Voting is at the heart of the Best of Local awards. We believe in a transparent process that combines the voice of the people with expert evaluation. Every vote matters – together we create the story of the very best Slovenia and the world have to offer.

And that is why it’s called Best of Local – because it’s the locals who decide. Their voices ensure that the winners truly represent what is most authentic, meaningful, and inspiring in Slovenia.

How the voting works?

The whole voting process is simple and transparent:

1. Nominations – submitted by partners, experts, and the public.
2. Pre-selection – the expert committee evaluates entries based on authenticity, quality, innovation, and sustainability.
3. Public voting – everyone can cast their vote for their favorites.
4. Final decision – the winners are chosen exclusively by public votes.

Expert committee for year 2026

The selection has been taking place for 15 years in collaboration with the international editors of In YourPocket and local travel journalists from The Slovenia publishing house, which publishes books and guides to Slovenia. The name of the chairman of the commission and the editor can be read on all diplomas received by the previous winners (and is also displayed with the winners).

This year, we invited all tourism organizations, municipalities and previous voters to nominate, which resulted in more than 1,000 proposals.

We also invited partners who are experts in their fields for individual categories.
The names of the nominees were taken over by the organizing committee and processed accordingly, adding the proposals of the commission.

• Niko Slavnič, member of the Slovenian Association of Travel Journalists and editor of The Slovenia
• Yuri Barron, travel editor of In YourPocket
• ​​Boštjan Zrimšek, Dima center
• Irena Jamnikar, IQbator

The participation in the supervisory board was confirmed by experts from individual fields:

• Razvan Samosca, director of In Your Pocket
• John Bills, author and Time out travel journalist
• Melinda Rebrek, LJFW and Piranha
• Robert Klun, architect
• Anja Zorko, CZK
• Kristina Dešman CZK
• Jaka Gornik, Confiva
• Anja Novak, Slovenika
• Gorazd Čad, Kongres, Conventa
• Mattej Valenčič, 25 years in luxury tourism
• Marko Miladinović, actor and designer
• Manca Korelc, author and traveler
• Larisa Grizilo, HR expert
• Eva Klara Kukovičič, TedX

We also asked for opinions and suggestions from 100 famous Slovenians and we invite you to help us with the selection, which we are fully financing ourselves to promote Slovenia and its providers.