2024-2025 SATW FOUNDATION
LOWELL THOMAS TRAVEL JOURNALISM COMPETITION
Judging was overseen by the University of Missouri School of Journalism with Professional Practice Professor and Carol J. Loomis Faculty Fellow, Jennifer Rowe, along with Professor Heather Isherwood and newsroom coordinator Ellie Newberry-Wortham, coordinating the 26 judges.
From the menu at the right, you can access more information about the 2024-2025 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 2024-2025 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition Awards Presentation Video
Watch the video that was first shown at the 2025 SATW Annual Convention in Detroit, Michigan.
SATW Foundation Announces 2025 Recipients of the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards
Choosing among 1,457 entries, 26 judges at the University of Missouri School of Journalism conferred 120 awards on editors, writers, photographers, podcasters, social media experts and videographers in the 2025 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition. The awards, overseen and funded by the SATW Foundation, were announced today at the SATW annual convention in Detroit.
The University of Missouri School of Journalism conducted the judging, managed by Jennifer Rowe, Professional Practice Professor and Carol J. Loomis Faculty Fellow, along with Professor Heather Isherwood and newsroom coordinator Ellie Newberry-Wortham, all of whom coordinated the 26 judges.
Rowe and Isherwood agreed that this year travel journalists created work that frequently reflected a search for deeper meaning. Two words came up often in judges’ comments: “connection” and “understanding.” The pieces also sought to explore the reasons we travel. Judges repeatedly noted the expertise, personality and talent of the writers, citing entries that “put readers on the edge of their seats’ or were elevated by “smart, agile reportage.’ In multimedia entries, that commitment was just as vigorous, Rowe said, and included videos that “take viewers on a rich journey” and offered “immersive soundscapes and intentional visual design” or Instagram entries that delivered a “masterclass in bite-sized travel storytelling.”
SATW Foundation Announces 2025 Recipients of the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards
Thursday, September 11, 2025: Choosing among 1,457 entries, 26 judges at the University of Missouri School of Journalism conferred 120 awards on editors, writers, photographers, podcasters, social media experts and videographers in the 2025 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition. The awards, overseen and funded by the SATW Foundation, were announced today at the SATW annual convention in Detroit.
The University of Missouri School of Journalism conducted the judging, managed by Jennifer Rowe, Professional Practice Professor and Carol J. Loomis Faculty Fellow, along with Professor Heather Isherwood and newsroom coordinator Ellie Newberry-Wortham, all of whom coordinated the 26 judges.
Rowe and Isherwood agreed that this year travel journalists created work that frequently reflected a search for deeper meaning. Two words came up often in judges’ comments: “connection” and “understanding.” The pieces also sought to explore the reasons we travel. Judges repeatedly noted the expertise, personality and talent of the writers, citing entries that “put readers on the edge of their seats’ or were elevated by “smart, agile reportage.’ In multimedia entries, that commitment was just as vigorous, Rowe said, and included videos that “take viewers on a rich journey” and offered “immersive soundscapes and intentional visual design” or Instagram entries that delivered a “masterclass in bite-sized travel storytelling.”
Natalie Compton of The Washington Post received the Gold Award as Lowell Thomas Travel Journalist of the Year. The judges commended Compton’s “unconventional eye for the offbeat, solid reporting and a strong charming voice.” The Silver and Bronze awards for Travel Journalist of the Year went to SATW members Mark Orwoll and Tamara MC, respectively.
The New York Times won gold for Newspaper Travel Coverage, led by Travel Editor Amy Virshup. Judges called the travel coverage “dazzling and impressive” delivered by “thoughtful, authoritative writers.”
Travel + Leisure Magazine, led by editor-in-chief, Jacqueline Gifford, won Gold for Travel Magazines. “Inspiring photography, beautiful writing, informational details and a dose of fun create a publication that’s immersive and varied,” judges said.
Midwest Living Magazine picked up the Gold award in Travel Coverage in General Magazines. The travel coverage led by Julia Sayers Gokhale presents “delightful small towns, unexpected attractions and local knowledge to create an engaging combination in the travel coverage.”
The Gold award for Editorial Travel Website went to Adventure.com. Led by Executive Editor Oliver Pelling, Adventure.com was lauded as “a first-class travel website whose articles “connect travelers to the people who live in a destination” and reflect the “significance of the journey.”
“The Lowell Thomas Awards support, celebrate and sustain excellence in travel journalism,” said Catharine Hamm, president of the SATW Foundation. “We are proud of the independent judging by the faculty of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, a top journalism school. We are also grateful for the donations from the Board of Directors, SATW members and many other contributors who make these awards possible.”
The awards are named for Lowell Thomas, acclaimed broadcast journalist, prolific author and world explorer during five decades in travel journalism. The Foundation’s first Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition celebrated travel works completed in 1984. Since then, the Foundation has awarded more than $655,000 to winners in the contest, the highest honor in North American 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.
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Please see the 2025 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition winners below:
Awards For Works Published in 2024-2025
FULL LIST OF AWARDS
Category 101: Grand Award – Lowell Thomas Travel Journalist of the Year
Gold: Natalie Compton, The Washington Post
Silver: Mark Orwoll, Pleasantville, NY
Bronze: Tamara MC, New York, NY
Honorable Mention: Lilit Marcus, CNN Travel
Category 102 Travel Magazines
Gold: Travel + Leisure, Jacqueline Gifford, Editor-in-Chief
Silver: Condé Nast Traveler, Jesse Ashlock, Head of Editorial Content
Bronze: AFAR, Julia Cosgrove, Editor-in-Chief
Honorable Mention: Ori, Kade Krichko, Founding Editor, and Jessie Gallagher, Art Director
Category 103 Travel Coverage in General Magazines
Gold: Midwest Living, Julia Sayers Gokhale, Senior Travel Editor; Kylee Krizmanic, Editor-in-Chief; Hannah Agran, Executive Editor; and Mary-Beth Tibbens, Creative Director
Silver: National Parks, Rona Marech, Editor-in-Chief; Nicolas Brulliard, Senior Editor; Nicole Yin, Photo Editor; and Katherine DeGroff, Associate Editor
Bronze: Yankee Magazine, Ian Aldrich, Deputy Editor; Jennifer Johnson, Managing Editor; Katty Van Itallie, Art Director; Kim Knox Beckius, Editor, Travel & Branded Content; and Heather Marcus, Senior Photo Editor
Category 104 Editorial Travel Website
Gold: Adventure.com, Oliver Pelling, Editor-in-Chief; Meera Dattani, Executive Editor; Tayla Gentle, Managing Editor; Nicola Bailey, Photo Editor; and Kassondra Cloos, News Editor
Silver: Fodors.com, Jeremy Tarr, Digital Editorial Director; Rachael Levitt, Managing Editor; Eva Morreale, Assignments Editor; Nikki Vargas, Travel Editor; and Stephen Horowitz, Publisher
Bronze: KidTripster.com, KyAnn Lewis, Editor; Jason Watkins, Videographer; Eliza Watkins, Teen Writer; and Shellie Bailey-Shah, Founder
Honorable Mention: CatalystPlanet.com, Amy Schrier, Founder
Category 105: Newspaper Travel Coverage
Gold: The New York Times, Amy Virshup, Travel Editor
Silver: The Washington Post, Gabe Hiatt, Travel Editor; Amanda Finnegan, Deputy Features Editor; Lauren Bulbin, Photo Editor; and Katty Huertas, Art Director, By the Way
Bronze: The Boston Globe, Chris Morris, Travel Editor
Honorable Mention: The Minnesota Star Tribune, Simon Peter Groebner, Travel Editor
Category 106: Robert Haru Fisher Award for Travel Health/Safety Coverage
Gold: Michael Wejchert, ‘Swept Away,’ Yankee Magazine
Silver: Betsy Andrews, ‘Is Travel Actually Bad for Your Gut?’ Saveur
Bronze: Kinsey Gidick, ‘What Happens When a Doctor Responds to a Medical Emergency on a Plane?’ Thrillist
Honorable Mention: Jennifer Murphy, ‘Is It Safe to Travel to Mexico? I Think: Yes. Here’s What to Know.’ Outside
Category 107: U.S./Canada Travel
Gold: Dorian Fox, ‘Wading In,’ National Parks Magazine
Silver: Julia Sayers Gokhale, ‘Cream of the Crop,’ Midwest Living
Bronze: Jesse Ashlock, ‘In Washington State’s San Juan Islands, Time Stands Still and Nature Reigns Supreme,’ Condé Nast Traveler
Honorable Mention: Mark Orwoll, Highway Stops, Then and Now from Stuckey’s and Hojo’s to Dinosaurs in the Desert, East-West News Service
Category 108: Foreign Travel
Gold: Cassandra Karpiak, ‘This Safari Camp Offers the Dreamiest Treehouse Stay for an Epic Night in the Wild,’ BLOX Digital Content Exchange/Associated Press
Silver: Peggy Orenstein, ‘Second to None,’ AFAR
Bronze: Andrea Sachs, ‘Influencers Hyped the Amalfi Coast for Years. Now It’s a “Theme Park.”’ The Washington Post
Honorable Mention: Eric Lucas, ‘A Tale of Two Cities,’ Epoch Times
Category 109: Cruise Travel
Gold: Jessica Lockhart, ‘What I Learned on a Citizen Science Cruise Along Australia’s Great Barrier Reef,’ Toronto Star
Silver: Christopher Hall, ‘It’s Party Time on the Stockholm-Helsinki Ferry,’ The New York Times
Bronze: David Hochman, ‘Anchors Aweigh!’ Virtuoso, The Magazine
Honorable Mention: Rachael Levitt, ‘Forget Wellness, FEAR Is the Best New Travel Trend,’ Fodor’s Travel
Category 110: Adventure Travel
Gold: Caroline Van Hemert, ‘Navigating Orca Alley: One Family’s Journey Among Rudder-Bashing Whales,’ Outside
Silver: Justin Fornal, ‘Cold Water Plunge,’ Adventure Journal
Bronze: Bill Donahue, ‘Riding High: Lael Wilcox,’ The Red Bulletin
Honorable Mention: Bill Donahue, ‘Unlock the Secrets of Cycling’s Super-Agers,’ Bicycling
Category 111: Travel News/Investigative Reporting
Gold: Rukmini Callimachi and Derek M. Norman, ‘Lured by Luxury Vacations, They Were Stuck With Debt,’ The New York Times
Silver: Natalie Compton, ‘“Barely Surviving”: Some Flight Attendants Are Facing Homelessness and Hunger.’ The Washington Post
Bronze: Vivian Song, ‘“Am I Now a Walking Target?” The Canadians Boycotting Travel to the United States Because of Trump,’ CNN Travel
Honorable Mention: Valerie Bauerlein, Scott Calvert, Allison Pohle and Louise Radnofsky, “‘Can’t Wait to Be Home.” The Final Moments of American Airlines Flight 5342 Passengers,’ The Wall Street Journal
Category 112: Service-Oriented Consumer Work
Gold: Kate Nelson, ‘How to Be a Respectful Visitor on U.S. Native Lands,’ Condé Nast Traveler
Silver: Kathleen Rellihan, ‘Top 8 Destinations on Earth to Take a Cold Plunge,’ Outside
Bronze: Samantha Leal, ‘As a Solo Female Traveler of 14+ Years, These Are the 15 Personal Safety Devices I Recommend You Always Pack,’ Travel + Leisure
Honorable Mention: Andrea Sachs, Hannah Sampson, and Natalie Compton, ‘The 45 Definitive Rules of Hotels,’ The Washington Post
Category 113: Environmental and Sustainable Tourism
Gold: Bing Lin, ‘Miles to Go,’ Inside Climate News
Silver: Crai Bower, ‘Starry, Starry Nights at Dark Sky Preserves,’ The Saturday Evening Post
Bronze: Anna Fiorentino, ‘Could Eelgrass Be the Next Big Bio-Based Building Material?’ Smithsonian Magazine
Honorable Mention: Stanley Stewart, ‘Nature’s Keepers,’ Travel + Leisure
Category 114: Cultural Tourism
Gold: Tony Perrottet, Debra Rosenberg, ‘Greek Revival,’ Smithsonian Magazine
Silver: Caleb Gayle, ‘Can the Rodeo Save a Historic Black Town?’ The Atlantic
Bronze: Lale Arikoglu, ‘In Kosovo, Techno Is a Symbol of Resilience,’ Condé Nast Traveler
Honorable Mention: Karen Gardiner, Nik van der Giesen and Mitsuru Wakabayashi, ‘The Way of Craft,’ Range
Category 115: Culinary-Related Travel
Gold: Marcia DeSanctis, ‘Alla Bolognese,’ Travel + Leisure
Silver: Hannah Agran, ‘Cooking Forward,’ Midwest Living
Bronze: Pier Nirandara, ‘Diving and Foraging for Wild Food in Cape Town’s False Bay,’ Condé Nast Traveler
Honorable Mention: Daniel McGinn, ‘The Best Sandwich in Philadelphia Might Not Be a Cheesesteak,’ Boston Globe Magazine
Category 116: Special-Purpose Travel
Gold: Karen LeBlanc, ‘Crafting a Unique Cultural Journey Through Ecuador,’ TravelWorld International
Silver: T.J. Olwig, ‘Hearts Aflutter,’ Hemispheres magazine
Bronze: David Farley, ‘Back to Life: Rebuilding the Czech Republic’s Miracle Village,’ Ori
Honorable Mention: Chip Brown, ‘Pedestrian of the Year,’ AARP The Magazine
Category 117: Coverage of Diverse Communities
Gold: Rachel Ng, ‘The Moving Story of Bringing Baseball Back to Manzanar, Where Thousands of Japanese Americans Were Incarcerated During World War II,’ Smithsonian Magazine
Silver: Christopher Dong, ‘Who are the Delta Gays? How the Airline Became a Haven for the LGBTQ Community.’ USA Today
Bronze: Sheeka Sanahori, ‘A Stranger Invited Me to Our Family’s Reunion,’ Thrillist
Honorable Mention: Claudia Laroye, ‘Flying High: Meet the Métis Woman Behind Canada’s First Indigenous, Woman-Owned Airline.’ Adventure.com
Category 118: Personal Comment
Gold: Justin Fornal, ‘What I Learned Chewing the Stimulant Khat Across Three Countries,’ Thrillist
Silver: Joan Bregstein, ‘An Elegy for Crystal Cove A7, Our Family’s Piece of Paradise,’ The New York Times
Bronze: John Penner, ‘A Total Eclipse Is More Than a Spectacle. So I’m on the Road to See It — Again.’ Los Angeles Times
Honorable Mention: Caroline Van Hemert, ‘The Fleet-Winged Ghosts of Greenland,’ Hakai Magazine
Category 119: Multimedia Single Work
Gold: Lale Arikoglu and Megan Spurrell, ‘The Women Who Travel Power List 2025,’ Condé Nast Traveler
Silver: Ben Buckland, ‘Trekking Across Switzerland, Guided by Locals’ Hand-Drawn Maps,’ The New York Times
Bronze: Dawn Gilbertson, Daisy Korpics, Peter Champelli and Carl Churchill, ‘What’s the Fastest Way to the Airport? We Raced in New York, L.A. and Chicago.” The Wall Street Journal
Honorable Mention: Aaron Lavinsky and Simon Peter Groebner, ‘Minnesota Waterfall Awards,’ The Minnesota Star Tribune
Category 120: Special Packages/Series
Gold: Julia Cosgrove, ‘Where to Go in 2025,’ AFAR
Silver: Nick Mancall-Bitel, Nat Belkov, Lesley Suter, Monica Burton and Amy McCarthy, ‘The Eater Guide to the Heartland,’ Eater
Bronze: Annie Greenberg, Matt Paco, Max Dickson, Di Li and Ben Buckner, ‘Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2025,’ Lonely Planet
Honorable Mention: Christopher Reynolds and Elisa Parhad, ‘The 101 Best West Coast Experiences,’ Los Angeles Times
Category 121: Still Photography on Travel
Gold: Pier Nirandara, ‘Thirteen Photos That Will Make You Care About the Ocean,’ BBC Travel
Silver: Sinna Nasseri, ‘Easy Does It,’ AFAR
Bronze: Wayne Martin Belger, Jeff Campagna and Maria Keehan, ‘Canyon of the Ancestors,’ Smithsonian Magazine
Honorable Mention: Jake Naughton, ‘The Timeless Appeal of Puerto Vallarta,’ The New York Times
Category 122: Travel Book (other than guidebook)
Gold: Peter Guttman, ‘American Character: Surprising Portraits of an Unseen Nation,’ Skyhorse Publishing
Silver: Rowan Jacobsen, ‘Wild Chocolate: Across the Americas in Search of Cacao’s Soul,’ Bloomsbury USA
Bronze: Leigh Ann Henion, ‘Night Magic: Adventures Among Glowworms, Moon Gardens and Other Marvels of the Dark,’ Algonquin Books
Honorable Mention: Rick Steves, ‘On the Hippie Trail: Istanbul to Kathmandu and the Makingof a Travel Writer,’ Avalon Travel
Category 123: Guidebook
Gold: Jessica Gee, ‘National Geographic Bucket List Family Travel,’ National Geographic Books
Silver: Cassandra Overby, ‘Home Base Hiking Europe: An Explore-on-Foot Guide to Unforgettable Destinations,’ Mountaineers Books
Bronze: Valerie Stimac, ‘Stargazing Around the World: A Tour of the Night Sky,’ Lonely Planet
Honorable Mention: Andrew Nelson, ‘Here Not There,’ National Geographic Books
Category 124a: Travel Audio-Radio
Gold: Tom Grahsler, Tariro Mzezewa, Michael Olcott, Michaela Winberg and Bibiana Correa, ‘Peak Travel Radio Special – Communities Fight Back,’ WHYY, Philadelphia
Silver: Robert Carey, Mary Carey, Rudy Maxa, RJ Carey and Valerie B Selig, ‘RMWorldTravel, August 10, 2024,’ RMWorldTravel Connection
Bronze: Rick Steves, ‘Travel With Rick Steves: “South Wales; Two Years in Kazakhstan; Global Empty Spaces,”’ Rick Steves Europe
Honorable Mention: Annita Thomas, ‘Hawaii Culture and History on Molokai,’ WDUN — Travel With Annita
Category 124b: Travel Audio-Podcasts and Guides
Gold: Liz Beatty and Lia Grainger, ‘Amateur Night Sky Chasers Who Changed the Science of the Northern Lights,’ Here & There, Canadian Geographic
Silver: Derrik J. Lang, John McQueen, Angie Orth and Ginni Saraswati, ‘Visiting Filming Locations Around the World: Part I,’ Traveling with AAA, Automobile Club of Southern California
Bronze: Liz Beatty, ‘Beauty and Darkness: Returning to the Northern Labrador Inuit Homeland,’ Here & There, Canadian Geographic
Honorable Mention: Aislyn Greene, ‘From Bomba to Bad Bunny: Searching for the Sounds of Puerto Rico,’ Unpacked, by AFAR
Category 125a: Travel Video Story More Than 2 Minutes
Gold: Matt Costa and Tayla Gentle, ‘Matt Costa x Adventure.com: Explorations of Sight and Sound, Vol. 2,’ Adventure.com
Silver: William Tang, ‘My Wild Week Exploring Hidden Hong Kong Secrets,’ Going Awesome Places
Bronze: Preshita Saha, ‘A Pro Chef’s Guide to Indian Dining in London. Where the Chefs Eat.’ Condé Nast Traveler
Honorable Mention: Monica Rodman, ‘We Stayed in the Scariest Motel in America,’ The Washington Post
Category 125b: Travel Video Story 2 Minutes or Less
Gold: Samantha Brown, Kevin O’Leary, Sylvia Caminer, Sharon Dymmel and David Dean, ‘Samantha Brown – Threatt’s Filling Station on Route 66,’ Samantha Brown Media
Silver: William Tang, ‘Best 11 in Hong Kong,’ Going Awesome Places
Bronze: Raimee Iacofano, ‘Must-Know Tips for Americans Traveling Abroad,’ Raimee Travel
Honorable Mention: Cory Lee Woodard, ‘Visiting the DMZ as a Wheelchair User,’ Curb Free With Cory Lee
Category 126: Travel Blog
Gold: Lina Stock and David Stock, ‘Divergent Travelers,’ DivergentTravelers.com
Silver: Cory Lee Woodard, Curb Free With Cory Lee, Curbfreewithcorylee.com
Bronze: Kirsten Maxwell and Sarah Blevins, ‘You Never Know Where Kids Will Take You,’ KidsAreATrip.com
Honorable Mention: Shivya Nath, ‘The Shooting Star,’ The-Shooting-Star.com
Category 127: Instagram Storytelling
Gold: Max Dickson, Annie Greenberg, Rachel Lewis and Deepa Lakshmin, ‘Lonely Planet’s New York City Shorts,’ @Lonelyplanet
Silver: Juliana Broste, ‘Turkish Delights,’ @TravelingJules
Bronze: Nneya Richards, ‘Fly into Milan and Explore Northern Italy,’ @Nneya and @Lonelyplanet
Honorable Mention: Lina Stock and David Stock, ‘Ross Sea, Antarctica,’ @Divergent Travelers
Category 128: Short Narrative
Gold: Brad A. Johnson, ‘Showdown at The Grand,’ OLTRE
Silver: Elaine Glusac, ‘A Travel Writer Remembers Arthur Frommer,’ The New York Times
Bronze: Christopher Dong, ‘Lost Your Luggage? Here’s What Probably Went Wrong.’ The Wall Street Journal
Honorable Mention: Christopher Reynolds, ‘A Definitive Yet Unserious Guide to L.A. for Yankees Fans,’ Los Angeles Times
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 128 awards in 30 categories and more than $25,000 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.
