38 awards. Every one earned.
Each category below says who it is for and exactly what the judges will look for. Besides its own criteria, every category is judged against the three ZBEA values.
Excellence
Outstanding results, quality and service, shown with evidence.
Responsibility
Care for people, culture and the ocean that sustains the islands.
Zanzibar value
Local jobs, local suppliers, local ownership and skills.
38 awards shown
Tourism & Hospitality
Tourism is Zanzibar's largest employer and its window to the world. These awards honour the hosts, guides and kitchens that turn a visit into a story worth retelling, and that share the value with the islands.
- TH-01
Resort of the Year
A full-service resort hotel that sets the standard for guest experience in Zanzibar.
Open entry - TH-02
Boutique Hotel or Guesthouse of the Year
A property of up to 30 rooms with a distinct character and hospitality that feels personal.
Open entry - TH-03
Tour Operator of the Year
An inbound tour operator delivering safe, memorable and fairly priced experiences across Unguja and Pemba.
Open entry - TH-04
Destination Management Company of the Year
A DMC handling conferences, incentives, groups and destination weddings with precision.
Open entry - TH-05
Heritage & Cultural Tourism Award
An experience that protects and shares Zanzibar's heritage: Stone Town, spice farms, Swahili culture, music, crafts or ruins.
Open entry - TH-06
Restaurant & Culinary Excellence
A restaurant or culinary experience celebrating Zanzibari and Swahili cuisine and island produce.
Open entry - TH-07
Hospitality Employer of the Year
A tourism or hospitality business that is the best place in Zanzibar to build a career.
Open entry - TH-08
Responsible & Community Tourism Award
A tourism venture that shares ownership, income or decisions with the community it operates in.
Open entry
Blue Economy
From seaweed farms on the east coast to the reefs around Pemba, the ocean feeds and employs Zanzibar. These awards recognise those creating wealth from the sea while keeping it alive for the next generation.
- BE-01
Seaweed Enterprise of the Year
A farming group, processor or brand that adds value to Zanzibar's seaweed, from farm to food, cosmetics or export.
Open entry - BE-02
Fisheries & Aquaculture Excellence
A fishing or mariculture business (fish, sea cucumber, oysters, crabs) that is productive and sustainable.
Open entry - BE-03
Marine Conservation & Coastal Resilience Award
A project protecting reefs, mangroves, sea turtles or coastlines, or helping communities adapt to a changing climate.
Open entry - BE-04
Ocean Innovation & Technology Award
A new product, service or technology that makes the ocean economy smarter, safer or cleaner.
Open entry - BE-05
Blue Economy Start-up of the Year
A blue-economy business less than three years old with real traction.
Open entry - BE-06
Women in the Blue Economy Enterprise Award
A women-led cooperative, group or enterprise in seaweed, fishing, processing or marine trade.
Open entry - BE-07
Sustainable Marine Tourism Operator
A diving, snorkelling, dhow, sailing or marine-wildlife operator that puts the ocean first.
Open entry
Logistics & Trade
An island economy runs on what arrives and departs. These awards recognise the ports, airlines, ferries, forwarders and delivery networks that keep Zanzibar connected, supplied and trading.
- LT-01
Port & Maritime Services Excellence
A port operator, terminal, agent or marine-services provider raising the standard of maritime trade.
Open entry - LT-02
Shipping & Freight Forwarding Company of the Year
A shipping line, clearing agent or freight forwarder serving Zanzibar's importers and exporters.
Open entry - LT-03
Aviation & Air Connectivity Award
An airline, airport service or aviation partner opening Zanzibar to the world through new routes and better service.
Open entry - LT-04
Ferry & Passenger Transport Excellence
A sea or road passenger operator moving people between Unguja, Pemba, the mainland and within the islands.
Open entry - LT-05
Last-Mile & Distribution Innovator
A delivery, distribution or e-commerce logistics business reaching customers across the islands, including Pemba.
Open entry - LT-06
Cold Chain & Supply Chain Excellence
A business moving fresh fish, produce or medicine safely, or linking local farmers and fishers to hotels and markets.
Open entry
Investment
Capital shapes the Zanzibar of tomorrow. These awards recognise the investors, builders and financiers whose money creates lasting jobs, infrastructure and local ownership, done properly.
- IN-01
Investor of the Year
A foreign direct investor whose project in Zanzibar created significant, lasting value during the year.
Open entry - IN-02
Zanzibari-Owned Enterprise of the Year
A business founded and majority-owned by Zanzibaris that is growing and competing at the highest level.
Open entry - IN-03
Real Estate & Infrastructure Development Award
A residential, commercial, hospitality or infrastructure project of exceptional quality.
Open entry - IN-04
Green & Renewable Energy Investment Award
An investment in solar, clean energy, water or efficiency that reduces cost and emissions on the islands.
Open entry - IN-05
Financial Services Partner of the Year
A bank, insurer, microfinance or mobile-money provider unlocking finance for tourism, blue-economy and trade businesses.
Open entry - IN-06
Public-Private Partnership of the Year
A partnership between government and the private sector delivering a project the public can see and use.
Open entry
Voices of Zanzibar
Today, travellers and investors discover Zanzibar through a phone screen. These three awards honour the creators, storytellers and journalists who show the islands to the world: honestly, beautifully and respectfully.
- VZ-01
Content Creator of the Year
The creator (individual, duo or small team) whose body of work in 2026 best showed Zanzibar's places, people, food and culture to the world.
Open entryPublic vote - VZ-02
Blue Storyteller of the Year
A journalist, documentary maker or creator whose work explained the ocean, fisheries, conservation or coastal livelihoods, in Kiswahili or English.
Open entry - VZ-03
Video of the Year
A single short-form video (Reel, TikTok or YouTube Short) about Zanzibar that captured hearts in 2026.
Open entryPublic vote
Flagship & Special Recognition
The highest honours of the night. They reach across all four Pillars and recognise a place, people, and achievements that define what Zanzibar can be.
- FL-01
Island of the Year
Zanzibar is an archipelago of over fifty islands. This award honours the island or island destination that did the most in 2026 for its visitors, its people and its ocean. It is open to the smaller islands of the archipelago and to defined destinations on Unguja and Pemba (a coastal village or stretch of coast), so that the award goes to a place rather than to a whole main island. It is received on stage by representatives of the community and its destination partners.
NominationPublic vote - FL-02
Female Leader of the Year
Celebrates a woman whose leadership in Tourism, the Blue Economy, Logistics or Investment changed her organisation and her sector in 2026, and who is opening doors for the women coming after her.
Nomination - FL-03
Young Leader of the Year
A leader aged 35 or under making an outsized impact in any of the four Pillars.
Nomination - FL-04
Sustainability Champion of the Year
The organisation that went furthest in 2026 to reduce its environmental footprint and protect Zanzibar's nature.
Open entry - FL-05
Community Impact Award
The business or institution whose work most improved lives in a Zanzibar community.
Open entry - FL-06
Digital Transformation Award
The organisation that used technology most effectively to serve customers or run its operations better.
Open entry - FL-07
Lifetime Achievement Award
A person whose decades of work built Zanzibar's tourism, ocean economy, trade or investment climate.
Judges' choice - FL-08
ZBEA Grand Prix: Company of the Year
The night's highest honour, chosen from among the year's category winners.
Judges' choice