Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: Southbound Entry Title: Southbound Entry Credit: Kevin Benefield, Editor-in-Chief Judge Comment: Is it a smart travel magazine for the South, or is it a regional publication steeped in pride for its home turf? Southbound combines both, and the resulting magazine is a vibrant reflection of the South. Recommendations and reader service information abound as do striking visuals, personal essays and stories that connect to the area’s history. The magazine succeeds in capturing the personalities of places from North Carolina to Florida to Louisiana with destinations that vary from metropolitan chic to private island remote, five-star hotel luxurious and Ozarks rustic.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Travel + Leisure Entry Title: Travel + Leisure Entry Credit: Jacqueline Gifford, Editor-in-Chief Judge Comment: Travel + Leisure succeeds in making places around the globe feel as though they’re next door, whether that’s eating oysters seaside in Croatia, traipsing through northern England or sightseeing in the American West. The Experiences section lives up to its name, offering story after story of places people didn’t know they wanted to visit, and Intelligent Traveler is packed with tips. The photography stands out, with both scenics and more personal photos in which the joy of travelers leaps off the page. With a foundation of useful and succinct details, the magazine introduces readers to the places, people, food and experiences that resonate in dreams and in reality.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: Afar Entry Title: AFAR Magazine Entry Credit: Julia Cosgrove, Editor-in-Chief Judge Comment: Afar’s story mix accurately reflects its dedication to “travelers who care.” Although the magazine is packed with interesting and unexpected destinations, it also contains plenty of advice about traveling sustainably and smartly. Stories address such subjects as the ethics of visiting remote cultures, why some Hawaiians want travelers to stay away and what “volun-tourism” really means. The “Travel Can” feature explores the ways travel can be a force for good, and the Where to Go Next issue offers more than 35 vibrant global destinations, all with lively design, art and photography. Afar covers a lot of ground, asking its readers to look both outward and inward.
Place Name: Honorable Mention Contestant Name: Kim Foley MacKinnon Entry Title: Girl Camper Magazine Entry Credit: Janine Pettit, publisher & editor-in-chief, Kim Foley MacKinnon, executive editor, Diane McNamara, managing editor, Shannon Garrett, art director Judge Comment: This magazine speaks directly to its audience, partly because many of the writers are the audience. Girl Camper Chapter Guides offer trusted regional knowledge for women on the road because they ARE women on the road. The road trip guides that make up the heart of most issues are actionable, and there’s a lot of helpful advice among the pages as well. Girl Camper is all the camping, road-tripping, RVing information any adventurous woman could want.
