Who won the British Youth Travel Awards?

The winners of the British Youth Travel Awards have been unveiled.
 
Organised by the British Educational Travel Association (BETA), the awards acknowledge the high achievers in youth, student and educational travel.

BETA executive director Emma English said: “We were delighted to see a big increase in nominations this year, and were all very impressed with the high standards and competition, especially within the ‘Best Educational Product’ and ‘Best Accommodation’ category – with both categories receiving a record number of submissions.”  

The panel of judges included TravelMole's Graham McKenzie, Sarah McDonald, head of travel for Google UK, and Fiona Jeffrey, chairman  of World Travel Market and Just a Drop.
 
Best Accommodation  
WINNER: Equity  Point London Finalists:  
Silver: Clink78  
Bronze: Smart  City  Hostels,  Edinburgh  
   
Best Educational Product
WINNER: Oxford Royale  Academy  
Finalists:    
Silver: Ardmore  Language  Schools  
Bronze: Bell  “Winter  Explorer”    
   
 
Best International Youth Destination
WINNER: Germany (German  National  Tourist Board)    Finalists:  
Silver: Australia (Tourism  Australia)  
Bronze: Sacramento (Sacramento  Visitor & Conference  Bureau)  
 
Best Leisure Product
WINNER: Tower  of London,  Royal  Beasts (Historic  Royal  Palaces)  
Finalists:  
Silver: GTi  Travel  Group  
Silver: Spaceships  Campervan  Rentals  
Bronze: Ripley’s  Believe  it  or  Not!  London  
Bronze: The  English  Bus  
 
Best Mobile App
WINNER: Generator  Hostels  
Finalists:  
Silver: Off  Exploring  
Bronze: Hostelmania.com  
Bronze: Worldnomads.com  
   
Best Support Service Offer
WINNER: BritBound  
Finalists:  
Silver: Hostelworld.com  
Bronze: TravLaw LLP Solicitors  
   
Best UK Youth Destination
WINNER: Welcome to Yorkshire    
   
Best Use of Social Media
WINNER: Tourism  Australia  “Find  Barry’s  Key Promotion”  
Finalists:  
Silver: WorldNomads.com  
Bronze: Hostelworld.com  
 
Green Tourism Award
WINNER: Madventurer Volunteer Projects  
Finalists:  
Silver: African  Impact  
Bronze: Blue Ventures Expeditions    

Most Effective Marketing
WINNER: STA Travel "Australia Working Holiday Campaign"  
Finalists:  
Silver: TopDeck Travel  
Bronze: Umi Hotels  

Rising Star Award
WINNER: Ruth Kerr, Smart City Hostels, Edinburgh  
Finalists:  
Silver: Nick  Jacks, Yummy Jobs  
Bronze: Andy  Woods-­â€Ballard’s, Global Vision International