Seatrade Cruise Names 2026 Awards Finalists Across Six Categories
The 2026 lineup replaces the 2025 River Cruise Initiative category with Expedition Cruise Initiative of the Year and includes two individual honors.
Seatrade Cruise has named the finalists in six industry categories for its 2026 awards. The winners are due to be presented at Las Palmas Cruise Port on Sept. 16. The ceremony will take place during Seatrade Cruise Med in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria as the awards program reaches its 20th anniversary.
An independent panel of 15 cruise industry judges selected the finalists across shore excursions, onboard products, sustainability programs, destinations, expedition initiatives and ports. The announcement did not include comments from the organizers or judges.
Finalists span six sector categories
The Innovative Shorex of the Year finalists are Abercrombie & Kent’s Akorn Destination Management for The Zero Waste Circular City Melbourne; Excursions Ltd for The Whitstable Oyster Farm, from Beach to Table; and an Intercruises Shoreside & Port Services and National Geographic Expeditions collaboration for Behind the Scenes of the Carreiros do Monte.
MarineXchange Software’s MXP365 2025/2026 Developments, Otalio’s Shipboard Passenger Management System and Zeero Group’s Circular Biofuel Technology for Cruise are shortlisted for Product of the Year.
Four programs are competing for Sustainability Initiative of the Year: MSC Cruises and ORCA’s Marine Mammal Observer Sailing Onboard partnership; Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ Sailing for Nature biodiversity program in Alaska; the Port of Dover’s Carbon Net Zero initiative; and Virgin Voyages’ Impact Squad crew volunteer program. Cruise Baltic is sponsoring the category.
Dubrovnik, Gibraltar and Stavanger comprise the Destination of the Year shortlist.
The Expedition Cruise Initiative of the Year nominees are Aqua Expeditions for the superyacht Aqua Lares; HX Expeditions and AROS Marine for the 1896 Cabin, A 130 Years Experience; and United Waterways with Ocean Advice for a newbuild program in China.
Port Cabo Rojo in the Dominican Republic, Portsmouth International Port in the United Kingdom and Skjolden Port in Norway are the three Port of the Year finalists.
Inside the 2026 awards program
The 2026 lineup changes one category from the previous edition: Expedition Cruise Initiative of the Year replaces the River Cruise Initiative category included in the 2025 program. The awards have used several other category structures during their history; the 2021 edition, for example, included supplier, marine interior design, environmental and marketing awards.
The program also includes two individual honors. Recipients of Seatrade Cruise Personality of the Year and the Seatrade Cruise Outstanding Achievement Award will be selected from nominations and revealed at the ceremony. V.Ships Leisure is sponsoring the personality awards.
Oracle Hospitality and Tura Turizm are the principal sponsors of the 2026 awards. Registration for Seatrade Cruise Med is open.
