inspiring visitation.
17) African Diaspora Tourism Educational Institution: This award goes to colleges and institutions of higher learning that have contributed to black culture and heritage in such a way as to stimulate tourism including accomplishments such as the creation of tours, innovation cultural centers, study abroad programs and notable black studies departments.
