There are a number of web awards currently open for submissions online, and today I was considering what makes the first ever Canadian e-Tourism Awards different, or unique from other options. Is there a compelling reason why online travel and hospitality marketers in Canada and around the world should submit their nominations to the Canadian e-Tourism Awards over another premier award event?

Of course there is! In fact, there are many reasons:

First of all, the Canadian e-Tourism Awards are exactly that–Canadian. The Awards are open to enterprises in Canada and around the planet who promote uniquely Canadian experiences. Is there another online awards that specifically focusses on creative talent and success stories in the Canadian travel and tourism arena on an international scale?

The Awards further offer some exciting and unique category segments that simply aren’t available in any other online award format. The “Best Website Design” category is bound to be an anticipated announcement, but there are more exciting categories to be judged. For example, the “online marketing campaign” category highlights successful practices in channel integration, return on investment and the ability to achieve a specific goal and prompt a call-to-action. Talk about a focus on quality.

Consider the award for “innovation“, which focusses on the use of technology to leverage consumer trends and contribute to strategic alignment. The Canadian e-Tourism Awards are looking for nominations that may include mapping applications, GPS applications, Google Earth integration, wireless marketing applications and social media interpretations. The use of other emerging web technologies is proliferating in the online travel space in Canada, and the Awards offer an incredible opportunity for Canadian organizations to be recognized for their innovative efforts.

If you take a look at the who’s-who member list of the Canadian Tourism Council and you’ll find an incredible community of e-talent. Clearly, council members are experts in their fields, and these are the e-tourism professionals who, along with the general public, will be judging the e-Tourism Awards. Where else can travel and tourism industry organizations be judged and recognized by true experts (and colleagues) in the Canadian travel sphere? The quality of judging in itself should be a very compelling reason to participate.

Yahoo! has agreed to support the Awards by enabling the Canadian and International public to vote online for their favorite Canadian travel websites and campaigns. This public input will factor importantly in the e-Tourism Council’s selection of the best overall campaign, to which Yahoo! Canada will also award the Yahoo! Big Idea Chair, recognized worldwide as a hallmark for exceptional achievement in online marketing creativity.

The first ever Canadian e-Tourism Awards are going to be an exciting event, and I’m personally excited to see who will be named the best-in-show in both the Industry and Traveller categories.

With less than two weeks left until the submission deadline, I urge you not to wait any longer to submit your nominations. Entries will be accepted until August 31, 2007 from around the world so long as they feature, market, or sell a Canadian destination, product, attraction, or experience.