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Editor’s Note: Voting for the We Are Puerto Vallarta Awards ends at midnight on February 14, 2026. You can vote for your favorite at We Are Puerto Vallarta Awards! 2025 – Fill out form.
Puerto Vallarta has always been more than just a destination—it’s a feeling. A place where sunsets linger, friendships form quickly, and community is not just a word but a lived experience.
For LGBTQ+ travelers in particular, Vallarta represents something rare: visibility, safety, celebration, and belonging. Capturing that spirit is exactly what the We Are Puerto Vallarta Awards set out to do when they launched in 2023. Now, in their third annual year, the awards have become one of the most meaningful ways visitors and residents alike can say thank you to the people and places that make this city extraordinary.
What began as a grassroots initiative by PVRPV was rooted in a simple but powerful idea: guests and visitors should have a formal voice in recognizing excellence. Not critics, not insiders—real people who experienced the magic firsthand. From favorite restaurants and standout service providers to unforgettable tours and cherished community figures, the awards quickly resonated with those who love Puerto Vallarta.
That resonance sparked something special. Local businesses, vacation rental agencies, and real estate companies embraced the program, encouraging their clients and guests to participate in the voting process. The result was a collaborative, citywide celebration—one that reflects not just popularity, but genuine appreciation. Puerto Vallarta is no longer being celebrated for its visitors, but by them.
For a city internationally recognized as Mexico’s premier gay destination, inclusivity is not optional—it’s essential. The We Are Puerto Vallarta Awards intentionally include gay-specific and LGBTQ+-focused categories, ensuring recognition for businesses, venues, and individuals who actively support, serve, and uplift the LGBTQ+ community. These categories go beyond rainbow branding; they honor spaces where people feel seen, safe, and celebrated—whether that’s a nightlife venue, hospitality provider, or business that consistently shows up for the community year-round.
As the awards grew, so did the responsibility to protect their integrity. In 2024, the program transitioned to the oversight of an independent awards committee, ensuring long-term sustainability, fairness, and transparency. The committee is chaired by co-founder Jamie Alexander, whose role focuses on stewardship rather than influence—preserving the awards as a credible and respected institution.
Under the committee’s guidance, the awards have continued to evolve. Categories were refined, guidelines strengthened, and in 2025, a new honor was introduced: the Lifetime Achievement Award. This prestigious recognition is reserved for individuals who have contributed to Puerto Vallarta for 20 years or more, celebrating legacy, consistency, and deep-rooted community impact. It is a powerful acknowledgment of those—many within the LGBTQ+ community—whose work helped shape Vallarta into the welcoming, vibrant city it is today.
Central to the We Are Puerto Vallarta Awards is a commitment to fairness. Sophisticated technical controls prevent multiple votes from a single source, ensuring results reflect authentic voices. Just as importantly, the committee actively listens to feedback from voters and community members, using those insights to introduce new categories and improve the process year after year.
For Out & About PV readers, this is more than an awards program—it’s a reflection of the community you support, the spaces where you gather, and the people who make your time in Puerto Vallarta unforgettable. When you cast your vote, you’re not just choosing a favorite—you’re affirming the values that make this city feel like home.
In Puerto Vallarta, visibility matters. Recognition matters. And your voice matters most of all.
We Are Puerto Vallarta Awards! 2025 – Fill out form
See photos from last year’s show here.
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