Suncokret ruralnoga turizma – The Sunflower Award is an annual national and international award that recognizes, promotes, and celebrates outstanding programs, projects, and individuals in the field of rural tourism in the Republic of Croatia and abroad (The Sunflower International Award).
The evaluation and award process is organized by the Croatian Association for Tourism and Rural Development “The Village Membership Club.”
The purpose of this award is to highlight exceptional contributions to the development and promotion of rural areas, which form a significant part of the European territory, and to encourage entrepreneurship, innovation, and excellence in the rural tourism sector.
Each year, applicants for “The Sunflower Award” are evaluated and selected in the following categories:
- Tourist farm households
- Traditional rural households
- Modern rural households
- Traditional rural gastronomy
- Wine tourism
- Small family producers – craft tourism
- Active tourism offers in rural areas
- Rural tourism projects
- Museums, interpretation centers, visitor centers, and ethnographic collections
- Cultural and historical events
- Gourmet events
- Outdoor and active tourism events
- Women in rural tourism – Rural European Women
- Innovative presentation of rural identity
- Accessible tourism and community empowerment
- Api-tourism (beekeeping)
- Projects involving protected or marketing labels
Deadline for submitting international applications: 14 November 2025, via this online form.