Yes – think of it like a race or a league table: 1st is the best, 10th is the weakest. So a nominee you rate highly should get a 1, not a 10.

Yes. Ties are fine – if you think two nominees are equally strong, give them the same score. You don't need to force a strict 1-to-10 ranking if your category has more than 10 nominees.

No – your scores save automatically to this browser as you type. Come back to this same link on the same device and browser, select your name again, and your answers will still be there. It's best to submit from the same device throughout, since the autosave doesn't carry across devices.

Yes, freely, right up until you hit "Submit my scores". Once submitted, your scores are final and the form can't be resubmitted or edited.

Base your score on the supporting statement provided for each nominee – what they did, why it mattered to real families, and the outcome. If you happen to have first-hand experience of a brand or destination, that's a bonus and can inform your score too.

Thursday 6th August 2026 – one week from when this link is sent to you.

Your scores feed directly into the shortlist for each category. That shortlist is published publicly before winners are chosen, so it's worth taking your time and scoring thoughtfully – this stage is visible to nominees and readers, not just the final result.

The statements are shown as they were submitted to us by each nominee, so you'll notice some variation in style, tone and formatting from one entry to the next – some use bullet points, others write in prose, some are more polished than others. That's expected and not something to score against; judge each one on the substance of what it describes, not how it's written.

Email harriet@familytraveller.com and we'll help sort it out.