A message from our partners, the International Nightlife Association
As you may recall, we recently announced that the nomination period for The World’s 100 Best Clubs™ 2026 list was fast approaching. Today, we’re excited to share that nominations are officially open, so you can start promoting your club’s nomination and encouraging participation.
Nominations for this year’s rankings will be submitted through our official website
(www.nightlifeinternational.org), and to nominate a venue, your clients, fans, and followers will need to enter its name and location. Nominations will remain open until March 31, and a minimum of 50 nominations is required for a club to advance to the popular voting phase. However, clubs with the Gold Member and Triple Excellence distinctions, which have already met rigorous quality and safety standards, will automatically advance to the voting stage by passing the 50-nomination requirement.
We encourage all clubs to actively engage in the nomination process by promoting their clubs on social media. Remember to tag us in your posts (@nightlifeinter)! You can also use the hashtag #theworlds100bestclubs2026 to join the conversation and connect with other participants.
As you will remember, last year, 545 venues from 73 countries were nominated for the prestigious list with a total of 512.086 votes cast in a special edition coinciding with the 10th edition of the Golden Moon Awards, held in Valencia, Spain. Building on that momentum, this year’s edition is expected to be even more competitive and dynamic, as the INA has set the objective of reaching 600 nominated venues and receiving more than 600.000 votes for The World’s 100 Best Clubs™ 2026 list, further consolidating The World’s 100 Best Clubs™ as a global benchmark for excellence in nightlife.
After the nomination period concludes, the process will move forward to the public voting phase, before entering the professional jury evaluation stage.
The nomination period will be open until March 31. Nominated venues will be announced on our Instagram from April 1 to April 14 (@nightlifeinter). The popular voting phase will run from April 15 to October 31 and will account for 50% of the final result. During this time, the public will be able to vote for their favorite club via a dedicated voting platform we will share in advance, so you can ask your followers, fans, and clients to vote for your club. Only venues that receive at least 50 nominations will proceed to the voting phase.
During the final stage of public voting, the professional jury will cast their votes between October 1 and November 15, also accounting for 50% of the final result. During this last phase, a panel of industry experts will evaluate each club based on key criteria, including among others the 2026 artistic programming, security measures for guests and staff, VIP areas and online reservations capabilities, service quality, website, social media and online presence and reputation, investment in the club, national and international awards, distinctions or recognitions received, acoustic quality and soundproofing, MRT system, and commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
To ensure the professional jury has all the necessary information about each club, an information request form will be sent to each nominated club ahead of time, allowing them to provide all the necessary details. The professional jury’s scoring system ranks each item by the number of points given, and the jury members’ votes are added to the total score.
The List will be released in November during the 11th Golden Moon Awards Gala
During the 11th edition of the Golden Moon Awards Gala, to be held in November alongside the 11th International Nightlife Congress, the Golden Moon Award for World’s Best Club 2026 will be presented to the venue ranked number one on The World’s 100 Best Clubs™ 2026 list. During the same gala, the complete The World’s 100 Best Clubs™ 2026 list will be officially unveiled.
Beyond the Golden Moon Award for the World’s Best Club, the 11th Golden Moon Awards will once again recognize excellence, innovation, sustainability, talent, and leadership across the global nightlife industry through a wide range of dedicated award categories.
Public Nominations for the rest of the categories of the 11th Golden Moon Awards Will Open on April 1st
In addition to the World’s Best Club award, the 11th Golden Moon Awards will include 13 additional categories, which, for the first time, will be open to public nominations through a dedicated online form.
This nomination form will be available on the International Nightlife Association’s official website, allowing professionals, industry stakeholders, and nightlife enthusiasts worldwide to nominate candidates for the 11th Golden Moon Awards.
The nomination period for these 13 Golden Moon Awards categories will be open from April 1st to July 31st, during which candidates may be proposed for the following categories:
- World’s Best Innovative Project in Nightlife 2026
World’s Most Sustainable Venue 2026
World’s Best Inclusive Nightlife Initiative 2026
World’s Breakthrough Artist 2026
World’s Best Event 2026
World’s Best Collaborative Project in Nightlife Security 2026
World’s Best Festival 2026
World’s Best Act of Excellence and Protection for Customers and Workers 2026
World’s Best Nightlife Business Career Award 2026
World’s Best Nightlife Business Group 2026
World’s Best DJ Career Award 2026
World’s Best DJ 2026
World’s Best Gastronomy & Nightlife Fusion 2026
In case you need additional information, please reach out to us via email at [email protected]
