Applications for the 2027 Iberian Festival Awards are now open
- Jul 1
- 3 min read
On the 13th of March 2027, the 11th edition of the Iberian Festival Awards will take place, the gala that awards the best of Iberian festivals (from promotors, to brands, service providers), having a huge impact on the recognition of the festival industry in Portugal and Spain. This gala is part of Talkfest - Music Fest Summit, an exclusive Aporfest - Portuguese Music Festivals Association event that promotes activities related to the music festival industry.
This edition of the Iberian Festival Awards will feature an award presentation gala (includes Live Acts by Iberian artists/DJ’s + open bar), Dinner Networking, brand activations and many complementary activities during the day. The host city for this edition will be announced until October and will take place in Spain. An event that has already passed through several Iberian cities, such as Lisbon, Barcelona, Maia, Vigo, Almancil, Granada, and Ponta Delgada (Azores).
The 2027 edition will be having 25 categories open to applications, covering Iberian and national winners, as well as two Excellence Awards, assigned by direct nomination to the Iberian personality and entity of the year. Some of the categories underwent changes relatively to the previous year, such as the categories “Best Major Festival”, “Best Medium-Sized Festival” and “Best Small Festival”, having a new scope of evaluation of size/capacity to receive public and the introduction of the category “Best Micro Festival”; the change of the names of the categories “Best Brand Experience” that comes from the category “Best Brand Activation”, “Best Arts & Culture Festival” which evolves from the category “Best Non-Music Festival”, “Contribution to Equality, Accessibility & Inclusion” which evolves from the category “Contribution to Equality”.
All the categories for 2027 edition:
1. BEST MAJOR FESTIVAL [new scope]
2. BEST MEDIUM-SIZED FESTIVAL [new scope]
3. BEST SMALL FESTIVAL [new scope]
4. BEST MICRO FESTIVAL [new category]
5. BEST NEW FESTIVAL
6. BEST INDOOR FESTIVAL
7. BEST TOURISTIC PROMOTION
8. BEST CULTURAL PROGRAMME
9. BEST COMMUNICATION & MARKETING STRATEGY
10. BEST HOSTING AND RECEPTION
11. BEST LIVE PERFORMANCE - BAND FORMAT (PT/ES)
12. BEST LIVE PERFORMANCE - BAND FORMAT (INT)
13. BEST LIVE ELECTRONIC ACT
14. CONTRIBUTION TO SUSTAINABILITY
15. CONTRIBUTION TO EQUALITY, ACESSIBILITY & INCLUSION [new designation]
16. BEST FESTIVAL PHOTO
17. BEST VIDEO COVERAGE
18. BEST SERVICE PROVIDER
19. BEST BRAND EXPERIENCE [new designation]
20. BEST VENUE
21. BEST ACADEMIC & YOUTH FESTIVAL
22. BEST ARTS & CULTURE FESTIVAL [new designation]
23. BEST FESTIVITY
24. THE EVENT SAFETY AWARD
25. BEST PRO EVENT
26. EXCELLENCE AWARD (PERSONALITY)
27. EXCELLENCE AWARD (ENTITY OF THE YEAR)
The biggest news for this edition is the introduction of the "Hall of Fame", in which whenever the same entity wins the same category (National or Overall Winner) for three consecutive years, they will be integrated into the Hall of Fame the following year. This means that they will not be eligible to compete in that category during that year, and in return they gain special recognition for their achievement (the winners of the previous gala are already accounted for this Hall of Fame). The goal of this initiative is to ensure that the awards continue to highlight new winners and emerging achievements, while also highlighting those that set the highest industry standards.
Applications must correspond to actions taken in the festival landscape throughout the 2026 calendar year (from January to December), and can be made by festivals, festivities, venues, brands (partners and/or festival sponsors), agencies, bands/artists, concessions, service providers, photographers or videographers (video companies), adapted to each category.
On the TalkFest website, you already find all the info and the application form - the first phase (July 1 to August 31, 2026) is now available for completion, in order to allow festivals to submit their applications as soon as they occur. The 2nd and 3rd phase (1 October to 27 November 2026) will occur with the indication of the Host City and gala venue, as well as complementary networking activities. The application regulation is available too, with all the information that you need to know about the functioning of applications and the event 11th edition.
Be part of it and follow us on Aporfest’s, Talkfest’s, and Iberian Festival Awards’ official social medias!
NOTES:
Each application includes: 2 Accesses to the gala + open bar + access to the Iberian database (various business areas) + promo on the Iberian Festival Awards Marketplace + Promotion of nominees on social media;
Free registration for Aporfest Members (1 application – Professional Members; No limit on applications – Company Members);
If you've experience in the sector (e.g. promoter, producer, service provider, freelancer) for more than 5 consecutive years, you can also apply to be part of the judging panel of the Iberian Festival Awards (this year the panel has up to 100 selections in a new evaluation grid) - HERE;
Early Bird Tickets for Talkfest – Music Fest Summit 2027 are also now on sale.
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