2019-20 SATW Foundation Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition
109 Adventure Travel ( Newspapers,Travel Magazines,Travel Coverage in General Magazines,Travel Audio-Radio,Travel Audio-Podcasts and Guides)Back
Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: The Atavist Magazine Entry Title: The Wild Ones Entry Credit: Melissa Sevigny Judge Comment: In a remarkable re-creation, Melissa L. Sevigny recounts a ground-breaking boat trip through the Grand Canyon in 1938. Two botanists—Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter—joined to gather plant specimens. Only 50 men had successfully made this journey. Sevigny had letters Clover and Jotter wrote during the trip, plus Jotter’s diary and newspaper clippings. Her chronological narrative is full of colorful details and used tension and foreshadowing. The story also showed that women could face danger as well as the men.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Outside Entry Title: The Tragedy on Howse Peak Entry Credit: Nick Heil Judge Comment: This is the story of three expert alpinists who died in an avalanche in Canada. The human side is told through the eyes of family members and friends. The author expertly weaves together the family’s reaction in the hours as they waited for news with an examination of why climbers felt the need to experience danger. The specific case adds humanity and interest to the larger issue.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: Jayme Moye Entry Title: Thirteen Feet Under Entry Credit: Jayme Moye Judge Comment: This gripping narrative re-creates the experience of three skiers who were caught in an avalanche. Two were able to dig themselves out, but the third was buried. When they located her using beacons, they started digging. Time was their enemy. The author uses the rescue as the spine while leaving to give background on such things as the medical issues of oxygen deprivation. The structure emphasizes the tension and holds readers until the end.
Place Name: Honorable Mention Contestant Name: Pam Mandel Entry Title: Welcome to the Land Entry Credit: Adam Karlin Judge Comment: In a reported essay, the author takes readers to the point in Alaska where it meets the Arctic Ocean. Basing his visit in Utqiagvik, a town of 4,500, he paints an unromantic portrait of life in this remote village where tradition and technology overlap. He lets readers follow him as he talks to residents about what they like about living there and examines the context of life in the village. It is both entertaining and enlightening. And then he jumps in the ocean for a bracing dip.
