Conceived as a bit of fun at the end of the year the British Trams Online Tram of the Year originally sought to find the tramcar which had done something "special" over the previous 12 months. There has never been a full definition of what "special" actually means in this case but over the years tramcars which have won have had a repaint, entered service after a repaint or gone on loan away from their home tramway to name but there examples.

In 2012 the contest was expanded to include two new categories - Event of the Year and Tramway of the Year - and then in 2014 a fourth category was voted for the first time - Tram (Modern) of the Year. 2023 saw the Tramway of the Year category split with one for heritage/museums and one for modern operating systems.

At the start of December (very end of November this year because of how the calendar falls) each year nominations are opened for a week to allow anyone to put forward suggestions for each of the categories before our "expert panel" (which is probably neither expert nor a panel!) convene to make a decision of what should be on the final shortlist, with each category normally having up to five items to vote on. Voting takes place for approximately four weeks between December and January and we then name the lucky winners.

Whilst it is probably fair to say 2025 has hardly been a classic year for trams across the British Isles, as we reach the end of November it is time to start thinking about the British Trams Online Tram of the Year contest once again! We will again be looking for nominations into five categories: “Tram (Heritage)”, “Tram (Modern)”, “Tramway/Museum”, “Tramway (Modern)” and “Event” of the Year.

The nomination period will be open for one week with the deadline for any nominations being Saturday 6th December 2025. Voting will then opens on Sunday 7th December 2025 and will remain open for four weeks until the morning of Saturday 3rd January 2025. The qualifying period for nominations this year is between the first weekend in December 2024 and the last weekend in November 2025 (i.e. it has to have already happened for it to qualify!).

We will be looking to find winners in the following categories (if there are no obvious contenders in any categories that particular category may not go forward to the voting stage):

Tram (Heritage) of the Year
Last 3 Winners: Blackpool 634, Manx Electric Railway 19, Blackpool 159

Yes, it has definitely been a difficult year for heritage trams in the British Isles so this may be a hard category to think of nominees but we are looking for the heritage tram which has done something out of the ordinary in the past 12 months. It could be that its operated away from its home tramway, re-entered service after overhaul/restoration or maybe there is a smaller preservation group out there who you think should be rewarded for their work on a particular tram.

Tram (Modern) of the Year
Last 3 Winners: Blackpool 018, Edinburgh Trams 258, Blackpool 011

Has there been a modern tram which has done something special in 2025? It could have received a new livery or a special advert which gave that wow factor or maybe it was the first tram to run on a new line? Or did it even run in service for the first time in a long while?

Tramway/Museum (Heritage) of the Year
Last 3 Winners: East Anglia Transport Museum, Manx Electric Railway, East Anglia Transport Museum

This category is looking for which heritage tramways/museums has had a special year over the past 12 months. What that something special may be is entirely up to – just remember to give reasons why!

Tramway (Modern) of the Year
Last Winner: Manchester Metrolink, Edinburgh Trams

We are looking for a modern tramway which has had a good year – whether that’s a because of something specific which happened this year or even just a system which continues to prove its popularity its up to you!

Event of the Year
Last 3 Winners: East Anglia Transport Museum: Blackpool Event, Isle of Man Year of the Railways Transport Festival, Blackpool Jubilee Tram Parade

A category which can cover both heritage and modern tramways (although has been heavily dominated by heritage lines in the past!). It could be a special event on a heritage tramway but could equally be the opening of a new line or an improved service on one of the modern operating tramways across the British Isles.

Its now over to you to contribute to what could end up on the shortlist for each category. Get your brains thinking on what you think deserves to be nominated this year and you can then submit your nominations as follows:

* Leave a comment on the News page
* Email gareth@britishtramsonline.co.uk
* Comment on Facebook at facebook.com/BritishTramsOnline