Family Favourites Awards

They say the best things in life are free, and that's exactly the case with this award! With free entry for the whole family, these are the attractions families love to visit time and time again.

Entry criteria:

• Must be FREE to enter for all ages
• Can include small charges for parking and premium activities, but the main part of the attraction must be free

Learn something new every time you visit, with the award for the best educational day out for families. From history to science, to all your favourite facts, there is a strong focus on education in a fun setting. 

Entry criteria:

• Educational activities or tours must be available all year round

New for 2019, this award is all about participation. Get stuck in to everything from arts and crafts to sports and games - it’s the taking part that really counts. 

Entry criteria:

• Must include a participation activity
• Suitable for everything from pottery cafes to crazy golf and climbing

Take a walk on the wild side, with a visit to one of the best animal-themed days out. From your local farm park, to safari parks, wildlife parks and zoos, this award showcases the best places to see animals in the UK. 

Entry criteria:

• Must be home to a variety of animals that visitors can see

They’re growing up fast, but there’s still plenty of family fun to be had. This award recognises the best days out for kids aged 8 and over - including notoriously hard-to-please teenagers!

Entry criteria:

• Most suitable for kids aged 8+
• Younger kids are allowed, but activities are more suited to older visitors

Top for toddlers and primary school-aged kids, there’s big fun guaranteed for even the smallest visitors as this award recognises the best family attractions for children under 8.  

Entry criteria:

• Must have specific rides, activities or other attractions specifically targeted to kids under 8
• Can include other activities or zones more suited to older children, but please keep nomination focused on fun for younger kids

Get that heart rate racing, with the most daring days out. Think top theme parks, high ropes and anything else adrenaline inducing - anything requiring a little more bravery than your usual family day out! 

Entry criteria:

• Must have specific rides, activities or other attractions designed to thrill
• Must be available all year round, no one-off events please

Themed and seasonal events are a great reason to keep going back to your favourite attractions, and this award helps to recognise the best events taking place at attractions across the UK.

Entry criteria:

• Event must have taken place in the last 12 months
• Event must run for a minimum of one full day
• Event must take place at a permanent visitor attraction

A day out where you get more bang for your buck; loads of fun packed into your entry helping to make your money go further.

You won’t be able to nominate your attraction for this award, instead our expert team at DOWTK will handpick our favourites for the public vote!

Days out encouraging you to really explore the world around you, discovering lots of secrets along the way!

You won’t be able to nominate your attraction for this award, instead our expert team at DOWTK will handpick our favourites for the public vote!

Some of your favourite attractions have locations all across the UK, but the key for this award is that you’ll get a really similar experience whichever venue you visit.

Entry criteria:

• Must have 3+ locations across the UK, offering a similar brand experience

You won’t be able to nominate your attraction for this award, instead our expert team at DOWTK will handpick our favourites for the public vote!

Tuck right in to some delicious food and drink at one of these restaurants. Known for fab kids menus and an even better dining experience for those with little ones in tow, these chains make eating out a doddle, all across the UK.

You won’t be able to nominate your attraction for this award, instead our expert team at DOWTK will handpick our favourites for the public vote!

We've had a little break in 2020, but will be back bigger and better next year! Our next round of nominations will open in spring 2021.

Entering the Family Favourites Awards is completely free!

Attractions can nominate themselves for the majority of our awards. There are four categories where we won’t be accepting nominations, which are clearly labelled above. Our nomination page will open in spring 2021, so check back then for more details on how to enter.

Of course! We've made it easy to enter as many categories as you like without having to enter loads of forms, just tick all the categories you'd like to enter when you submit.

One nomination is plenty, so please don’t ask your visitors to nominate - in fact multiple nominations will not be counted! We know your visitors love you and want to help you win, but save their support for when the public vote opens.

Shortlists will be chosen by our expert team, before handing over the reins to the public. All winners will be crowned after a public vote, with the attractions scoring the highest number of votes taking home the title.

Yes of course - if you think an attraction is award-worthy we want to hear about it (and get it added to our site)!

Aside from the prestigious Family Favourite title, winners will receive a trophy to proudly display, as well as digital assets to use across your website and social media channels. There may be more goodies too, all to be confirmed later.