2022-23 SATW Foundation Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition
114 Cultural Tourism ( Travel Audio-Podcasts and Guides,Travel Audio-Radio,Travel Magazines,Travel Coverage in General Magazines,Newspapers)Back
Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: Afar Entry Title: Something Like Healing, Something Like Hope Entry Credit: Bonnie Tsui Judge Comment: Bonnie Tsui writes that Chinatowns, born of diaspora but also of the human need to gather and make a home, are “the most American story there is.” Her writing makes a strong case — the fact that Chinatowns represent places of sanctuary as well as separation — and offers parallels that reflect fear and racism as well as home and community. Skilled reporting and solid interviews are evident throughout, as is strong reader service regarding chefs and their restaurants, bookstore owners and their shops. An added plus is the interesting sidebar on Chinatowns around the world by Mae Hamilton.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Norie Quintos Entry Title: The surprising story of how the Philippines came to Virginia Entry Credit: Norie Quintos Judge Comment: The intriguing lead about lumpia rolls and the existence of a multitude of Filipino restaurants in Virginia surprises. The details pull readers into a little-known Filipino American history of the Chesapeake Bay area, noting that an annual Fil Fest USA celebration gives travelers an opportunity to discover the food and culture. Norie Quintos offers well-researched information, including the service of many Filipinos in the U.S. Navy, which has led to their settling in cities around the large naval complex at Norfolk. This inviting story chronicles community resilience with strong writing.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: Travel + Leisure Entry Title: The Long Road Home Entry Credit: Kevin West Judge Comment: Using residents of Tennessee — such as Fawn Weaver of Uncle Nearest distillery, dairy farmer Colleen Cruze, and Dolly Parton, as well as chefs who have “elevated the farmhouse cooking of generations of anonymous women to the status of ‘foothills cuisine,’” — Kevin West skillfully reveals history and sites of interest. The 500-mile trip across the state offers travelers fascinating stops including Cades Cove, a scenic route through the Great Smokies, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville and the Hiwassee River Heritage Center on the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. West reveals interesting facts that offer a sense of perspective and of place — one that the name of the state itself stems from Tanasi, a lost Cherokee village.
Place Name: Honorable Mention Contestant Name: Victoria Walker Entry Title: Hampton, Virginia, Has Become a Tourism Destination. Why Now? Entry Credit: Victoria M. Walker Judge Comment: The reporting in this story reveals the shifts that can happen when painful history is acknowledged. Author and native of the area, Victoria Walker covers historical ground that was long buried from residents and readers: the Emancipation Oak’s role shading enslaved people, as the site of the first reading in the American South of the Emancipation Proclamation and where Mary Peake, a schoolteacher, helped illiterate and newly freed African Americans. There is power in the last lines in which the author, who had for years chosen to live elsewhere, finds for the first time her hometown of Hampton was a place she missed when she left.
