10/14/2026
PIERRE, S.D. – Travel South Dakota won an impressive three prestigious awards from Travel Weekly’s 2026 Magellan Awards.
Magellan Award winners represent the best in the travel industry, honoring outstanding design, marketing, and services. Winning a Magellan Award is a tremendous achievement and represents a high standard of excellence within the travel industry. Travel South Dakota is honored alongside national and international brands including Disney, Capital One, Delta Air Lines, Atlas Obscura, Puerto Rico, Tourism Australia and others.
Travel South Dakota was a Gold Winner in three categories this year:
- Designed to inspire travelers to rediscover open-road adventures, the “Free to Roam” campaign won the Gold Award for Advertising/Marketing for Destinations category.
- Created jointly by Travel South Dakota and South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks, the “Hunt the Greatest” campaign won the Gold Award in the Advertising/Marketing for Destinations category.
- The “Into the Roundup” campaign won the Gold Award for Social Media Campaign for excellence in spreading the message about Travel South Dakota’s five-part digital video series exploring the iconic annual Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup.
“These three awards are a testament to the creativity, collaboration and hard work that go into telling South Dakota’s story,” said James Hagen, Secretary of the South Dakota Department of Tourism. “South Dakota has so much to offer, and we’re proud to keep finding new ways to bring visitors here and support our tourism industry.”
The award-winning campaigns were created in partnership with Karsh Hagan, Miles Partnership, Lawrence & Schiller, Lou Hammond Group, and Love Communications.
For more inspiration and travel planning resources, visit TravelSouthDakota.com.
The South Dakota Department of Tourism is comprised of Travel South Dakota and the South Dakota Arts Council. The department is led by Secretary James D. Hagen.
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Media Notes:
The “Into the Roundup” video series can be found on Travel South Dakota’s YouTube page.
Campaign assets from the “Free to Roam” and “Hunt the Greatest” campaigns can be found here.
About Travel Weekly: Travel Weekly is the most influential provider of news, research, opinion, and analysis to the North American travel trade marketplace. It reaches a broad industry audience in print, online, and with face-to-face events throughout the year. Travel Weekly is a part of Northstar Travel Group, the leading B-to-B media company providing information and marketing solutions for the global travel industry. Northstar Travel Group is based in Rutherford, NJ. For a complete list of Gold and Silver award winners, visit TravelWeeklyAwards.com.
CONTACT
Katlyn Svendsen, Global Public Relations & Content Services Senior Director
Travel South Dakota
Email: [email protected]