2022-2023 SATW FOUNDATION
LOWELL THOMAS TRAVEL JOURNALISM COMPETITION
Judging was overseen by the University of Missouri School of Journalism with Emeritus Prof. John Fennell and Prof. Jennifer Rowe coordinating 25 judges this year. There were a near-record 1,430 entries.
From the menu at right, you can access more information about the 2023 winners. The List of Awards shows all winners by category, and the Winners Gallery provides the judges’ comments and links to winning entries in each category.
For competition information, contact the Foundation administrator, Victoria Larson, victoria@satwf.com.
The 2022-2023 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition Awards Presentation Video
Watch the video that was first shown at the 2023 SATW Annual Convention in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
SATW Foundation’s 117 Lowell Thomas Awards Honor the Best and Brightest in Travel Journalism
In the 39th annual Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition, 117 editors, writers, photographers, podcasters, social media experts and videographers were honored by the SATW Foundation for their outstanding work in helping to make the world of travel accessible, understandable and achievable.
The competition drew 1,430 entries. Winners were announced Sept. 8 at the Society of American Travel Writers Convention in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
“Each of the entries reflected the heart of the craft: serving readers as journalistic guardians who take seriously the job of advising people how to spend their time and money,” said Catharine Hamm, president of the SATW Foundation, the nonprofit whose mission is to support, celebrate and sustain excellence in travel journalism. Along with the awards, the Foundation this year is giving more than $25,000 to winners.
“If there’s one word to describe the mood of travel writers and the work they produced this year, it’s optimism,” said John Fennell, professor emeritus at the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism and coordinator of the 25 judges who evaluated articles, photography, videos, podcasts, and websites, among other work. “Another important theme that emerged is consciousness, especially about the environmental effects of travel. Sustainability became a buzzword.”
The Grand Award — Lowell Thomas Travel Journalist of the Year — went to Stephanie Pearson, a freelance writer and journalist. Judges said, “Her work reminds readers that all who travel should respect and help preserve the parks and other places they visit.”
A number of publications won five or more awards each. The New York Times took six awards, including four gold with one of them as best in Newspaper Travel Coverage. Afar was named best Travel Magazine, among its six awards. Travel + Leisure and Outside won seven awards each, while National Geographic Traveler, National Geographic Magazine and National Geographic Books earned five awards among them.
A strong showing was made by Fodor’s, The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, Yankee and Condé Nast Traveler.
Among individual winners, author Pico Iyer won three gold, in Short Narrative, Travel Book and Personal Comment.
The sustainability of the annual competition is made possible by a generous contribution from Gold Supporter Carnival Corp., the world’s largest cruise company with a portfolio of brands. Its contribution helps make the prizes possible and supports the future of high-quality travel media.
SATW Foundation’s 117 Lowell Thomas Awards Honor the Best and Brightest in Travel Journalism
September 9, 2023 – From 1,430 entries, judges in the 39th annual Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition awarded 117 editors, writers, photographers, podcasters, social media experts and videographers Friday for their outstanding work in helping to make the world of travel accessible, understandable and achievable.
“I thought it would be difficult to top last year, but these entries and winners have,” said Catharine Hamm, president of the SATW Foundation, the nonprofit whose mission is to support, celebrate and sustain excellence in travel journalism. “Each year brings surprises and new levels of achievement that not only delight readers but also make the judging task for the University of Missouri even tougher.”
Each of the entries reflected the heart of the craft: serving readers as journalistic guardians who take seriously the job of advising people how to spend their time and money. “Travel accounted for $1.2 trillion in direct spending in 2022,” the U.S. Travel Association said in an April 26, 2023, statement, and that “produced an economic footprint of $2.6 trillion,” the same level as 2019.
Stephanie Pearson, a freelance writer from Duluth, Minnesota, received a Gold Award as the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalist of the Year. “Whether kayaking among the rugged Apostle Islands in Lake Superior or providing first-hand knowledge for those interested in road-tripping through the American Southwest, Stephanie Pearson takes the reader along for the adventure,” the judges said. “Her work reminds readers that all who travel should respect and help preserve the parks and other places they visit.”
Noted travel writer Pico Iyer won Gold awards for Short Narrative Work, which appeared in Oprah Quarterly/Oprah Daily; Personal Comment, which appeared in the New York Times, and for Travel Book “The Half-Known Life: In search of Paradise,” from Riverhead Books. Of his book, the judges said, “Long-time prodigious, intellectual author Pico Iyer offers chapters with geographic spread. But this book is as much about inner travel – exploring the mind and the soul – as about physical travel.”
The New York Times picked up six awards, four of them Gold, including Gold for Newspaper Travel Coverage. “Across the board, the New York Times offers strong reporting, creative presentation, beautiful writing and imaginative story ideas,” judges said.
Afar won the Gold for Travel Magazines, one of six awards it received, including a second gold for Bonnie Tsui’s Cultural Tourism article. “Afar makes travel feel accessible and attainable for all,” judges said.
In the third year of the Robert Haru Fisher Award for Travel Health/Safety Coverage, Heather Murphy’s New York Times article on hotels’ lack of carbon monoxide alarms took the Gold award. Judges cited her “strong shoe-leather reporting.”
Lies Veldeman and Ash Ryan took Gold for Travel Blog. Judges noted that the hallmark of NonStopDestination.com was “excellent writing.”
This year the SATW Foundation is awarding $25,250 to winning journalists. The awards are named for Lowell Thomas, acclaimed broadcast journalist, prolific author and world explorer during five decades in travel journalism.
The sustainability of the annual competition is made possible by a generous contribution from Gold Supporter Carnival Corp., the world’s largest cruise company with a portfolio of brands. Its contribution helps make the prizes possible and supports the future of high-quality travel media.
See following list of winners by category
Awards For Works Published in 2022-2023
FULL LIST OF AWARDS
Category 101: Grand Award — Lowell Thomas Travel Journalist of the Year
Gold: Stephanie Pearson, freelance writer, Duluth, MN
Silver: Sebastian Modak, freelance writer, New York City
Bronze: Vivian Song, freelance writer, Kitchener, Canada, and Paris
Honorable Mention: Christopher Reynolds, staff writer, Los Angeles Times
Category 102: Travel Magazines
Gold: Afar, Julia Cosgrove, editor-in-chief, and Supriya Kalidas, creative director
Silver: Travel + Leisure, Jacqueline Gifford, editor-in-chief
Bronze: Girl Camper Magazine, Kim Foley MacKinnon, executive editor
Honorable Mention:Southbound, Kevin Benefield, editor; Cristina Hazar, design director; Allison Entrekin, executive editor
Category 103: Travel Coverage in General Magazines
Gold: Midwest Living, Kylee Krizmanic, editorial content director; Hannah Agran, executive editor; Julia Sayers Gokhale, travel editor; and Gary Thompson, senior staff writer
Silver: Yankee, Mel Allen, editor
Bronze: Outside, Christopher Keyes, editor
Category 104: Editorial Travel Website
Gold: Fodors.com, Fodor’s Travel, Jeremy Tarr, digital editorial director, and team
Silver: FathomAway.com, Fathom, Pavia Rosati and Jeralyn Gerba, co-founders
Bronze: QuirkyCruise.com, Heidi Sarna and Ted Scull, co-founders
Honorable Mention: KidTripster.com, KyAnn Lewis, editor; JL Watkins, videographer; Eliza Watkins, teen writer; and Shellie Bailey-Shah, founder
Category 105: Newspaper Travel Coverage
Gold: The New York Times, Amy Virshup, travel editor
Silver: The Plain Dealer, Susan Glaser, travel editor
Bronze: The Boston Globe, Chris Morris, food and travel editor
Honorable Mention: Star Tribune, Minneapolis, Simon Peter Groebner, travel editor
Category 106: Robert Haru Fisher Award for Travel Health/Safety Coverage
Gold: Heather Murphy, ‘It Costs $30 and Saves Lives. Why Don’t Many Hotels Install Carbon Monoxide Alarms?’ The New York Times
Silver: Margot Bigg, ‘Where There’s Smoke: How Wildfire Smoke Is Affecting Life Outdoors,’ REI’s Uncommon Path
Bronze: Jacob Passy, ‘Travelers With Food Allergies Fight for Early Boarding,’ The Wall Street Journal
Honorable Mention: Jen Murphy, ‘Should I Travel to Mexico or Costa Rica Right Now? I’m Concerned About Safety,’ Outside
Category 107: U.S./Canada Travel
Gold: Renaud Philippe, ‘Québec City: A Native Son Shares How to Enjoy His Beautiful Canadian City in Winter,’ Yankee Magazine
Silver: Sebastian Modak, ‘Jackson Heights: The Neighborhood That Epitomizes New York,’ BBC Travel
Bronze: Robbie Whelan and Jacob Passy, ‘Disney’s New Pricing Magic: More Profit From Fewer Park Visitors,’ The Wall Street Journal
Honorable Mention: Melanie Radzicki McManus, ‘Wisconsin’s Oddball House on the Rock,’ Star Tribune, Minneapolis
Category 108: Foreign Travel
Gold: Jason Motlagh, ‘Afghanistan’s Lost Road: What a 2,000-Mile Journey Around Afghanistan Uncovers a Year After the Taliban Takeover,’ National Geographic Magazine
Silver: Vic O’Sullivan, ‘Protecting the Burren’s Identity,’ Marriott Bonvoy Traveler
Bronze: Emma John, ‘25 Days, 1,959 Miles, 9 Countries,’ Afar
Honorable Mention: Christine Chitnis, ‘Beneath the Surface,’ Condé Nast Traveler
Category 109: Cruise Travel
Gold: Stanley Stewart, ‘The Great White South,’ Travel + Leisure
Silver: Michael Verdon, ‘Inheriting the Sea,’ Robb Report
Bronze: Janice Wald Henderson, ‘A Warmer Welcome,’ (‘My Black Daughter Has Always Been Skeptical About Cruises — We Took One Together Anyway’), Travel + Leisure
Honorable Mention: Heidi Sarna, ‘Luciole French Canal Barge Cruise Review — An Excellent Holiday on a Private Barge Charter,’ QuirkyCruise.com
Category 110: Adventure Travel
Gold: Cassidy Randall, ‘Alone at the Edge of the World,’ The Atavist Magazine
Silver: Steve Friedman, ‘Lucky’s Last Run,’ Runner’s World
Bronze: Josh Condon, ‘Alone at the Edge of America,’ Robb Report
Honorable Mention: Kelsey Vlamis, ‘Disaster at 18,200 Feet,’ BusinessInsider.com
Category 111: Travel News/Investigative Reporting
Gold: Alison Sider, ‘How Southwest Airlines Melted Down,’ The Wall Street Journal
Silver: Christopher Muther, ‘In Florida, “Don’t Say Gay” Is Now the Law, and LGBTQ+ Businesses Fear the Fallout,’ The Boston Globe
Bronze: Karen Schwartz, ‘Sailboat Crew Rescued in Pacific After Abandoning Ship Sunk by Whale,’ The Washington Post
Honorable Mention: Jaweed Kaleem, ‘Welcome to Portugal, the New Expat Haven. Californians, Please Go Home,’ Los Angeles Times
Category 112: Service-Oriented Consumer Work
Gold: Julia Carmel, ‘It’s Here. It’s Queer. A Guide to LGBTQ-Friendly Spots in Palm Springs,’ Los Angeles Times
Silver: Grayson Haver Currin, ‘Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail: A Beginner’s Guide,’ Outside
Bronze: Elaine Glusac, ‘How to Tread Lightly in Fragile Places,’ The New York Times
Honorable Mention: Rose Palmer, ‘Photographing in Antarctica — 19 Antarctica Photography Tips for All Skill Levels,’ Quiltripping.com
Category 113: Environmental and Sustainable Tourism
Gold: Jeremy Tarr, digital editorial director, and multiple contributors, ‘Fodor’s No List 2023,’ Fodor’s Travel
Silver: Kate Siber, ‘Should I Stop Flying? It’s a Difficult Decision to Make,’ Outside
Bronze: Lebawit Lily Girma, ‘This Is How Tourism Must Shift to Actually Address Climate Change,’ Bloomberg Pursuits
Honorable Mention: Matt Crossman, ‘Climate Change Is Hitting National Parks Hard. Here’s How the Park Service Is Reacting,’ Experience/Expmag.com
Category 114: Cultural Tourism
Gold: Bonnie Tsui, ‘Something Like Healing, Something Like Hope,’ Afar
Silver: Norie Quintos, ‘The Surprising Story of How the Philippines Came to Virginia,’ National Geographic Traveler
Bronze: Kevin West, ‘The Long Road Home,’ Travel + Leisure
Honorable Mention: Victoria M. Walker, ‘Hampton, Virginia, Has Become a Tourism Destination. Why Now?’ Afar
Category 115: Culinary-Related Travel
Gold: Adam Erace, ‘Salt of the Earth: How Fife Became Scotland’s Most Exciting Food Destination,’ Travel + Leisure
Silver: Osayi Endolyn, ‘The Castaway,’ Travel + Leisure
Bronze: Megan Eaves, ‘Life Stays Close to the River — Solar Beer and Wildebeest in the Serengeti,’ GoodBeerHunting.com
Honorable Mention: Rebecca L. Rhoades, ‘Grain Expectations,’ Plate Magazine
Category 116: Special-Purpose Travel
Gold: Tim Neville, ‘The Last Ride of Legend, a Pony Who Lived Up to His Name,’ Outside
Silver: Will McCarthy, ‘To Discover Wild America, Follow Bigfoot’s Mythical Steps,’ National Geographic Traveler
Bronze: Lewann Babler, ‘The Brief, Wondrous Life of Little Leo,’ Outside
Honorable Mention: Ashlea Halpern, ‘Superfly,’ Midwest Living
Category 117: Coverage of Diverse Communities
Gold: Amanda Morris, ‘Embarrassing, Uncomfortable and Risky: What Flying Is Like for Passengers Who Use Wheelchairs,’ The New York Times
Silver: David Treuer, ‘Epic Scale,’ Travel + Leisure
Bronze: Katherine LaGrave, ‘The Greatest Traveler You’ve Never Heard Of,’ Afar
Honorable Mention: Emma Weissmann, ‘A Travel Agent’s Guide to Planning — and Selling — Accessible Travel,’ TravelAge West
Category 118: Personal Comment
Gold: Pico Iyer, ‘The Trouble With Paradise,’ The New York Times
Silver: Pier Nirandara, ‘To the Young Mom on Flight 1122,’ Travelers’ Tales
Bronze: Roger Marolt, ‘Aspen Has Been Overrun by Zillionaires. Has the Town Lost Its Gonzo Soul?’ Outside
Honorable Mention: Christopher Muther, ‘Welcome Back, Valued Customers. Now, Please Pay Attention While We Remind You of the Do’s and Don’ts of Air Travel,’ The Boston Globe
Category 119: Multimedia Single Work
Gold: ‘A Roman-Era “Superhighway” Is Disappearing. Italy Has a Plan to Save It,’ National Geographic Traveler, Nina Strochlic, Andrea Frazzetta, Maura Friedman and Marcy Thompson
Silver: ‘Your Park Stories,’ National Parks Magazine and npca.org, Rona Marech, Bev Stanton, Todd Christopher, Nicolas Brulliard and Nicole Yin
Bronze: ‘The Last of Albania’s Sworn Virgins,’ BBC 100 Women-BBC World Service, BBC Reel and BBC World News, Derrick Evans, Tui McLean, Claire Williams, Valeria Perasso, Camelia Sadeghzadeh and team
Honorable Mention: ‘The Women Who Travel Power List 2023,’ Condé Nast Traveler, Lale Arikoglu, lead editor and multiple contributors
Category 120: Special Packages/Series
Gold: ‘Two Weeks in America,’ The Boston Globe staff, Francis Storrs, editor
Silver: ‘Bright Ideas in Travel 2022,’ Condé Nast Traveler, Betsy Blumenthal, editor, and multiple contributors
Bronze: ‘Summer of Cycling,’ The New York Times, Amy Virshup, editor, and multiple contributors
Honorable Mention: ‘The Best Restaurants in America’s Busiest Airports,’ The Washington Post By The Way staff, Amanda Finnegan, editor
Category 121: Still Photography on Travel
Gold: Richard Schultz, ‘Ocean State Odyssey,’ Yankee Magazine
Silver: Francesco Lastrucci, ‘Italian Renaissance/How Italy Is Bringing Its Rustic Villages Back to Life,’ Smithsonian Magazine
Bronze: Rory Doyle, ‘Jewel of the Ozarks,’ Smithsonian Magazine
Honorable Mention: Rory Doyle, ‘An Alabama Album,’ National Parks Magazine
Category 122: Travel Book (other than guidebook)
Gold: Pico Iyer, ‘The Half Known Life: In Search of Paradise,’ Riverhead Books
Silver: William Frej and Anne Frej, ‘Travels Across the Roof of the World: A Himalayan Memoir,’ George F. Thompson Publishing
Bronze: Marcia DeSanctis, ‘A Hard Place to Leave: Stories From a Restless Life,’ Travelers’ Tales
Honorable Mention: Beebe Bahrami, ‘The Way of the Wild Goose: Three Pilgrimages Following Geese, Stars, and Hunches on the Camino de Santiago,’ Monkfish Book Publishing Co.
Category 123: Guidebook
Gold: Dawn M. Barclay, ‘Traveling Different: Vacation Strategies for Parents of the Anxious, the Inflexible and the Neurodiverse,’ Rowman & Littlefield
Silver: Robert M. Dunkerly, ‘An Explorer’s Guide to America’s Revolutionary War,’ Blue and Gray Education Society
Bronze: Joe Yogerst, ‘100 Trails, 5,000 Ideas,’ National Geographic Books
Honorable Mention: Andrew Collins, ‘Ultimate Road Trips: USA & Canada,’ Hardie Grant Publishing
Category 124a: Travel Audio-Radio
Gold: Thomas Wilmer, ‘Journeys of Discovery With Tom Wilmer — Exploring the Amish and Mennonite Denizens of Shipshewana, Indiana,’ NPR and KCBX, San Luis Obispo, CA
Silver: Annita Thomas, ‘Travel With Annita — Juneteenth: Iconic African-American Stories,’ WDUN AM/FM, Gainesville, GA
Bronze: Rick Steves, Tim Tattan, Kasmira Hall and Donna Bardsley, ‘Travel with Rick Steves — New Year’s Traditions; New Orleans Originals; David McCullough Tribute,’ Rick Steves Europe on radio stations nationwide
Category 124b: Travel Audio-Podcasts and Guides
Gold: Oneika Raymond, ‘About the Journey — Vancouver, B.C.: Explore Canada’s Largest Chinatown,’ Marriott Bonvoy Traveler
Silver: Rowan Jacobsen, ‘Obsessions — Wild Chocolate,’ Kaleidoscope
Bronze: Chris Colin and Aislyn Greene, ‘Travel Tales — West Coast Train Travel,’ Afar
Honorable Mention: Tonya Fitzpatrick and Ian Fitzpatrick, ‘Remembering Emmett Till,’ World Footprints
Category 125a: Travel Video Story More Than 2 Minutes
Gold: William Tang, ‘This Is Patagonia,’ GoingAwesomePlaces.com
Silver: Mayank Soni and Anna Bressanin, ‘The Trans-Bhutan Trail Reopens After 60 Years,’ BBC.com/Reel
Bronze: Abby Narishkin, Mark Adam Miller, Victoria Barranco, Jeremy Dreyfuss and Daniel Allen, ‘How Singapore Airlines Makes 50,000 In-Flight Meals a Day,’ BusinessInsider.com
Honorable Mention: Nicky Kelvin, Liam Spencer and Ben Smithson, ‘Race to Heathrow Airport | Is the Elizabeth Line Faster Than Heathrow Express and Taxi?’ ThePointsGuy.com
Category 125b: Travel Video Story 2 Minutes or Less
Gold: Juliana Broste, ‘Wisconsin: Cranberry Harvest Experience,’ TravelingJules.com
Silver: Shivya Nath, ‘Phuket (Thailand) With the Bangrong Community,’ Instagram @Shivya
Bronze: Debra Corbeil and Dave Bouskill, ‘5 Ways to Be a Responsible Wildlife Tourist,’ Instagram @ThePlanetD
Category 126: Travel Blog
Gold: Lies Veldeman and Ash Ryan, NonStopDestination.com
Silver: Rose Palmer, Quiltripping.com
Bronze: Christopher Mitchell, TravelingMitch.com
Honorable Mention: Cory Lee, CurbFreeWithCoryLee.com
Category 127: Instagram Storytelling
Gold: Amanda Williams, ‘Northern Ireland,’ @DangerousBiz
Silver: Nneya Richards, ‘Visit South County Rhode Island,’ @Nneya
Bronze: Pier Nirandara, ‘Swimming With Whales in Rurutu — The Forgotten Island of French Polynesia,’ @PiersGreatPerhaps
Honorable Mention: Shivya Nath, ‘Learning About Conservation, Communities and Climate Change Through Travel,’ @Shivya
Category 128: Short Narrative
Gold: Pico Iyer, ‘The Holy Mountain,’ Oprah Quarterly/OprahDaily.com
Silver: Tara Isabella Burton, ‘The Joy of Traveling to the Same Places Again and Again,’ The Wall Street Journal
Bronze: Larry Bleiberg, ‘Mt. Atlanticus, a Myrtle Beach Mini Golf Masterpiece,’ Garden & Gun
Honorable Mention: Todd Plummer, ‘Finding Community, Joy and a New Sense of Self at Gay Ski Week,’ Condé Nast Traveler
See All the Results, Judging Comments and Winning Entries.
The SATW Foundation is proud to present the Winners Gallery, showcasing all the winning entries. At the gallery, click on any category to see the winners by place with comments by the judges. For each award, there are icons to click and see the winning work, either online or in a PDF. In a few cases, such as the magazine and book categories, links are not available.
BetterBNC, the online awards platform the Foundation uses for the contest, provides the Winners Gallery. From the page with the list of categories, you can click the SATW Foundation logo at the top of page to return to the SATW Foundation homepage website or click on your back arrow in the top left hand side of your screen to return to this screen.
We are happy to salute all our winners and showcase their entries. We hope you enjoy seeing their work.
The Prizes
This year, the SATW Foundation is giving 117 awards in 30 categories and $25,250 in prize money to journalists in recognition of outstanding travel journalism.
The Grand Award earns the Gold winner $1,500, the Silver winner $750 and the Bronze place $500.
In individual categories, first-place Gold carries a $500 prize, Silver $250 and Bronze $150. The categories for Best Newspaper Travel Coverage, Best Magazines and Best Travel Journalism Websites are not given monetary awards.
The sustainability of the annual competition is made possible by a generous contribution from Gold Supporter Carnival Corp., the world’s largest cruise company with a portfolio of brands. Its contribution helps make the prizes possible and supports the future of quality travel media.
The sustainability of the annual SATW Foundation Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition is supported by a generous contribution from Gold Supporter CARNIVAL CORP., the world’s largest cruise company.
The Society of American Travel Writers Foundation was begun in 1981 by a group of SATW writers, editors and public relations professionals who were concerned about the future of travel journalism.
SATW (the Society of American Travel Writers) is the pre-eminent professional association of travel journalists and communicators. Learn more about this premier networking organization by visiting its website, www.satw.org.
