Back for 2026, the ‘Oscars of the Experience Economy’ return for London Experience Week.
Now in their fourth year, the WXO World Experience Awards are the first-ever global awards dedicated to the Experience Economy, celebrating the most innovative and impactful experiences from around the globe.
Last year’s awards were our biggest yet, with 100s of WXO members voting for the likes of Lucy Keeler, Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue, Balloon Museum, The College of Extraordinary Experiences and Museum of Art + Light. You can check out the winners here.
For 2026, the WXO World Experience Awards are split into four broad categories – Experience, Business, People and Technology. Individual awards have expanded to reflect the growth and changes in the Experience Economy. Different categories, same adherence to excellence and quality!
Timeline:
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- Nominations are open NOW and close on Friday, 13 February 2026
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- Shortlists (decided by the World Experience Council) will be announced on Friday 6 March 2025
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- Voting will then be open for two weeks until Friday 6 March 2025
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- The Awards will take place from 7-9pm on Tuesday 21 April 2026 after Day One of the World Experience Summit. Tickets for the Summit (as part of London Experience Week) are available via the LXW26 website – click here to visit.
How to enter:
The WXO World Experience Awards are split into four categories: Experience, Business, People and Technology. Each category has multiple awards as listed below.
Experience: Celebrating the very best in immersive and innovative creativity, delighting audiences big and small with pioneering design, beguiling storytelling and the purest imagination. Tell us about your projects big and small (and medium!).
- Experience of the Year (Small): For small and solo projects with limited budget
- Experience of the Year (Medium): For medium projects with dedicated teams attached and multiple stakeholders
- Experience of the Year (Large): For larger scale projects with IP attached, bigger budgets and long term KPIs
Business: Whether big budget marketing campaign or striving start-up smashing its KPIs, we shine a light on the financial rigour that puts the Economy into the Experience Economy.
- Business of the Year (Small): For smaller start-ups and solo projects with limited resources
- Business of the Year (Medium): For those growing from start-up to established business, with dedicated teams and bigger projects
- Business of the Year (Large): For established businesses with years of success, big clients and bigger expectations
People: From unsung heroes to superstar teams, we put faces to the names that are rewriting the Experience Economy narrative.
- Experientialist of the Year: Individual
- Experientialist of the Year: Team
- Experientialist of the Year: Unsung Hero
Technology: We celebrate the new and emerging technologies that are powering the Experience Economy, whether it’s a AR/XR integration elevating the audience’s delight or a backroom engine enabling the experience.
- Innovation of the Year
- Platform / Solution of the Year
Note: If you are worried about choosing the right category, don’t worry. We review every entry and, based on your supporting data and our judges comments, can move you from Small to Medium (for example). Simply enter and we’ll be in touch.
Enter the awards today using the below form:
Who can enter:
Entries are open to anyone in the experience industry. You don’t have to be a member of the WXO.
With a predicted 250+ entries, initial shortlists are produced by a panel of judging experts drawn from WXO’s World Experience Council, all representing the various sectors of the Experience Economy. Council members include such respected experience professionals as Joe Pine, Abe Burickson, Mat Duerden, Laura Hess, Lou Pizante, Justin Stucey, Lou Murray, Pigalle Tavakkoli and Samit Garg, giving us a unparalleled range of specialities, opinions and experience from around the world.
Shortlists are then opened up to the whole WXO community for voting and to decide the eventual winners.
For the second year, we will also be closing the ceremony by announcing the WXO Outstanding Contribution Award. Nominated by the World Experience Council, the WXO team and our LXW26 event partners, this award recognises the pioneering individual or organisation that has exhibited true excellence and moved the needle for the Experience Economy. Last year’s winner was Reuleaux’s Laura Hess, rewarded for her REMARKABLE project and overall contribution to growing the Experience Economy.
Why you should enter:
- Global Recognition – Join the ranks of the world’s most groundbreaking experience creators
- Free to Enter – No costly submission fees, just a chance to prove your experience is world-class
- Judged on Merit – No pay-to-win nonsense. Just expert-led, transparent evaluation
- A Platform for Innovation – Show the world how your experience is pushing boundaries.
Dubbed “The Oscars of the Experience Economy,” the WXO World Experience Awards is the only industry awards programme to recognize world-class experiences across ALL the sectors, whether that’s LBE, sports, videogames, immersive theatre, museums, theme parks or experiential retail. It’s also 100% free to enter – removing the barriers of high entry fees or pay-to-play politics, we celebrate bootstrapped start-ups and local DIY projects as much as we do massive theme parks and VR mega experiences. Everyone gets to play.
In an era where experiences shape our most powerful memories and define modern business success, the WXO World Experience Awards shine a spotlight on those leading the charge in creativity, impact, and excellence. Open to experience creators worldwide, the awards are judged by a panel of esteemed industry experts, ensuring a 100% merit-based evaluation.
“Great experiences should be celebrated for their innovation, emotional impact, and ability to transform audiences—not just for their marketing budgets,” says James Wallman, CEO at World Experience Organization. “By making the WXO World Experience Awards free to enter and purely merit-based, we’re ensuring that true excellence is recognized, whether it comes from a global entertainment brand or an emerging independent creator.”
Entries are open now. Remember to submit your entry by Friday 13 February 2026.
Good luck!
Got a question? Head to our Frequently Asked Questions page.
