2020-21 SATW Foundation Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition
109 Cruise Travel ( Newspapers,Travel Magazines,Travel Coverage in General Magazines,Travel Audio-Radio,Travel Audio-Podcasts and Guides)Back
Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: Jennifer Bain Entry Title: Explore Greenland aboard an expedition cruise Entry Credit: Jennifer Bain Judge Comment: It’s common knowledge that anyone who has seen an iceberg/glacier is amazed by its massive beauty. However, Jennifer Bain introduces us to more than that. She brings them alive as a “species.” There are lumpbergs and glowbergs that twinkle according to her sources. She also sucks the reader in and makes one want to go to Greenland and spend time with sled pups and eat shrimp and halibut. After being housebound because of Covid, she offers us “seal soup and reindeer Bolognese.” Her vivid and detailed writing makes any reader add an expedition cruise to their bucket list. Her article was a much-needed relief from the numerous entries that focused on the negative of the pandemic. I’ll take her “custard-filled Danish pastries with a squiggle of powdered sugar icing" over masks and hand sanitizer anytime.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Susan Portnoy Entry Title: Experience One of the Best Small Ship Cruises in the Great Bear Rainforest Entry Credit: Susan Portnoy Judge Comment: The “Grandfathers” more than delivered when author Susan Portnoy told an elder Shoshone Medicine Man that she wanted photos of the wildlife in the Great Bear Rainforest. Her “curious humpbacks, bewildered young grizzlies, and Kermode Spirit Bear” make any traveler want to head to the Pacific Coast of British Columbia. She also makes sure her readers know about the relaxing amenities and the tasty treats like roast beets and candied pecans. Her details even fill us in on the knowledge and attentiveness of the crew on the MV Cascadia. Portnoy’s writing is detailed and magnetic.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: Dennis Heinze Entry Title: Adventure Alaska Entry Credit: Dennis Heinze Judge Comment: If you’ve never visited Alaska, reading the article by Dennis Heinze will make you want to change that. His talk of giant ice fields, mountains of crab legs, and sled dogs captures the essence of the special landscape. He shares the many activities like hiking, sea kayaking and salmon fishing in a writing style that is straightforward and easy to read. All the action on land and wildlife make you forget that he’s writing about an Inside Passage cruise with Princess.
Place Name: Honorable Mention Contestant Name: Bloomberg Pursuits Entry Title: The Messy Booming Business of Recycling Cruise Ships Entry Credit: Fran Golden Judge Comment: The pandemic did more than keep travelers from sailing the seas. It forced cruise lines to break apart ships and sell them for everything from parts to toilet seats. Fran Golden gives us a detailed account of how cruise companies are trying to get some value out of vessels resting in demolition yards like one in Turkey. This article takes an angle that no other writers in the competition have. It’s in-depth and covers yet another industry impacted by the virus.
