Following a last-minute surge in enquiries, the deadline for the Park World Excellence Awards has been extended to Wednesday 14 October
“The Park World Excellence Awards team recognises that this year has been particularly difficult for the industry, and as such, the time and resources for completing submissions has not been available for a number of operators and manufacturers who remain keen to get involved,” said event director Paul Ryder.
Now in its third year, the prestigious awards scheme invites entries and nominations from operators in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), together with manufacturers and suppliers with projects that went in the EMEA region between 1 July 2019 and 31 August 2020.
Operator categories include Best Large Park, Best Regional Park, Best Water Park, Best Family Entertainment Centre (FEC) and Best Live Entertainment.
Companies from outside the EMEA region may enter the Awards, but the ride/attraction/project put forward must be located in the EMEA region. Categories include Best Roller Coaster, Best Roller Coaster (Limited Budget), Best Ride, Best Ride (Limited Budget), Best Dark Ride or Media-Based Experience, Best FEC Project, Best Use of Theming, Best Use of Technologies, Best Supplier and Best Product Innovation.
The Park World Excellence Awards will also shine a spotlight on outstanding individuals, with two Industry Icon awards (one for an operator and one for a manufacturer/supplier) and the brand new ‘Unsung Hero’ award, which is for a member of staff with at least 10 years of service for a company on either the operator or supplier side.
“New for this year is the award for ‘Best of the Best’, which you will notice is not on the online entry and nomination form,” continued Paul Ryder, “that’s because each of our judges will be asked to nominate a ride or attraction, launched at any time, that they feel stands out above all of others and between them ultimately decide on the winner.”
“The 20 awards reflect perfectly the various facets of our vibrant EMEA region,” said renowned industry journalist and Park World Excellence Awards judge, Francois Mayne, adding: “This global pandemic is certainly affecting our industry in a spectacular way, but that has not prevented a large majority of operators, manufacturers and suppliers from setting up their projects to the end.”
Entries and nominations should be made via the dedicated Park World website (www.parkworldexcellenceawards.com) by 14 October using the same simple, online form. Subject to meeting the necessary entry criteria, they will then be put before an expert panel of judges to select five finalists – and ultimately a winner – in each category.
The first virtual Park World Excellence Awards ceremony will be hosted on the dedicated awards website on Tuesday 8 December 2020 – Don’t miss it!