Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: Travel + Leisure Entry Title: Travel + Leisure Entry Credit: Jacqueline Gifford Judge Comment: During a year when people’s worlds were upended, readers felt safe in the hands of Travel + Leisure editors. The magazine covered the realities facing the travel industry with some service-centric stories that anticipated what readers would want. The Experiences department offered travelers’ tales that allowed us some relief from our own cabin fever. The magazine produced some timely and creative theme issues, such as "The America Issue" (finding beauty in our own backyard) and "The Water Issue." The latter, published during Black History Month, included an Intelligent Traveler section that focused on the Black travel movement.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Condé Nast Traveler Entry Title: Condé Nast Traveler Entry Credit: Jesse Ashlock Judge Comment: This magazine could make anyone become a full-time armchair traveler. CN Traveler provides a simple template with a feature well and just four departments: Word of Mouth, Why We Travel, Reasons to Celebrate and the back-of-book department called A Traveler’s Tale. Each issue provides pages with luxurious photography but that still allow lots of breathing room and center on story. One of the strongest feature packages was “The Lands We Love," which included writers such as Cheryl Strayed, Ruth Reichl and Peter Heller reminiscing on those places they hold most dear. The issues were nostalgic while underscoring a yearning to resume travel and an appreciation for what we lost during the pandemic.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: Afar Entry Title: AFAR Entry Credit: Julia Cosgrove, Jeremy Saum, Aislyn Greene, Tara Guertin, Jennifer Flowers Judge Comment: Although the magazine had limited issues published during the past year, the content produced for the print magazine was invigorating and relevant. Packaging and presentation vary with each department and feature to match the stories, so readers never encounter a tired template or page design. The "Where to Go -- 12 Places We’re Dreaming Of" issue had a creative three-pronged concept that encouraged readers to Reimagine, Reconnect and Reveal.
Place Name: Honorable Mention Contestant Name: Southbound Entry Title: Southbound Entry Credit: Kevin Benefield, Cristina Hazar, Allison Entrekin, Elizabeth Florio Judge Comment: This magazine exudes the same feeling as sitting on a wraparound porch with a close friend talking about your favorite places. The Editor’s Note sets a friendly tone that carries throughout the magazine. Information provided is high on utility and accessibility. Profiles, not always standard fare in travel magazines, allowed for more personal connection whether with the hosts of a popular TV home show or the Lunch Ladies of Lafayette. Content is grounded in and celebrates all things Southern.
