So this is Christmas…
…and what have you done?
We’re delighted to announce the winners of The Baubles for 2025.
Congratulations to everyone who was shortlisted, those who were Highly Commended and, of course all of our winners.
Thank you to all of our sponsors for their support and thank you to everyone who joined us. It was a fabulous night!!
The winners of The Baubles 2025 were:
They’re Behind You!
Best Mentor
Sponsored by the Spanish Tourist Office
The judges decided that the following people stood out in terms of mentorship over the past year:
Winner: Lauren Jarvis – Freelance Journalist
Highly Commended: Lindsey Thorpe – VisitMalta
Jingle Belle
Exceptional Team Player
Sponsored by Mercure London Earls Court
The judges decided that the following people shone as exceptional team players over the past year:
Winner: Charlie Dale – LOTUS
Highly Commended: Simon Willmore – JRNY Travel Magazine
Do They Know It’s Christmas?
Charity Champion
Sponsored by APL Media
The judges decided that the following people stood out as charity champions over the past year:
Winners: Kylie Bawden & April Cernuschi – FINN Partners
Highly Commended: Lucia Rowe – A-Rosa River Cruises
Walking in a Winter Wonderland
Sustainability Hero (in memory of Melissa Tilling)
Sponsored by Switzerland Tourism
The judges decided that the following people stood out in terms of championing sustainability over the past year:
Winner: Debbie Hindle – International Centre for Responsible Tourism
Highly Commended: Selene Orellana – Planeterra Foundation
Merry Christmas Everyone
Inclusivity Angel (in memory of Melissa Tilling)
Sponsored by TUI
The judges decided that the following people stood out in terms of championing DEAI over the past year:
Winner: Carrie-Ann Lightley – Freelance Journalist
Highly Commended: Debbie Marshall – Silver Marketing Association
Die Hard
Unsung Hero
Sponsored by Mail Metro Media
The judges decided that the following people stood out as unsung heroes over the past year:
Winner: Caroline Calvert – Women In Travel CIC
Highly Commended: Ashley Shacklady – Marketing Cheshire
Follow The Star
Content Creator of the Year
Sponsored by Cyprus Deputy Ministry of Tourism
The judges decided that the following people stood out as the best content creators over the past year:
Winner: Rich McCor – Paperboyo
Highly Commended: Amanda O’Brien – The Boutique Adventurer
Home Alone 1
Freelance PR of the Year
Sponsored by Destination North East England
The judges decided that the following people deserved to be recognised as the best freelance travel PRs over the past year:
Winner: Esther Bell – HelloMrsBell
Highly Commended: Manty Atherton – Flamingo PR
Home Alone 2
Freelance Journalist of the Year
Sponsored by G Adventures
The judges decided that the following people deserved to be recognised as the best freelance travel journalists over the past year:
Winner: Tracey Davies
Highly Commended: Sara Darling
Santa’s Helper
PR Professional of the Year
Sponsored by Knightsbridge Magazine
The judges decided that the following people deserved to be recognised as the leading PR Professionals over the past year:
Winner: Jo White – Click PR
Highly Commended: Sam Sparks – Marella Cruises
Let Us Know, Let Us Know, Let Us Know
Travel Journalist of the Year
Sponsored by Princess Cruises
The judges decided that the following people deserved to be recognised as the leading travel journalists over the past year:
Winner: Gemma Knight-Gilani – The Daily Telegraph
Highly Commended: Ben Parker – Daily Mail
Christmas Cracker
Outstanding Contribution to Travel PR
Sponsored by Falkensteiner Hotels & Residences
The advisory panel and judges recognised the following person as being the Outstanding Contribution to Travel PR recipient this year:
Stefania Gatta – Italian National Tourist Board
Stefania has overseen the PR & Communications for the Italian National Tourist Board for 21 years and retired in September 2025, so we all decided it was the perfect time to reward her for all of the brilliant work promoting Italy for such a long time!
All I Want for Christmas Is You
Outstanding Contribution to Travel Media
Sponsored by the Travel PR Association
The advisory panel and judges recognised the following person as being the Outstanding Contribution to Travel Media recipient this year:
Maria Pieri – APL Media
Maria has worked at APL Media for over 20 years, overseeing editorial across various titles, most notably National Geographic Traveller, where she is the Editorial Director. She has also been a senior figure at the BSME and co-founded the Travel Media Awards. We decided it was time for Maria to be rewarded for her many years of dedication to promoting travel and championing great travel writing.