2025
NATIONAL FINALISTS

Browse the 2025 National Finalists below.

Winners will be announced at The Scottish Thistle Awards National Final on 20th November 2025 at Hilton Glasgow.

Category	Finalists
Best B&B or Guest House Experience	Ardtorna, Oban Clint Lodge, Melrose Derrybeg Bed & Breakfast, Pitlochry Lys-Na-Greyne, Aboyne
Best Bar or Pub	Ardgour Ales, Fort William The Craftsman Company, Aberdeen Cross Keys Inn, Ettrickbridge The Grandtully Hotel, Grandtully The Piper Whisky Bar, Glasgow
Best Business Event	92nd Interpol General Assembly at the Scottish Event Campus, Glasgow The 36th International Papillomavirus Conference 2024 at the EICC, Edinburgh The IEC General Meeting hosted by BSI, Edinburgh
Best Community Tourism & Events Initiative	Aberdeen Restaurant Weeks, Aberdeen Sanday Community Craft Hub, Orkney Solsgirth Home Farm, Dollar South Ayrshire Council, The International Ayr Show - Festival of Flight, Ayr Stranraer Oyster Festival, Stranraer
Best Eating Experience	Elements, Glasgow Fish Shop, Ballater Killiecrankie House, Killiecrankie Ninth Wave Restaurant, Isle of Mull Wilson's Farm and Kitchen, Kelso
Best Hotel Experience	Cameron House on Loch Lomond, Alexandria Kildrummy Inn, Alford The Murray Arms, Gatehouse of Fleet Murrayshall, Scone The Torridon, Annat
Best Luxury Experience	Johnstons of Elgin, Elgin Knockinaam Lodge, Stranraer The House of Bruar, Perthshire Trump Turnberry, Girvan
Best Outdoor or Adventure Experience	Bellevue Farm - Arran farm tours and experiences, Isle of Arran Islay Sea Adventures, Isle of Islay Mostly Ghostly, Thornhill Newton Farm Holidays & Tours, Forfar Tarland Trails, Tarland
Best Self-Catering or Unique Stay	Big Sky Lodges, Muir of Ord The Bonnie Barns at Lennox of Lomond, Alexandria The Bus Stop, Haddington Loch Ken Eco Bothies, Castle Douglas Logie Newton Lodges, Huntly
Best Visitor Attraction	Edinburgh Zoo, Edinburgh Glen Garioch Distillery, Oldmeldrum Highland Wildlife Park, Kingussie The Tall Ship Glenlee, Glasgow Trimontium Museum, Melrose
Climate Action Award	Aberdeen Archives, Gallery and Museums, Aberdeen Edinburgh Zoo, Edinburgh Maynes Coaches, Buckie Robert Burns Birthplace Museum - Sustainability Initiative, Ayr Wigwam Holidays Wigtown, Newton Stewart
Employer of the Year	Auchrannie Resort, Isle of Arran The Cairndale Hotel & Spa, Dumfries Fife Arms Hotel, Braemar The Real Mary King's Close, Edinburgh The Torridon, Annat
Inclusion Award	Camera Obscura & World of Illusions, Edinburgh DF Concerts & Events - TRNSMT Festival, Glasgow The Great Tapestry of Scotland, Galashiels
Individual of the Year	Claire Bruce - Glen Tanar Estate, Aboyne Katrina Reynolds - Allanton Inn, Duns Paul Nixon - The Real Mary King's Close, Edinburgh Roddy MacKay - Eilean Dorcha Festival, Isle of Benbecula Sheila Gilmore - VisitArran, Isle of Arran
Innovation Award	Glasgow Life Museums - travel trade and group experiences, Glasgow HMS Unicorn (The Unicorn Preservation Society), Dundee Trimontium Museum, Melrose WildLuing, Oban
Outstanding Cultural Event or Festival	Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival, Inverness Celtic Connections, Glasgow Dumfries International Street Food Festival, Dumfries Edinburgh International Book Festival, Edinburgh Spectra, Scotland's Festival of Light, Aberdeen
Outstanding Sporting Event	The Gralloch, Gatehouse of Fleet Tour of Britain - Scottish Borders, St Boswells World Orienteering Championships 2024, Edinburgh
Rising Star Award	Blaine Lyons - TwinPeakes FlyFishing, Aberdeen Grace Robinson - Loch Ness Hub & Travel, Inverness Hugh Mackay - Highland Experience Tours, Edinburgh Laura Raeburn - Park Hotel (Crieff Hydro Group), Peebles Mae MacInnes - Mharsanta, Glasgow